behind the head pull downs?

[Pain Peters]

are these bad for your neck? Should I do them?

[physique]

yes and no.

first its not a natural movement and it does put undue stress on your rotator cuffs. trick is dont come below your ears if you do them.

[Mr.Freeze]

i do it with light weight just to get more detail in the back.but going heavy its a nother story.

[O-Train]

I've seen flexible girls pull the bar half way down their back. Makes me cringe.

Bad for your neck cause you have to protract your head forward, like physique said worse for your shoulders. As far as I can tell there is no benefit from doing pulldowns behind the head vs. in front.

[MuSuLPhReAk]

I don't do these at all. I find it unnatural and awkward.

[shithead]

In my books, that is a no-no.

[IronRobi]

I've seen flexible girls pull the bar half way down their back. Makes me cringe.

Bad for your neck cause you have to protract your head forward, like physique said worse for your shoulders. As far as I can tell there is no benefit from doing pulldowns behind the head vs. in front.


This about sums up my feelings for it as well.

[Boost]

I don't do these at all. I find it unnatural and awkward.

I agree. If it's not a natural movement, don't do it imo.

[Gettin'r'round]

If you have shoulder problems (or want some) go ahead and pull behind the neck.

[SteveMan]

I actually like them, works the rear delts/rhomboids nicely.

[MUSCULARMAYOR]

I used to do behind the neck pull ups a lot a couple years ago. Although they did add a great deal of width to my back I've learned how harsh on your shoulders and neck they can be. I do like light pull down behind the neck every once in a while for a change.

[tex]

behind the neck's are awesome......trick is to not get caught up in going too heavy at first....dont pull to below the crown of your head as well.......i included them in my last dc blast and my back was always screaming afterwards.......

[Mr Ontario]

ya...why risk injury if it's showed to cause possible injury or strain.

[tex]

i guess its up to the person....i have done them on a semi-regular basis for the past 15 years and havent had any probs......other guys have rotator pain just thinking about pulling to behind the neck.....

[Musclehead]

I usually don't do them but when I do it's very light. When done lightly you can really focus on squeezing the back muscles together.....I stick to the basics though and rarely do them.

[bluenose]

I got away from doing them, but have started them again on a regular basis for the last 7-8 months........At least for me it's finding that sweet spot that dose not make them uncomfortable.

[spankmonkey]

I actually like them, works the rear delts/rhomboids nicely.

I respectfully disagree, the rhomboids major's purpose is to draw the scapula medially toward the vertebral column and minor draws slightly upward.* The supposed rear delt is actually one of the three heads for one muscle, the deltoid.* It's job is to abduction, flexion, extension and rotation of the arm.Behind the neck lat pull downs put the shoulder complex in a precarious position and can create future or immediate problems.
Look at what you are trying to accomplish with lat pulldowns and then fashion your workout around building that muscle and its associated helpers.If you are trying to build back i.e. the latissimus Dorsi, then you should know its function is to adduct the arm, rotate it medially, and extend it.* There are many exercises which simulate this movement, pretty much any rowing motion.* Pull ups and pull downs simulate a similar motion and can allow for greater extension of the arm.* Just my 2 cents.