Incline Skull Crushers: How To Do, Muscles Worked & Technique

The Incline Skull Crusher is one of the best types of skull crushers that can be done on an incline bench with an Ez-bar, straight bar, or dumbbells. You can also adjust the bench angle as needed.

The incline skull crushers workouts are a good way to make your triceps bigger and stronger.

In this article, we will only look at what incline skull crushers are, which muscles they work, how to perform them correctly, their benefits, and their variations.

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What Is Incline Skull Crushers

Skull crushers, also known as lying triceps extensions, are an effective exercise for targeting the triceps brachii.

The name ‘Incline skull crusher’ derives from the exercise mechanics of bringing the weight down to your skull from an overhead position while lying on an incline bench. With an incline-adjustable bench, place the upper torso at a higher elevation than the hips.

The incline skull crusher exercise is a way to work your triceps brachii muscles by using a barbell, a straight barbell, or a pair of dumbbells.

The skull crusher primarily utilizes the elbow extension and flexion biomechanic to train the tricep muscle.

Incline vs Flat Bench Skull Crushers

The skull crusher exercise being performed at an incline or on a flat bench, this can equate to certain changes in which muscle group are activated.

Incline skull crushers

• Place more emphasis on the long head of the triceps, which is the largest and strongest head of the triceps muscle.
• Have a slightly longer range of motion than flat bench skull crushers.
• May be more comfortable for some people, as the incline position can help to keep the shoulders in a better position.

Flat bench skull crushers

• Place more emphasis on the lateral head of the triceps.
• Have a shorter range of motion than incline skull crushers.
• May be more challenging for some people, as the flat bench position can put more stress on the shoulders.

Both variations offer valuable benefits for triceps development, so you might choose based on your specific goals and physical comfort.

Muscle Worked During Incline Skull Crushers

The primary muscle worked during incline skull crushers is the triceps brachii.

Secondary Muscle Worked during it is the forearm, Anterior Deltoid, and Core

How To Do Incline Skull Crusher

Setup

• Set the bench to an incline angle (typically between 15 to 30 degrees).
• Load the EZ curl bar with appropriate weights or select suitable dumbbells.

Starting Position

• Sit on the bench and grab the EZ bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you). If using dumbbells, hold them with palms facing each other.
• Lie back and keep your feet on the ground. Then, lift the weights up to your arms and fully extend them.

Movement

• Slowly lower the bar or dumbbells towards your forehead by bending at the elbows.
• Ensure that your elbows are not flaring out.
• Lower the weights until they are near your forehead or slightly above it

Lifting

• Using your elbows, lift the bar or dumbbells back to the starting position. Ensure that you’re moving the weights using your triceps, not your shoulders.
• Exhale powerfully as you extend your elbows and raise the weights.

Best Technique For Doing Incline Skull Crushers

When performing this exercise, you should watch out for a few things related to getting your form right:

• You should never lower the weight towards your forehead or skull. The weight travels behind the head. 
• The entire movement should be performed slowly and with control, especially when the weight is moving behind the head.
• Start with a lighter weight and increase it as you master the proper form.
• Keep your shoulders and upper arms stationary. Ensure that all of the movement comes from your elbows.
• Keep your arms at your sides, with your elbow close to your head.
• You should prevent your elbows from flaring out.
• It is important not to use excessively heavyweight weights, as this can be dangerous for your elbows.
• One should be careful not to incline the body too excessively, as this will defeat the purpose of the exercise and activate the shoulder muscles instead.
• Start with just a few reps of this exercise. As you begin to build strength, work your way up to 3 to 5 sets of incline skull crushers. Each with between 6 and 12 repetitions.

Best Incline Skull Crusher Variations

There are many variations of Incline skull crusher that you can do with barbell, dumbbells, and cable.

The skull crusher can be done in different ways to suit your fitness level.

If you are new to performing incline skull crusher, you may want to apply a few modifications to make the exercise easier. One way to counter this problem is to use a lighter weight. Another option is to do skull crunches with a dumbbell and a cable.

