Intermediate

EZ-Bar Skull Crusher

The classic mass builder for the entire triceps, the skull crusher loads elbow extension while lying flat so you can focus purely on the arms. Angling the elbows slightly back adds a bit of long-head stretch. It's a staple of any serious arm-training plan, best done with strict control.

Equipment
Barbell, Bench
Body part
Triceps
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Elbow Extension
Muscles worked
Target
Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
Tertiary
Extensors

How to do it

  1. 1

    Lie on a flat bench and press an EZ bar to lockout over your chest with an overhand grip.

  2. 2

    Angle your arms slightly back so the bar sits over your forehead, not your chest.

  3. 3

    Keep your upper arms fixed and elbows pointing at the ceiling.

  4. 4

    Bend your elbows to lower the bar toward the top of your head.

  5. 5

    Stop just short of your forehead or lower it just past for more stretch.

  6. 6

    Extend your elbows to press the bar back up, then repeat.

Tips

  • Keep your elbows from flaring wide; point them up and slightly back.
  • Move only at the elbow, don't turn it into a pullover by dropping the upper arms.
  • Use a controlled tempo and clips or a spotter, it's named for a reason.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Pressing back to a lockout with the arms straight up over the chest. The triceps get a rest there, so keep the arms angled back, finish with the bar over your forehead, and hold the tension.
  • Taking the wide outer bends of the EZ bar, which pushes the elbows out. The inner angles keep the hands under your shoulders and the elbows tracking upward.
  • Touching the bar to your forehead and bouncing out of the bottom. Stop a couple of inches short, hold for a beat, then press; the bottom is where the elbow is most exposed.
  • Letting the bar creep toward your chest as fatigue arrives, so the final reps turn into a shaky close-grip press. When the bar stops coming down over your forehead, the set is finished.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the EZ-bar skull crusher should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of 8 to 12, and spend the first session with an empty EZ bar finding the path over your forehead before you add plates. Rest 90 seconds between sets, since this is heavier work than a pushdown. Add about 5 pounds total once you reach 12 on every set with the elbows still pointing up. Finish each set a rep or two short of failure rather than grinding, because the bar is over your head and the elbows are what fail first.
What can I use instead of an EZ bar for skull crushers?
Dumbbells are the closest swap and are often kinder on the elbows, since each hand finds its own angle; lower them beside your head rather than to a single point. A straight barbell works but locks the wrists in pronation, which is the problem the EZ bends were made to fix. At home, a band anchored low behind your head lets you extend against rising tension with nothing over your face.
What is the EZ-bar skull crusher good for, and is it hard on the elbows?
It is the standard mass builder for the triceps, loading all three heads with the shoulder slightly flexed so the long head does more than it does on a pushdown, which suits intermediate lifters chasing arm size. The elbow does take real stress at the bottom, and that is why the controlled tempo and the short pause matter; aching elbows are a reason to move to a cable or dumbbell version rather than to push on. It is a poor choice for maximum-load work, where press variations do more.

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