Exercise · form guide
Skull Crushers (EZ Bar)
- Primary muscle
- Triceps (long head emphasis)
- Equipment
- EZ Bar + Bench
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Tempo
3-0-1-0
Bring the bar past the top of your head, not just your forehead. The long head only loads with shoulder flexion.
Sets & reps
General programming defaults by goal — not specific to this lift. Pick the row that matches yours.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4–6 | 3–5 | 8–9 | 3–5 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 8–12 | 7–9 | 90–120 s |
| Endurance | 2–4 | 15–25 | 6–8 | 45–60 s |
Form
Cues
- Elbows tucked, pointing at ceiling
- Lower bar past forehead toward top of head
- Drive up with triceps only — elbows don't move
- Slight angle on the upper arm (not 90°) keeps tension
Common mistakes
- Elbows flaring out
- Bar coming forward = becomes a press
- Not lowering past forehead
Injury notes
Elbow pain? Try DB versions or rope pushdowns.
Progression
Add 2.5kg when 10 reps stay tight with no elbow flare.
Indian gym reality
Standard equipment, available in most Indian gyms. Focus on form quality over load.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- No bench? Two aerobic steps + a rolled towel works. For decline, prop the head-end on a lower step.
Home & hostel version
Diamond push-ups + bench dips off a chair. Free, effective, hard.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Frequently asked
What muscles does Skull Crushers (EZ Bar) work?
Primarily Triceps (long head emphasis). Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Skull Crushers (EZ Bar) per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
What if I'm training at home in India?
See the home & hostel version above. Bodyweight variants of every major pattern exist and progress for months if you're intentional about it.
How often should I do Skull Crushers (EZ Bar)?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.
Get Skull Crushers (EZ Bar) programmed for you
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