Arms · Barbell
Barbell Skull Crushers
How to do the barbell skull crushers, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
See it in motion
How to do it
Lie on bench, hold barbell with narrow grip above chest, arms extended. Bend elbows to lower bar toward forehead, keeping upper arms stationary. Extend arms to return to starting position.
- 1Lie on a bench and lower the bar or dumbbells toward your forehead by bending your elbows, feeling your triceps stretch
- 2Keep your upper arms vertical and your elbows stationary as you extend back to the top
- 3Squeeze your triceps at the end of each rep to maximise the contraction
Common mistakes
- Don't flare your elbows out wide or let them drift backward
- Avoid lowering the weight too far or letting it drift over your face
- Don't use your shoulders or chest to press the weight up; isolate the triceps
Muscles worked
The barbell skull crushers mainly works the triceps, with the upper chest assisting.
- TricepsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell skull crushers for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More triceps exercises
- How to do the kickback
- How to do the skullcrushers
- How to do the cable overhead extension
- How to do the dumbbell overhead extension
- How to do the tricep extension
- How to do the tricep pushdown
Last reviewed April 2026.