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
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
Barbell Skull Crushers strength standards
See how your barbell skull crushers ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM40 lb
Silvere1RM67.5 lb
Golde1RM105 lb
Platinume1RM145 lb
Diamonde1RM170 lb
Champione1RM190 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the barbell skull crushers for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More triceps exercises
- How to do the bent-over tricep extension
- How to do the crossbody tricep extension
- How to do the cable katana tricep extension
- How to do the cable single arm tricep extension
- How to do the kickback
- How to do the lying tricep extension
Last reviewed April 2026.