I’ve incoporated skullcrushers into my routine for awhile now. However, I am noticing that sometimes the tendon that connects my tricep to the elbow feels a little funny after tricep days.
I am now thinking about taking skullcrushers out of my routine in order to avoid injury and just stick to cgbp/cable pressdowns. What are your opinions on skullcrushers??
Most people who experience problems with skull crushers or overhead triceps extensions have pain while doing the movement. “Feeling funny” the day after training could simply mean your body isn’t used to doing the movement. Tendons take longer to adapt to resistance than muscle. That alone wouldn’t be reason to take an exercise out of a program unless there was a risk of injury.
I don’t do them because it hurts for me to do them. I wouldn’t exclude them just because the joint “felt funny”.
I always loved them, but seems my left elbow doesnt handle them very well anymore.
Hadn’t done them for over a year, but now the hurt.
If it doesn’t hurt, then do them for sure. Just don’t over do it.
I’ve also had and still sometimes get tendon pain. I need more warm up sets for triceps than any other muscle. If I don’t do this it doesn’t take long before I develop tendon pain.
Could be that you need to do some brachialis/brachioradialis work. I used to have the same problem with dips and skull crushers, but since I started doing reverse curls (barbell curls with an overhand grip) in addition to regular curls, it doesn’t hurt/feel “funny” any more.
Also, if you’re doing the skull crushers with a straight bar, try an EZ bar instead. You should use the EZ bar for your reverse curls too.
I’d try db overhead extensions, or db lying extensions. See how they feel.
Skullcrushers are only dangerous if you crush your skull.
Hey, I looked and nobody made the obvious joke…so I took it.
I had the exact same problem. I found a workaround, and that is to use those bars where your fists face each other. Have no idea what they’re called, but someone around here certainly will fill the gap. They’re a LOT less stressful on the elbows.
Anyway, skullcrushers are a must for triceps mass. The results are spectacular when you do them on a decline bench.
I have never handled these well and don’t do them. There are many other ways to train your triceps.
[quote]lixy wrote:
Anyway, skullcrushers are a must for triceps mass. [/quote]
That’s a little bit much. I don’t do them at all. It isn’t like the several other exercises for triceps don’t work.
I do a sort of skullcrusher close grip press combo movement that works well for me. I use an ez curl bar. I move the negative down to around my forehead or nose or so and then slide the bar to a pressing position and press it back up. I get sharp pain behind my elbow while straining in the concentric portion if I try to go back up from my face, but have no issues coming down even with heavy weight. Go figure.
I also don’t see them as a must do exercise though. Actually I don’t see any exercise at all for any bodypart as THE ONE without which you’re wasting your time in the gym. Working against resistance is the key. How precisely that’s done is less important than the fact of it’s being done.
This is a good example of muscles being stronger than the tendon. The tricep is a relatively powerful muscle, and the elbow just cant handle it.
Many people who have been training for a while experience this because the triceps become powerful while the elbow starts to hurt during the movement.
Close grip benchpress, dips, push downs all come to mind as good exercises.
Never do an exercise that causes “bad” pain.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
I do a sort of skullcrusher close grip press combo movement that works well for me. I use an ez curl bar. I move the negative down to around my forehead or nose or so and then slide the bar to a pressing position and press it back up. I get sharp pain behind my elbow while straining in the concentric portion if I try to go back up from my face, but have no issues coming down even with heavy weight. Go figure.
I also don’t see them as a must do exercise though. Actually I don’t see any exercise at all for any bodypart as THE ONE without which you’re wasting your time in the gym. Working against resistance is the key. How precisely that’s done is less important than the fact of it’s being done.[/quote]
What you’re describing sounds a lot like a JM press with an increased ROM. At the end of the day, if your triceps are getting the stimulus and you’re not feeling any pain then you are clearly doing the lift correctly even if it doesn’t match the form shown in a book.
This is a rule of lifting that I steadfastly adhere to. I think a lot of people are caught up in debates about perfect form when, really, they should be concentrating on what feels best to THEM. You definitely have the right idea.
To the OP, if you are feeling pain, try doing DB Skullcrushers. Not having my wrists fixed in position means that all elbow pain is eliminated from the movement. This may work out the same for you.
[quote]Nards wrote:
Skullcrushers are only dangerous if you crush your skull.
Hey, I looked and nobody made the obvious joke…so I took it.[/quote]
You crazy fucking kook, you!
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
This is a good example of muscles being stronger than the tendon. The tricep is a relatively powerful muscle, and the elbow just cant handle it.
Many people who have been training for a while experience this because the triceps become powerful while the elbow starts to hurt during the movement.
Close grip benchpress, dips, push downs all come to mind as good exercises.
Never do an exercise that causes “bad” pain.[/quote]
Agreed. I was out of pressing movements for about 2 months in the fall because I ignored the pain in my elbow tendon during skullcrushers and I severely strained it. I just don’t do them anymore. No reason to hurt yourself when the other options work just as well.
I’ve had this problem. I noticed that going wider on my grip (from the inside to outside bend on an EZ-bar for example) reduces the pain a lot
maybe do them last on your tri day, obviously if it still bothers you, drop 'em.
Skullcrushers are also known as “Elbow FU?&ERS”…
There are a load of other movements you can do.
Nothing informative to add, just a fairly cool story. Back in my college baseball days, an opposing catcher was out with an injury. I asked him about it and he told me that, while doing skullcrushers, his tricep tore and curled up (like a yoyo would) in his shoulder. Creeps me out to this day.