A compressive split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique is used to investigate the dynamic behavior of SM45C at high temperature. A radiant heater, which consists of one ellipsoidal reflector and one halogen lamp, is used to heat the specimen. Specimens are tested from $600^{circ}C$ to $1000^{circ}C$ at intervals of $100^{circ}C$ at a strain-rate ranging from 1100/s to 1150/s. A critical phenomenon occurs between $700^{circ}C$ and $750^{circ}C$ in SM45C. This phenomenon results in the drastic drop in a flow stress. In a modified Johnson-Cook constitutive equation, a reducer function is used to take into account for the effect of the drastic drop in a flow stress. A reducer function, which is dependant on the temperature as well as the strain, is introduced and the parameters of the modified Johnson-Cook constitutive equation are determined from test results.