How to do it
- Lie on a flat bench holding an EZ bar with arms extended, angled slightly back over your face.
- Bend at the elbows and lower the bar to just behind your forehead.
- Extend back to the start without letting the upper arms move.
Cues that matter
- Angling the arms back keeps tension on the triceps at lockout.
- Lower slowly — the elbows do not like speed here.
Common mistakes
- Letting the upper arms swing back into a pullover.
- Flaring the elbows out on the way up.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Triceps
- Long head
- Lateral head
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts EZ-Bar Skull Crusher in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the triceps with different equipment — for a day the barbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.