# Skull crushers/ alternative?



## Rohde (Mar 22, 2011)

I've been training for about a year now and every time I've tried doing skull crushers I have to take about 2 weeks off from nearly all arm workouts. my triceps are way stronger than a year ago but skull crushers just still kill my left elbow. I guess the logical thing would not to do them, is there alternative?


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## Marat (Mar 22, 2011)

dips, jm press, tate press, pulldowns, floor press


What's the deal with your elbow? Is it chronic or acute pain?


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## ebn2002 (Mar 22, 2011)

I personally feel the stress skull crushers put on my elbows too so I don't do them.  Instead:

Close grip bench press
Dips (close grip, feet behind you for triceps)
tricep rope pushdowns/pulldowns whatever its called
one-arm overhead dumbell extension


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## cshea2 (Mar 22, 2011)

If you like skullcrushers but can't do them because it hurts your elbows. You could use dumbells, or JM Press because they are very similir to a skullcrusher.

With the JM press's only go to your neck and don't go all the way down.


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## juggernaut (Mar 22, 2011)

I'm wondering about the issue of the elbow myself. Perhaps you're not doing them correctly, or using too much weight? A good alternative are dumbbells but I personally love the close grip bench when I feel like doing arms. 
Or, you can train effectively and not do any direct arm work at all. Using compound exercises like deadlifts, power cleans and rows are great for biceps. Benching and dips for triceps will make them grow. I've been crosstraining between bodybuilding and strongman, and I have to say, my arms havent shrunk at all since turning down any arm work. 
I only do it now because I'm getting ready for a show in the future and that's limited to 4 sets of each side on different days.


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## Rohde (Mar 22, 2011)

I'm pretty sure it's an acute pain. I've never broken a bone or had a severe injury and really the only time it ever hurts is after doing skull crushers. When the pain comes it's only sore in the instance that I'm using that joint and it's a pretty sharp pain.   

I also have bad knees so maybe I should just be more persistent in taking my Glu-Con...


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## juggernaut (Mar 23, 2011)

Rohde said:


> I'm pretty sure it's an acute pain. I've never broken a bone or had a severe injury and really the only time it ever hurts is after doing skull crushers. When the pain comes it's only sore in the instance that I'm using that joint and it's a pretty sharp pain.
> 
> I also have bad knees so maybe I should just be more persistent in taking my Glu-Con...



Then skip the skull crushers and and try something else or my advice.


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## SFW (Mar 23, 2011)

Rohde said:


> I'm pretty sure it's an acute pain. I've never broken a bone or had a severe injury and really the only time it ever hurts is after doing skull crushers. When the pain comes it's only sore in the instance that I'm using that joint and it's a pretty sharp pain.
> 
> I also have bad knees so maybe I should just be more persistent in taking my Glu-Con...


 

try less weight or change from the EZ bar to a straight one. or vise versa. Do dips in the meantime on the parallel's. Close grip bench doesnt put strain on my 'bows either.


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## zoco (Mar 23, 2011)

dips, close grip bench press.......and that is everything you need for triceps


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## pwloiacano (Mar 23, 2011)

Close Grip Bench Presses are the best exercise for building tricep mass.  I only do skull crushers on occasion.  My routine looks like this:

Close Grips: 3-4 sets
Pushdowns: 3 sets (do drop sets for a great burn!)
Reverse Pushdowns: 3 sets

Every so often, I will do some dips or dumbell kickbacks...


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## bentoverrows (Mar 23, 2011)

Just curious to know which tricep movements target the elbow most?


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## TJTJ (Mar 23, 2011)

Ever try doing Rockers?


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## AlphaONE (Mar 23, 2011)

TJTJ said:


> Ever try doing Rockers?



what exactly is a rocker?


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## TJTJ (Mar 23, 2011)

AlphaONE said:


> what exactly is a rocker?



Bodybuilding.com - Kris Gethin 12-Week Daily Trainer - Week 8: Day 54!

I know how to do it and its a great burn out. If I explained it to you I would just butcher it. In this video Kris Gethin explains it well. Now of course you dont have to do the same reps and weights but I definitely recommend it.


