The “skull crushers” exercise is excellent for developing the triceps. They work the long head of the triceps, which is responsible for extending the elbow. You will need a bench, barbell, or dumbbell to do a skull crusher.
The procedure for performing skull crushers is as follows:
- Your knees should be bent as you lay on a bench with your feet flat.
- Hold the barbell or dumbbells above your chest with your palms facing down.
- Slowly lower the weight behind your head until your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Pause briefly, then slowly raise the importance back to the starting position.
The Mechanism of Skull Crushers
The Skull Crusher exercise is one of the best for encouraging triceps hypertrophy and strength development because it primarily isolates and utilizes this muscle group. The triceps experience tension during this exercise’s whole range of motion, which causes tiny tears in the muscle fibers. Your body heals these microscopic wounds as you become more vital and significant, giving you the remarkable size and definition you want.
Developing the Correct Skull Crusher Form
Mastering the proper form is essential for getting the best results and avoiding injuries. To ensure you get the most out of this potent workout, we’ll accurately break down the vital processes and strategies involved in performing the Skull Crusher.
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Do three sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Here are some tips for doing skull crushers safely and effectively:
- For the entire movement, keep your elbows tight to your sides.
- Don’t use too much weight.
- If you feel any pain in your wrists or elbows, stop immediately.
- You can also do skull crushers with a cable machine. To do this:
- Attach a rope attachment to the low pulley of the cable machine.
- Your palms should face one another while you hold the rope’s ends in each hand.
Follow the same steps as above.
Skull crushers are a great way to build strong triceps. However, it is essential to remember that there are other exercises you need to do. You should include different activities like close-grip bench presses and overhead triceps extensions.
Here are some other exercises that you can do to build your triceps:
- Close-grip bench press
- Overhead triceps extension
- Triceps pushdowns
- Triceps kickbacks
- Cable triceps extensions
- You can build strong and defined triceps by incorporating these exercises into your routine.
Skull Crusher Benefits
Skull crushers are a triceps exercise mainstay but are underrated for their value in building coordination between the upper back and triceps. The triceps are more than showy beach muscles. Try getting through your day without the tris. You’ll be unable to sign your name, lift a glass, or wash your hair. As for sports, Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t launch a jumper or dunk a basketball without his massive tris anchoring the ball. Nor could Caeleb Dressel glide through the water with a powerful butterfly or freestyle stroke without long, lean tris supporting his 6-foot-4-inch wingspan.
What Muscles Do Skull Crushers Work?
One of the best exercises to build strength and mass in your triceps, skull crushers also work on the stabilizer muscles of your shoulders. During the movement, the tris works with the pectorals and anterior deltoids to push the weight and control it during the lowering phase.
How to Add a Skull Crusher Into a Workout
The skull crusher is versatile for organizing your workout and foundational for a triceps-focused routine. As an upper-body push, it fits nicely between upper-body pull exercises or lower-body movements. Since it’s possible to go heavier with skull crushers—as opposed to bodyweight triceps moves like bench dips or diamond pushups—it makes sense to have them later in a triceps workout.
Best Skull Crusher Variations
Skull crushers offer so many variations that some view the exercise as a series of moves rather than just one. As with any movement, start with a lightweight to master the action, then increase weight accordingly.
Reasons to Use Skull Crushers
Focusing on the Triceps:
Skull crushers are a very efficient isolation exercise for developing the triceps because they mainly target those muscles. You may maximize muscle growth and strength by training the triceps in its entirety.
Strengthening the Arms:
The skull crusher is a complex exercise that simultaneously works for several muscular groups. As a result, it increases overall arm strength by working the shoulder flexors and stabilizers in addition to the triceps.
Improving the definition of muscle:
Strength is necessary, but so is aesthetics while developing amazing triceps. Skull crushers are a great exercise to include regularly in your workout program to assist in building muscle definition and give your arms a more rounded appearance.
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Preventing Common Errors
To prevent making these typical mistakes, be aware of them.
Slack grip:
To prevent the weight from unintentionally slipping from your hands and potentially damaging or injuring your head or face, maintain a tight grasp. If this worries you, you should strengthen your grip before doing this exercise.
Putting less weight on your face:
Do not drop the weight towards your face or forehead, and maintain a firm grasp. It should move behind your head instead. (Also, be careful not to smack your head on the back of the dumbbell when you raise it to the beginning position.)
Hand Placement:
Throughout this motion, you can maintain a shoulder-width distance between your hands. This relieves pressure on the elbow joints.. 5. As long as there is no pain or discomfort, how you hold the weight will depend on your anatomy and preferences.
Lifting Sloppily or Too Quickly:
Slowly and carefully should be used to complete this practice. This makes it simpler to maintain constant weight control, which helps to reduce the risk of injury. Use only the body components meant for movement; do not use your hips or momentum to move the weight. The workout will be less effective if you do this.
Too Little Reps and Too Much Weight:
Lower weight and more repetitions should be used for this workout. A lesser importance helps avoid this because it can stress the elbows. You’ll also be able to maintain better form and control with a smaller weight.