EZ Bar Skull Crushers: Form, Grip, Muscles Worked & More

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EZ Bar Skull Crushers Image

EZ bar skull crushers are unmatched in their ability to build the triceps through exercise.

Skullcrushers are the only movement that extensively trains the long head, which is the biggest part of the triceps.

Performing any type of skull crusher workout regularly can help you achieve your goals of bigger arms, a stronger bench press, and incredible tricep strength

In this article, we will discuss how to do EZ barbell skull crushers, what muscles they work, and some alternatives if you’re uncomfortable with EZ bars.

Exercise Details:

SpecsDetails
Also CalledNose EZ Bar Crusher
Exercise TypeStrength
Body PartUpper Body, Arms, Triceps
Main TargetsTriceps
Secondary TargetsShoulders, Chest
Compound/IsolatedIsolation
Force TypePush
Equipment RequiredEZ Bar, Flat Bench
Rest Time1-3 minutes

What Does EZ Bar Skull Crushers Mean?

Performing skull crushers using an EZ bar is a great way to work out your tricep muscles and this exercise enables you to have an incredible extension of your triceps and put them under strain differently than they would be during the usual exercise called ‘triceps push down.

Related Exercise: How To Do Skull Crusher With Dumbbells?

How To Properly Do The EZ barbell skull crusher?

You can watch this video show for a more in-depth understanding.

  1. Put a reasonable weight on an EZ bar.
  2. Lie back on a weight bench after grabbing the bar just inside shoulder-width.
  3. Move the bar upwards until it is directly above your face.
  4. Move your shoulders backward to align the bar with the end of the bench instead of your head.
  5. Simultaneously move your shoulders backward and break at your elbows to lower the bar behind the bench.
  6. Lower the bar until you experience a strong stretch in the long head of your triceps while engaging your forearms and biceps.
  7. Extend your elbows and move your shoulders forward to their starting position to reverse the motion.

Exercise Tips:

  • You can select a shorter length EZ or straight bar if you want to hold it stable with a narrow grip.
  • Increase the difficulty level of exercise and work out your triceps at an alternative angle by incorporating a slight incline bench.
  • Place your upper arms with a tilted position behind your head rather than directly upward.

Muscles Worked While Doing Skull Crusher Using An EZ Bar

Image Showing Muscles Worked During EZ Bar Skull Crusher

 

Skull crushers with an EZ bar are effective for exercising the tricep muscles situated at the rear of the upper arm and targeting all three heads of the tricep muscles makes this an effective isolation exercise.

To keep your arms stiffly positioned, there are also secondary targets such as forearms and deltoid muscles in the shoulder albeit at a minor level.

Note that if you perform skull crushers with other resistance movements regularly then it’s possible to gain more muscle mass while improving your strength and endurance.

What Are The Benefits Of EZ Barbell Skull Crushers?

Now that you are aware of the best technique for doing a skull crusher to strengthen the triceps, it is time to consider the advantages of regularly engaging in this exercise:

  • Tricep isolation:
    The skull crusher is an exercise that isolates the triceps, directing all your energy to that specific area.
  • Upper body strength:
    Skull crushers help to strengthen your tricep muscles, which can be beneficial not only for tricep exercises but also for other chest and shoulder exercises. Improved upper body strength resulting from this can enhance sports performance and enable you to lift heavier weights during exercises like push-ups, chest presses, or daily activities.
  • Easy to do:
    Some exercises necessitate particular equipment for their execution. You only require a bar and a bench to execute skull crushers. Even if you don’t have access to a bench, you can perform skull crushers on the floor.
  • Stronger Grip:
     Since you’re lying down while gripping and shifting the weight up and down, you’re working against gravity, which strengthens your grip. When carrying out additional workouts like deadlifts, dumbbell squats, dumbbell lunges, and more, this is helpful.
  • Improved grip strength:
    By working against gravity by lifting weights while in a prone position, you can improve your grip strength, this will help you in other workouts like dumbbell squats or lunges.

Best Ez Bar Skull Crushers Alternative For More Versatility

1. Reverse Grip Barbell Skull Crushers

As a tricep workout, reverse skull crushers are exceptional because they urge you to maintain your elbows tucked in which definitely leads strengthens the triceps.

How to perform:

  1. Lay down on the ground or on a seat
  2. With your palms facing up, grasp the barbell using your underhand grip.
  3. Next, raise the barbell above your chest while maintaining a straight arm position.
  4. Then, once the barbell is in front of your face, lower the bar by just bending at the elbows.
  5. Lastly, while maintaining your upper arm in a fixed position, raise the barbell back up to the starting position.

2. Incline EZ Bar Skull Crusher

This exercise is also a variation of the skullcrusher for triceps muscular development.

For better growth, the triceps can be exercised in a variety of methods like overhead extensions, the inclined EZ bar skull crusher, is also effective to target the tricep’s long head.

How to perform:

  1. Adjust the bench with the angle set at 20 to 30 degrees and choose your target weight.
  2. Lay back and hold the bar near to your chest to position yourself then push the bar.
  3. Then, let the ez bar descend toward your forehead.
  4. reverse the motion by extending your elbows and locking out the weight with your triceps.
  5. The appropriate number of reps should be repeated.

3. Decline EZ-Bar Skull Crushers

The decline EZ-bar skullcrusher is a well-known triceps-targeting exercise.

As a component of an upper-body workout, this exercise is often done for a range of moderate to high repetitions.

the inclination of the bench allows for a wider range of motion and targets the lateral head of the muscle.

To execute this exercise, follow the same steps that we covered above, except, you use a decline bench instead of an incline one.

Wrap Up

For developing triceps size and strength, EZ bar skull crushers are a useful workout.

You can complete this exercise safely and successfully by using the right form and execution instructions.

References:

  1. Fuentes, I., Cobos, A. R., & Segade, L. A. G. (1998). Muscle fibre types and their distribution in the biceps and triceps brachii of the rat and rabbit. Journal of Anatomy, 192(2), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-7580.1998.19220203.x
  2. Burd, Nicholas A. et al. “Resistance Exercise Volume Affects Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis and Anabolic Signalling Molecule Phosphorylation in Young Men.” The Journal of physiology 588.16 (2010): 3119–3130. Web.
    https://aul.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_2956949&context=PC&vid=01AUL_INST:AUL&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=sub,exact,%20Phenylalanine%20-%20administration%20%26%20dosage%20,AND&mode=advanced
  3. Russek, Allen S., and Jack Hofkosh. Isometric Exercises for Physical Fitness. New York: Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center, 1964. Print.
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