Lying Cable Skull Crusher

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Body Part: Triceps

Description

Lie flat on a bench facing away from a low cable pulley, holding the cable attachment with an overhand grip above your chest. Keep your upper arms still and perpendicular to the floor as you bend your elbows to lower the handle toward your forehead. Extend your elbows to straighten your arms and contract the triceps, then repeat with controlled movement. Keep your wrists neutral, avoid flaring the elbows excessively, and do not use momentum.

How to Perform

Set a flat bench in front of a low cable pulley so that your head will be closest to the pulley when lying down.
Attach a straight bar, EZ-bar attachment, or rope to the low pulley and select a manageable weight.
Lie flat on the bench with your feet firmly on the floor, then hold the attachment with an overhand grip and position your arms vertically above your chest or slightly back toward the pulley.
Keep your upper arms mostly fixed, elbows pointing upward, and brace your core to keep your lower back and shoulders stable on the bench.
Inhale and slowly bend only at the elbows, lowering the attachment toward your forehead or just behind the top of your head.
Pause briefly when your elbows are deeply bent and you feel a stretch in your triceps, without allowing your elbows to flare excessively.
Exhale and extend your elbows to press the attachment back to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions using controlled movement, keeping tension on the cable and avoiding shoulder movement or swinging.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Tips

Set a flat bench in front of a low cable pulley and attach a straight bar, EZ-bar, or rope handle securely before starting.
Lie with your head closest to the pulley so the cable provides tension throughout the movement, then hold the attachment above your forehead with an overhand or neutral grip.
Keep your upper arms mostly fixed and angled slightly back toward the pulley; the movement should come from bending and straightening the elbows, not from pressing with the shoulders.
Lower the handle under control toward the forehead or just behind the head, choosing the path that feels comfortable for your elbows and allows a full triceps stretch.
Extend your elbows until your arms are nearly straight, then squeeze the triceps without aggressively locking or hyperextending the elbows.
Keep your wrists neutral and grip the attachment firmly so the wrists do not bend backward as the cable pulls toward the pulley.
Avoid letting the elbows flare excessively; keep them roughly shoulder-width apart and use a load that lets you maintain this position.
Keep your head, upper back, and hips stable on the bench, and avoid using momentum or turning the exercise into a pullover or chest press.
Use a lighter weight than you might use for free-weight skull crushers at first, as cable tension can feel challenging in different parts of the range of motion.
Finish each set carefully by returning the handle toward the pulley under control rather than releasing cable tension suddenly.

Common Mistakes

Letting the elbows flare outward instead of keeping them fixed and shoulder-width apart
Moving the upper arms during the rep instead of hinging mainly at the elbows
Using the shoulders to pull the cable rather than isolating elbow extension
Lowering the handle toward the chest or face instead of bending the elbows under control
Cutting the range of motion short and not fully extending the elbows at the top
Locking the elbows aggressively at the top instead of finishing with controlled extension
Allowing the wrists to bend back or forward instead of keeping them neutral
Using excessive weight and turning the movement into a press or pullover
Lowering the cable too quickly and losing tension or control at the bottom
Arching the lower back or lifting the hips off the bench to create momentum
Letting the elbows drift behind the head excessively, shifting tension away from the triceps
Relaxing the triceps at the bottom instead of maintaining control through the transition