Bradford/Rocky Presses
What you'll gain
Keeps the delts under tension by cycling the bar front to back without a full lockout.
Trains both a front-rack press and a behind-the-neck press in one movement.
Uses a standard barbell, so it fits barbell shoulder collections.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Unrack a barbell at collarbone height with a pronated grip just outside the shoulders.
- 2
Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart, brace the trunk, and tuck the chin.
- 3
Press the bar about three-quarters of the way to lockout; do not fully straighten the elbows.
- 4
Lower the bar behind the neck under control to the base of the neck.
- 5
Press again to the same three-quarter height, then lower the bar back to the front rack.
- 6
Keep cycling front to back without using the legs to drive the bar.
Common Mistakes
Locking the elbows out at the top, which rests the bar and dumps the tension.
Using a knee dip to push the bar, which turns the drill into a push press.
Leaning the torso back so the lower back takes the load.
Forcing a narrow behind-the-neck path when the shoulders cannot own that position.
About This Exercise
The Bradford press, also called the Rocky press, is a standing barbell overhead press that never fully locks out. You press from the front rack to about three-quarters of lockout, lower the bar behind the neck, press again, and return to the front. The partial path keeps the delts under tension and combines a front press with a behind-the-neck press in one cycle. Shoulders are the target on a barbell, at an intermediate grade, with abs, traps, and triceps as secondary. Behind-the-neck work needs enough shoulder mobility; if that position hurts, a standard press is the better page. For a catalog this is the old-school shoulder cycle next to a strict press. It belongs in barbell shoulder collections and in historical or bodybuilding-style press variants, not as a beginner first overhead lift.
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A standing barbell press that cycles the bar from the front of the neck to behind it, keeping constant tension on the delts.
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Specifications
Built for
- Barbell shoulder collections beside a strict press and a behind-the-neck press.
- Bodybuilding-style press variants in app workout templates.
- Intermediate overhead-press progressions for users with the required mobility.
- Historical lift pages that need the Bradford/Rocky cycle shown clearly.
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
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