Skull Crusher
Exercise technique:
You are lying on a bench with your feet firmly on the ground where you can flex your hips to bring your knees towards you. The bar grip will be done with the hands in an overhand grip, spaced approximately shoulder width apart. Make your arms parallel if possible.
Start the movement, arms outstretched, you bend your elbows at 90 degrees in order to bring the bar towards the forehead or above the head and go up naturally as a return postilion. Be careful to control the movement, so as not to injure your forehead.
As we are not all the same, there is no obligation on your part to have parallel arms, you have to find your comfortable position. However, you will avoid having your elbows too far apart.
Muscles worked:
Main: triceps
Secondary: anconé
Depending on where the bar is lowered, more or less in front of the forehead, the work of the triceps will be slightly different.
If you go down behind the front, the work of the long section will be accentuated to the detriment of the vast ones. But if you go further down the front from the front, then the vast ones will do most of the work.
In addition, the pecs can participate in the movement if you spread your elbows enormously, as well as your back if you really go down behind the forehead.
Either way, the triceps will always be the most worked muscles in this movement.
Interest of the bar on the skull crusher
This is a mixed exercise between the solicitation of the long end of the triceps and the broads. This exercise allows you to participate in the variation of movements, which will prevent you from falling into a work routine.
Variants from the bar to the skull crusher
For the comfort of your elbows and wrists, the exercise can be done with several types of bars:
With an EZ bar:
With a “triceps bomber” bar:
With dumbbells in neutral grip, as well as in supination grip.
In addition, the exercise can be performed on a decline bench to emphasize the broadsides or on an incline bench to emphasize the work of the long portion.
Danger / contraindication
Be careful with your elbows, as this exercise can hurt very quickly.
Try out the different variations to find out which is the best.
If not, do not push yourself too hard, there are other movements
