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Today I’m going to share with you one simple hack to build bigger arms, specifically bigger triceps, utilizing the skull crusher. If you want nice, thick triceps, this is one of the exercises to do. It’s actually a staple in my own workout routine!
But how did the skull crusher get its name? It’s really very simple – it’s because to perform the movement, you grab the barbell with about a shoulder width grip, and lay back on a bench. You then literally bring the barbell down to your skull, before pressing it back to the top.
Problems With Performing Skull Crushers Directly To Your Skull
Bringing the barbell down to your forehead can pose a couple of different issues.
Problem #1: Range of motion is limited to when the barbell touches your forehead.
Problem #2: If you drop the weight you will crush your face!
Problem #3: Excessive weight can cause elbow pain over time.
There have been a couple of different solutions to this problem. However, even when doing the solutions you’re still not maximizing the efficiency of the exercise. What you’ll see most people do is instead of bringing the barbell down to their forehead, they’ll move to the top of the bench, but won’t start by holding the weight above their upper chest. Instead, they’ll bring their arms back so the bar starts directly above their head. They’ll then lower the weight down and behind their head, before pressing it back up.
Problems With Performing Skull Crushers Behind Your Head
This is good in terms of getting pressure out of the elbows. However, from the very bottom of the movement, there is no tension in the triceps for the first few inches of the movement. Obviously you can do more reps this way, and you will fatigue the triceps this way, but the whole goal of any exercise that you’re doing, is you want to maximize the stretch of any movement.
This is because it’s in the stretch that you’re going to get the most muscle breakdown for re-growth. So the problem with the variation behind your head on a flat bench is that there is no tension while in that stretched position. It means you’re not maximizing the efficiency of the exercise.
How Can I Maximize This Exercise For Muscle Growth?
It’s very simple – you move the bench from flat to incline. Once you’re on an incline, a couple of different things are going to happen. First of all, you won’t have any elbow pain, because it’s impossible to hold your arms at 90 degrees and press to your skull. Instead it will force you to bring your arms up and over your head.
The other thing that happens when you bring your arms up and over your head for a tricep movement is it places more emphasis on the LONG HEAD of the triceps. If you want big beefy arms, especially from the side and back, you want that long head to be hit pretty hard. You also get a bit more lateral head engagement as well, because your arms are perpendicular to your body.
Incline Skull Crusher – Proper Form
For this variation, you don’t necessarily have to sit on the bottom of the bench. Instead, you want to slide up more to the top of the bench so that you can lean your head back if you have to. Once you’re in place, you’ll hold the bar above your head, and then come down and behind your head. Once at the bottom of the movement, you’ll quickly notice the triceps being fully engaged in the eccentric portion of the movement, that there is a really hardcore stretch on the triceps. Even just sitting in that bottom position will enable you to feel a really deep stretch through your arms.
You’ll then press the weight up from the bottom position, and repeat for reps. In this range of motion you’re maximizing the efficiency of the exercise, because you’re hitting the stretch with as much weight as possible. If you want to take it one step further, you can even apply my cheat & recover technique, and you don’t have to have a spotter to help you either.
What you can do is load up with as much weight as possible, then go slow to really focus on the eccentric. Once you get to the bottom of the movement, if you get stuck, you can actually bring the weight back over your head directly to your chest, and press it back up from there.
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41 comments
I'm not ashamed to admit it.. I may have smashed my face a few times with this exercise.. BUT I DID IT ON PURPOSE FOR THOSE ANGER/PAIN REPS!!! #JustSaiyan
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Holds the bar with one hand like nothing while adjusting the mic! WTF!
Hey Scott I just watched your video on cyberbullying,, you're a hundred percent correct,, it's easy for people to sit behind their keyboard, & act negative , and leave Commons when they have no idea what they're talking about.. and most of the time they're just jealous..
Definitely following you now.. Scotty in FLA..
superb 👍
Just found your channel tonight, I've watched/listened to (headphones at work) a ton of your videos. I'm loving what you do, dude. Getting me motivated to get back at it in a real way instead of the half ass stuff I've been doing for the last year and a half.
Stay awesome dude!
Scott handling a barbell with 50 lbs on it with one arm like it's nothing
J
Thanks Scott!
But what about your shoulders ? Isnt this extension bad for them? I sometimes happen to hurt mine when going that far back
What is your opinion on skull crushers with the demonstrated EZ bar VS using the neutral close grip hammer curl bar?
hey scott you should get yourself a body building necklace… if there is such a thing xD every time you wear the mic like that it gives you like 10 extra hot points lol
Ty ty ty
I will give those a try Scott Herman. My elbows hurt after skull crushers .Keep em coming man.💪💪
In fact I took a break from skull crushers and changed to triceps pushdown only 2 months ago, due to elbow pain. Might try it with your adjustments, and hope that it doesn't come back – I really loved the excercise, probably my favorite of anything I've done so far, but after a while the pain was killing me.
it would be better if you also say the number of sets and reps to do.. As always love ur content
I had cubital tunnel syndrome in the past (ulnar nerve problem) and it took me a long time before I could do any tricep exercises without any elbow pain, from my own experience a standing extension is the best, no pressure at all compared to other tri exercises. So if you have any tricep pain at all I do not recommend skull crushers, try standing tricep extensions!
great stuff. But i experience shoulder pain with this exercise, any advice on that?
Thanks a lot Scott, my triceps are destroyed with this variation.
Excellent advice.
So why not do them while fully sitting up, like in your Push B program?
Your Cheat and Recover technique is fucking amazing!
Helps me accomplish my gains
Love skull crushers, I do 30s 15 skullcrushers/15 bench press in drop sets. Instincts must have kicked in because I did it like you said, behind the head, but never did it on an incline. Nice tip!
haha this tip gave me muscle ache
Incorporated this with my last workout and my triceps are killing me. Honestly the exercise felt "easier" to perform and I could really feel it hitting my triceps harder than previously. Awesome tip, love it!
Thanks man, great tip!!
Scott do you need to retract your scapula the entire set when doing these on an incline?
A lot of pain during skull crusher movement at the elbow points.No other movement produces this pain.Any solution to this sir?
It seems so beneficial for someone like myself who is struggling to perform the old one correctly. I will try it and tell you the results . Thanks for the tips 💪
After a lot of messing about for years ive come to the conclusion that you know your shit & the only channel worth watching. You always mention lowering the risk of injury & using correct form/action. Less weight & better action to operate & separate groups is the key. Love your channel
adjusting a mic oh my god
Yes..
This workout is magical…
If we start doing this, we can see significant changes in our triceps…
Within months we can easily develop cool looking arms with skull crushers alone…
So just STAAHHHT DOING IT…
why would inclining the bench help with elbow pain?
Amazing tip
Great technique Scott will try them
You are a great trainer
Cant wait to stahhht… jk aside thanks for your vids very helpful
I’m going to use it in my routine triceps
I like your training regime Scott
Very helpful
Compared this to doing the same with dumbells – both are good!
Can't believe someone giving advice on how to do skull crushes properly for better tri ceps and he doesn't have any so I'm definitely not listening to this man