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Skull Crusher
How to do the Skull Crusher with good form: step-by-step technique, the muscles it works (triceps), coaching cues and the mistakes to avoid.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Triceps
- Secondary
- Forearms
How to do it
- Lie flat on a bench, firmly planting your feet on the floor.
- Hold an EZ-curl bar with a pronated, relatively close grip and extend your arms straight up over your chest.
- Angle your arms slightly backward towards your head (about 15 degrees) so the triceps are under tension even at lockout.
- Keeping your upper arms perfectly stationary, bend your elbows to lower the bar toward your forehead (or slightly behind your head for a deeper stretch).
- Pause when you feel a deep stretch in the triceps.
- Extend your elbows forcefully to return the bar to the starting position.
Coaching cues
- Upper arms stay locked in place
- Lower to the forehead or just behind it
- Extend forcefully
Common mistakes
- Moving the upper arms back and forth, turning the movement into a pull-over
- Flaring the elbows aggressively outward
- Lowering the weight too fast
Equipment and setup
Flat bench, EZ-curl bar, weight plates
Lying on a flat bench with a loaded EZ-curl bar.
Also known as: Lying Triceps Extension, EZ Bar Triceps Extension
Track your Skull Crusher in ROAN
ROAN fills in last session’s weight and reps, estimates your 1RM and keeps your best sets.
