Barbell skull crusher

Muscles worked: Upper arms
Upper arms
🔧 Flat Bench, Barbell ↕ Push 🏋️ kg × reps Difficulty:

Muscle outlines from Body Muscles by Ivan Vulović, Apache 2.0 — regrouped and recoloured for Muscle Train.

How to perform

Keep upper arms stationary, elbows tucked. Inhale as you bend elbows, lowering the barbell towards your forehead. Pause briefly at the bottom to stretch your triceps. Exhale as you extend your arms, squeezing your triceps. Avoid locking elbows at the top.

Muscles Worked

Triceps
Secondary: Flexors, Anterior Delts

Tips

To maximize triceps engagement, keep your elbows tucked close to your body throughout the movement, preventing them from flaring out. Aim to position your upper arms roughly perpendicular to the floor at the bottom of the movement to ensure a full range of motion and proper muscle activation. At the top of the movement, consciously squeeze your triceps to achieve peak contraction and enhance muscle development. Control the descent of the barbell, resisting gravity to maintain tension and prevent momentum from taking over, which can reduce triceps involvement. Finally, actively retract your shoulder blades slightly to create a stable base and prevent unwanted movement during the exercise.

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