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## carmineb (Mar 25, 2011)

i have a similar issue with doing the same movement on the tricep machine where the elbows are up and in front of my chest and press straight out (think reverse preacher bench, (that machine) I use it as a finisher not as a core. Skull crushers are suppossed to be a core exercise (I thought) so are close gtrip benching. Try this and see if it helps.. I am wondering if the tricep close to the elbow, teh lower tricep is just not as formed and is weaker than teh rest of the ricep so you feel it in your elbows particularly the first half of teh movement and then residual pain teh rest of the way up. Go and do the machine ones as a finisher and when you are done pushing last one out, go to the exreme stretch positiona nd bounce off it immediately after you did burns and push against the estreme while doing 1/4 partials. this works for the other machine also that is a tricep machine that iis also like a dipping machine where you sit on a seat and you ahve a bar on either side you push down.. at the exreme stretch at the end of your set, after failure, bounce off bottom, (in this case it is bouncing off the estreme stretch which is the TOP) and bounce 1/4 partials til it burns so much you have to stop. NOW look at your lower tricep close to the elbow. it is twice teh sze! Skull crushers dont leave MUCH room for u to use momentum so yo uhave to go slow at the finish to reverse regardless of the angle of the bench you are using, (which you might want to change up, see if it helps, slight decline, or incline might just get you past the sticky point, a decline would take some pressure off the elbowI beleive). And I am thinking there is a weakness in the muscle at the stretch which is exploited cause the rest of the tricep is much stronger and it hurts.... If you do the dumbel ones, thumb down across chest you can use other hand to slightly assist at the full stretch ..

Just a thought but regardless, the tri machine that looks like a dip, the 1/4s at end are awesome for that part of tri....


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## Built (Mar 26, 2011)

The only heavy work I seem to be able to do for tris is decline close-grip presses in the smith machine (I know, I know...). I have impingement in my right shoulder from an old injury and a lot of pressing movements are problematic. I follow them with cable rope-pressdowns. FINALLY my triceps are growing (in their little girly way).


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## carmineb (Mar 26, 2011)

Built said:


> The only heavy work I seem to be able to do for tris is decline close-grip presses in the smith machine (I know, I know...). I have impingement in my right shoulder from an old injury and a lot of pressing movements are problematic. I follow them with cable rope-pressdowns. FINALLY my triceps are growing (in their little girly way).


 

power pully pushdowns would mimick a similar movement where you use a heavier weight and bring your elbows up a little and press down as if you were doing a decline press (or a close width incline pushup).


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## Chubby (Mar 26, 2011)

Rohde said:


> I've been training for about a year now and every time I've tried doing skull crushers I have to take about 2 weeks off from nearly all arm workouts. my triceps are way stronger than a year ago but skull crushers just still kill my left elbow. I guess the logical thing would not to do them, is there alternative?


 How many reps. do you do?  When I keep my reps around 10- 12 with good forms, I feel nice burn on my triceps.  But when I try to keep my reps around 5-6, I feel lot of stress on my elbow but don't necessarily feel better burn on my triceps.


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## LAM (Mar 26, 2011)

if the mechanics of a certain exercise cause you pain or discomfort there is no reason to do that exercise.  skull crushers never felt natural to me either


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## control101 (Mar 27, 2011)

SFW said:


> try less weight or change from the EZ bar to a straight one. or vise versa. Do dips in the meantime on the parallel's. Close grip bench doesnt put strain on my 'bows either.


 
^^This, Id start with just doing some dips, moving into weighted dips to strengthen your elbow tendons/support muscles and then work your way back into lighter skullcrushers and then heavier ones.  If your weaker now then chances are your tendons are weaker as well because they haven't been asked to be able to support those heavy single joint loads like they were in the past. Just either drop the weight a bit and give them some time to adapt again (if you really like skull crushers, and I think we all do  ), or find a substitute, but like I said it seems like a use issue more than anything, goes back to the SAID principle Specific adaption to imposed demands, if you havent been imposing the demand of holding weight on that joint for awhile (like you said your weaker) then your tendons (which is what im guessing is the stem of the pain esp. since its acute) aren't used to being required to hold that heavy load.  

Ive experienced the same pain and as did them, the pain slowly went away because my joints adapted to the requirements im placing on them.  But that doesn't mean over do it or anything, drop the weight a bit, hit higher reps, 15 or so, and give them some time to become accustomed to the load being focused on a single joint.  Just my .02!


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