Outlines to be discussed
- What is a Triceps Skull crusher?
- Skull crushers benefits
- Step-by-step instructions for Skull Crushers Lying Triceps Extension
- Common mistakes that beginners make
- Modifications beginners should know
- Difference between Overhead Triceps Extensions and Skull Crushers
Everyone has a dream to build bigger arm muscles and for this, a wide range of exercises are there. You may get a killer pump and mileage out of biceps movements like curls but if you are in search of real results you cannot deny your triceps. Beginners are usually confused that how they can build good triceps.
They may get bigger triceps by close grip bench press, barbell overhead press, and dumbbell overhead triceps extension. The triceps skull crusher is one of them. At the end of this article, beginners will be able to know about this exercise, its benefits, How to Do the Skull Crusher Lying Triceps Extension, common mistakes, modifications they should know, and the difference between Overhead Triceps Extensions and Skull Crushers.
What is Triceps Skull Crushers?
Skull crushers is also known as lying triceps extensions is an effective exercise for anyone to build strength and size of triceps. It is an isolation exercise that is used to build the triceps muscle group in the upper arm. The skull crusher exercise for the triceps gets its name because if you use the poor form you could endanger your skull. It can be used as part of an upper-body strengthening or muscle-building workout.
If you are a beginner and want to improve your upper body strength, size, and aesthetics dumbbell skull crusher is good for you. Do beginners usually ask if that is skull crusher good for the triceps? They must know that this is an amazing exercise that helps to tone your triceps. That’s because it’s a similar move to an overhead triceps extension but just lying down instead of standing.
Skull crushers benefits
- The skull crusher is a push exercise that helps the triceps brachii in isolation. It works this muscle from the elbow up to the latissimus dorsi of the back.
- This exercise is often used to fix imbalances associated with the triceps, for injury therapy, or in body-building.
- Due to the body position this exercise hones in on strengthening the stabilizers in your elbows and shoulders, this will make the better performance of upper-body moves and a lower risk of injury.
- One advantage of the lying triceps extension is that it doesn’t place pressure on the wrists.
How to Do the Skull Crushers Lying Triceps Extension
Beginners are usually fond of how to perform the skull crusher. Here, I will instruct them on how easily they can perform this dumbbells workout
- Lie down on a flat bench or the ground with your feet planted firmly onto the floor. Get yourself into a position that provides comfort and stability.
- Select a single dumbbell with a suitable weight that will help you to perform 10 to 12 extensions per set.
- Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms facing each other and engage your core
- With your elbows in a fixed position, hinge your elbows to slowly bring the dumbbells down just behind your ears. Inhale.
- Contract your triceps to extend your arms back into the straight position at the top. Exhale.
- Repeat this exercise for 10 to 12 extensions for each of the three sets
Common mistakes that beginners make
The common mistakes which beginners make while doing skull crushers workouts are that they are in a hurry to make their bodies in a good position due to which they make some mistakes. Getting the body in good form will take time. Beginners must be aware of these errors and must try to avoid them. A few common mistakes are given below
- Too Much Weight and Too Few Reps
This exercise is usually done with lower weight and higher reps. As this exercise can stress the elbows so the lighter weight will help to prevent that stress. With a lighter weight, you will also be able to use better form and control. On the other hand, if you will apply too much weight and fewer reps this will cause stress on your elbows.
- Firm Grip
Beginners usually do not grip the dumbbells firmly. They must make sure that they have a firm grip over them because if they are failed to do that dumbbells will be traveling above the region of their head and face.
- Flaring of the Elbows
Many weightlifters tend to flare out their elbows when doing dumbbell skull crushers. When the elbows flare out, we risk injury to our shoulders and we remove tension from the triceps. Make sure to keep your elbows in to practice proper form.
- Excessive Movement of the Elbows/Shoulders
If you are a beginner and want to train your triceps solely then keep those elbows and shoulders in the static or stationary position while performing a skull crusher workout. sometimes, people tend to rock their shoulders back as the weight comes down which forces their elbows to shift backward as well.
- Hitting the Back of Head
Always remember while raising the dumbbell from behind your head to go back to the initial position, the back of your head should not hit the dumbbell.
- Bending Your Back
Bending or arching of the body during this exercise negotiates the stability of your body positioning while completing this exercise. Instead of arching your back, you can place your feet firmly against the ground by engaging your core, and always remember to keep your back flat against the bench or ground.
Modifications and Variation Beginners should know about
There are ways to do a triceps skull crushers workout to make it more comfortable or to change how it targets your muscles, you must know about it
- You can place your feet on the bench by knees flexed knees. Do this if it suits your body shape.
- You can clasp or clench the dumbbell with the help of one hand over the other hand because some people are unable to fit two hands around a dumbbell shaft side by side
- Some people perform a skull crusher workout with the help of rather than a dumbbell as it is easy to perform. But keep in mind replacing the dumbbell with a barbell and EZ curl bar will produce more wrist strain.
The variation that comes while doing this exercise is as below
- If you are a beginner and have no equipment to perform a skull crusher workout, then don’t worry I have a solution for you. You can perform this exercise at home with just your body weight. For this prepare your body in a plank position with your hands together. After this contract your triceps and push your body off the ground and slightly backward. This form of variation is called a Bodyweight Skull Crusher.
- The barbell skull crusher is another variation of the dumbbell skull crusher which helps lift the heavier weight while doing this workout.
- 1-Arm Skull Crusher is another variation in dumbbell skull crusher that helps to train your arms individually to fix any muscle imbalance in your arms.
- The use of the EZ bar provides comfort to your wrists as compared to a barbell. You must know that a wider grip may help to maintain balance in your hands and it helps to reduce the elbow flare.
Difference between Overhead Triceps Extensions and Skull Crushers
Beginners should know that overhead triceps extensions and skull crushers are 2 similar exercises for triceps but they are different from each other in a few ways.
| Name | Overhead triceps extension | Skull crushers |
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Definitions | The overhead triceps extension is also called a dumbbell triceps extension. It is an isolation exercise that may target the triceps muscles | Overhead triceps extension helps to activate the lower back muscles, and core glutes as stabilizers during this movement. |
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Difficulty level | The skull crusher is performed by lying on a flat bench by lifting the dumbbells from behind your head to full extension above you. | Skull crusher works by putting all of the weight on your arms and shoulders which makes it a difficult exercise to perform. |
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Body position | The skull crusher also known as lying triceps extensions is an effective exercise for anyone to build triceps strength and size. It is an isolation exercise used to build the triceps muscle group in the upper arm | The skull crusher is performed by lying on a flat bench by lifting the dumbbells from behind of your head to full extension above you. |
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Muscles targeted | The overhead triceps extension is used for your triceps muscles, but it is different from the skull crusher on the muscles which are targeted. Overhead triceps extensions focus mainly on the long head of the triceps. | The skull crusher is also known as lying triceps extensions is an effective exercise for anyone to build triceps strength and size. It is an isolation exercise used to build the triceps muscle group in the upper arm |