If you are looking for a more advanced variation to stimulate different muscle fibers in the chest, then try Inclined and heavier weight.

1. Incline EZ Bar Skull Crushers

The incline EZ Bar skull crusher helps to build muscle and strength in all three tricep heads.

It can be used by both those looking to build bigger triceps and those looking to increase their tricep strength.

How To Do Incline EZ Bar Skull Crushers

1. Grab an EZ Bar and lie against an incline bench, face up, with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
2. Extend your arms over your shoulders with your palms facing up, and then slowly lower the barbell behind your head by bending your elbows.
3. Hold this position for a count and then with a controlled motion raise your arms back up to the starting position.
4. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

2. Incline Dumbbell Skull Crusher

The incline dumbbell Skull crusher, aka the incline tricep extension, helps to build muscle and strength in all three tricep heads.

The advantage of doing extension movements is that you can achieve a deeper stretch in the muscle, which may hopefully activate more muscle fibers.

How To Do Incline Dumbbell Skull Crusher

1. Lie against an incline bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor, and grab a dumbbell in each hand.
2. With your arms extended over your shoulders and your palms facing each other.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells behind your head by bending your elbows.
4. Hold this position for a count of and then raise your arms back up to the starting position with a controlled motion.
5. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

3. Incline Cable Skull Crusher

One of the best exercises for drawing and pumping the long head of triceps is the Incline cable skull crushers

Triceps skull crusher can be beneficial for balancing out imbalances in the triceps or for rehabilitating from injury.

They are a good alternative for people with wrist strain or injury, since they place no stress on the wrists.

How To Do Incline Cable Skull Crusher

1. Attach the rope handle to the lower block, grasp it with your hands, sit on the bench with your back.
2. Bend your hands at the elbows, so that the ends of the handle are located behind your head.
3. Slowly straighten your arms, keeping your elbows in a fixed position. At the final point, prolong the peak contraction, withstood a short pause.
4. Return to the starting position.

4. Smith Machine Incline Skull Crusher

Smith Machine Incline skull crusher is one of the best variations of Incline skull crusher.

To get the bench positioning right, it’s a good idea to test it without any weight loaded on the bar before you start your first set.

How To Do Smith Machine Incline Skull Crusher

1. Set an incline bench to an angle of between 30 and 45 degrees and place it beneath the smith machine bar with the highest end of the bench beneath the bar.
2. Lie against an incline bench with a barbell, face up, with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
3. Extend your arms over your shoulders with your palms facing up, and then slowly lower the barbell behind your head by bending your elbows.
4. Hold this position for a count of and then raise your arms back up to the starting position with a controlled motion.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Benefits Of Incline Skull Crushers

Incline Skull crushers work the tricep muscle through a deep range of motion, which is great for building muscle. Furthermore, they do not put as much strain on the elbows as other tricep exercises. There are numerous other benefits to performing skull crushers.

• Skull crushers work the triceps, which will help protect your elbow joints in other exercises.
• It can help improve complex movements such as the bench press, and it can also add mass to the triceps.
• The incline skull crushers can be a good alternative to the standing overhead triceps extensions if you are experiencing pain or difficulty with overhead exercises.
• Strengthening your triceps is a great way to work on your functional fitness, and make sure that the work you do in the gym also benefits you outside of the gym.

Frequently Asked Question

Are incline Skull Crushers better?

The Incline Skull Crusher is the better option of skull crushers because it allows for a slightly longer range of motion, a wider grip along the bar, and reduced pressure on the elbow joints.

Incline skull crushers angle?

For proper stimulation of the tricep muscles, keep the angle of the bench at 30 degrees during incline skull crushers. If you want to increase the angle further, please avoid going beyond 45 degrees, as this will shift the focus to the anterior deltoid.

One should be careful not to place the body at too extreme an angle, as this will defeat the entire purpose of the exercise and will not activate the shoulder muscles.

Takeaways

Incline skull crushers are an excellent exercise to build mass and strength in your triceps. They’re also an excellent way to work on stability in your shoulders.

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