Bodyweight Skull Crusher

How to do it

1. Set a bar in a rack or Smith machine at about hip height.
2. Grip it palms down at shoulder-width and walk your feet back into a straight plank, arms straight.
3. Bend the elbows so your head moves down and under the bar, elbows pointing forward.
4. Stop when your forehead is just below the bar and your elbows are fully bent.
5. Straighten the elbows to push your body back to the straight-arm plank.

Tips

• Walk the feet back to make it harder, forward to make it easier.
• Keep glutes and abs tight so the body moves as one piece.

Common mistakes

• Letting the hips sag toward the floor.
• Pulling the elbows down so it turns into a push-up.

Muscles worked by the Bodyweight Skull Crusher

• Triceps (long head) Primary35%
• Triceps (lateral head) Primary26%
• Triceps (medial head) Secondary20%
• Upper abs Stabilizer6%
• Forearm flexors Stabilizer4%
• Rear delts Stabilizer3%
• Rotator cuff Stabilizer3%
• Serratus anterior Stabilizer3%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Leaning into a bar or straps, body weight as load. Lowering the weight to the head with the shoulder flexed near 90 degrees trains all three heads with the long head partly lengthened, between a pushdown and an overhead extension.

Bodyweight Skull Crusher alternatives

Different equipment

• TRX Tricep ExtensionTRX
• Cable Rope Skull CrusherCable
• Crossbody Dumbbell ExtensionDumbbell
• Dead Stop Skull CrusherBarbell

Easier

• Cable Skull CrusherCable
• Dumbbell Floor Skull CrusherDumbbell

Make it harder

• California PressBarbell

Make it easier

• Cable Rope Skull CrusherCable
• Cable Skull CrusherCable
• Dumbbell Floor Skull CrusherDumbbell
• Dumbbell Skull CrusherDumbbell

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Bodyweight Skull Crusher work?

Mainly the triceps (long head) and triceps (lateral head). The triceps (medial head) assist.

Is the Bodyweight Skull Crusher good for beginners?

The Bodyweight Skull Crusher is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Cable Rope Skull Crusher first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Bodyweight Skull Crusher?

For example the TRX Tricep Extension, Cable Rope Skull Crusher and Crossbody Dumbbell Extension. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Bodyweight Skull Crusher harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the California Press.

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