Exercise library · Arms

Skull Crusher

Isolation exercise targeting the triceps with an EZ bar. Keep the elbows pinned near the body, fully extend the arms as you exhale, then return under control.

Muscles worked

• Triceps (primary)

Equipment

Barbell, Dumbbells

How to do it

1. Lie on a flat bench with either an e-z bar (my preference) or a straight bar placed on the floor behind your head and your feet on the floor.
2. Grab the bar behind you, using a medium overhand (pronated) grip, and raise the bar in front of you at arms length. Tip: The arms should be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. The elbows should be tucked in. This is the starting position.
3. As you breathe in, slowly lower the weight until the bar lightly touches your forehead while keeping the upper arms and elbows stationary.
4. At that point, use the triceps to bring the weight back up to the starting position as you breathe out.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Sets and reps to start with

3 sets of 12 reps, 60 s of rest between sets. Increase the load once you complete every set at the top of the rep range.

Similar exercises

• Triceps Pushdown
• Overhead Triceps Extension
• Bench Dips
• Close-Grip Bench Press
• Triceps Kickback
• Dip Machine

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