Skull Crushers to Increase Your Bench Press

Skull crushers might sound like an incredibly daunting and highly dangerous exercise, but don't let the name fool you. Skull crushers are performed by lying down -- either on a flat, incline or decline bench -- holding a barbell above your chest, bringing it down to your forehead while keeping your elbows locked in place, then using your triceps to lift it back to the starting position. This exercise works your triceps, and weak triceps can be a limiting factor in your bench press, particularly if you struggle in the top portion of the bench press, according to trainer Eddy Beale of Muscle Chronicle.

  1. Skull Crusher Technique, Tips and Variations

    • The key to getting the most from skull crushers is to keep your upper arm locked in a vertical position throughout the whole movement. As you bend your elbows to lower the bar toward your head you should feel a stretch through the back of your upper arm. It can be tempting to move your elbows forward as you lift the bar up again, but resist this to keep the tension on your triceps. If you're still struggling, have a training partner place their hands on your elbows to help you keep them fixed. You can also perform skull crushers with dumbbells, as well as different types of barbells, such as a short straight bar, a longer Olympic bar or a cambered bar, or E-Z bar.

    Boosting Bench-Press Strength

    • While the bench press is classified as a chest exercise, it works your shoulders and triceps too. Your chest and shoulders are dominant in the bottom range of motion as you move the bar off your chest, but the triceps start to take over around halfway up. When bench pressing heavy, if you find it difficult, or often miss a lift just above your chest, it's unlikely that skull crushers will help your bench, as your weakness will be in your chest or shoulders. If you miss closer toward the top though, increasing your triceps strength with skull crushers will almost certainly increase your bench press maximum.

    Programming

    • Use skull crushers as an accessory exercise in your sessions rather than the main movement. Even if your triceps are weak and need attention, you should still train your bench press first, as this is your priority. Strength coach and former world-record bench presser Dave Tate advises placing skull crushers last in your routine, as this means your elbows will be thoroughly warmed up. Perform two to five sets of 10 to 20 repetitions.

    Considerations

    • Heavy skull crushers can take their toll on your elbow joints. Keeping your reps higher and making sure your elbows are warmed up will help, but if you still feel pain around the joints, consider changing to another triceps movement such as dips, pushdowns or overhead cable extensions. Skull crushers are an isolation movement and only work one joint and muscle, whereas bench presses work multiple joints and muscles. Skull crushers will only have so much carryover to your bench press, therefore, you need other compound triceps accessory moves such as close-grip bench presses, pin presses and close-grip push-ups to really boost your bench.