Barbell skullcrusher

Muscles worked: Upper arms
Upper arms
🔧 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

Lie supine on bench, feet flat on floor. Grip barbell shoulder-width, palms away, fully extend arms locking elbows—bar suspended over chest. Lower controlled to forehead (elbows tucked tight to body, firm grip). Slowly continue behind head (shoulders lower/arms roll back, feel triceps stretch). Pause at bottom. Reverse exact path to start (keep elbows tucked/grip tight). Repeat for reps.

Muscles Worked

Triceps

Tips

Elbows tucked tight (minimal flare for triceps isolation). Squeeze bar—not just hold. Press lower body into bench (no arch/pop-up). Slow/controlled—no fast drop. Same path down/up (injury prevention). Exact shoulder-width grip (protect elbows).

Similar exercises

Dumbbell skullcrusher Upper arms · 🔧 Dumbbells 2/10 Resistance band skullcrusher Upper arms · 🔧 Resistance band 1/10 Kettlebell skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 Kettlebell, Flat Bench 2/10 Barbell incline skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 Barbell, Incline Bench 3/10 Dumbbell floor skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 Dumbbells 2/10 Ez bar skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 EZ Bar, Flat Bench 2/10 Dumbbell single arm skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 Dumbbells, Flat Bench 2/10 Smith machine skull crusher Upper arms · 🔧 Smith Machine, Flat Bench 2/10
Feedback

Found a bug or have an idea?

MuscleTrain is actively being built. If something looks broken, or you have a suggestion, let us know — it really helps shape the app.