Exercise guide · Triceps
EZ-Bar Skull Crushers
EZ-bar skull crushers train the triceps on a flat bench by lowering the bar toward your forehead with fixed upper arms. Extend your elbows to press the bar back up.
- Targets: Triceps
- Equipment: Barbell
- Type: Isolation
Step by step
How to do the EZ-Bar Skull Crushers
- Lie on a flat bench and hold an EZ-bar with the angled grip, arms extended above your chest.
- Pin your upper arms vertical or slightly angled toward your head—only forearms move.
- Lower the bar toward your forehead or just behind your head by bending your elbows under control.
- Press the bar back up by extending your elbows until arms are straight over your shoulders.
- Keep shoulder blades stable on the bench throughout the set.
Form cues
- Upper arms stay still
- Lower to forehead or behind head
- Elbows point toward the ceiling
- Control the descent
Common mistakes
- Letting upper arms swing toward the feet
- Flaring elbows wide
- Lowering the bar to the chest like a press
- Using momentum from the shoulders
Muscles worked
Primary
Triceps
Secondary
None significant
Safety: Use collars on the bar and a weight you can control. Consider lowering behind the head if elbows bother you.
Alternatives
Similar triceps exercises
Cable Cross-Body Triceps ExtensionTriceps
Cable Overhead Triceps ExtensionTriceps
Cable Single-Arm Triceps PushdownTriceps
Cable Triceps KickbackTriceps
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Cable Triceps Rope PushdownTriceps
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