EZ-Bar Skullcrusher

What it is

This isolation movement effectively builds strength and size in the back of your upper arms. Using an E-Z curl bar, you target your triceps directly while lying on a bench. Your forearms assist as secondary muscles, providing stability throughout the exercise. It's a foundational "push" exercise for triceps development, suitable for beginners.

Technique tips

• Keep your upper arms stationary; only your forearms should move.
• Lower the bar slowly by flexing your elbows, pausing just above your forehead.
• Inhale as you lower the weight, then exhale as you extend your arms back up.
• Maintain a close grip on the E-Z curl bar to emphasize triceps activation.
• Avoid letting your elbows flare out excessively during the lift.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.