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Skull Crushers

Q: The lead-off exercise for the triceps sweep workout [in the X-traordinary Arms e-book] is lying extensions, or skull crushers. You describe the best grip width and how to use an EZ-curl bar for more long-head involvement, but I don’t like dragging a bar over to a flat bench. Can I use dumbbells for lying extensions instead of a bar?

A: Magnetic resonance imaging shows that lying extensions on a flat bench with a bar (skull crushers) mostly stress the triceps’ long head, so we classify it as a sweep exercise in the X-traordinary Arms e-book. You would think using dumbbells would be the same—but that’s not the case. [Read more…]

Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: arm workout, arm workouts, biceps, bodyweight training, skull crushers, triceps, triceps exercises, triceps workout, x arms, x-traordinary arms

I am totally loving X Reps. They have given my workouts new life, and I’ve already put on five pounds of muscle the first month. Not too shabby. My question is about triceps. I do skull crushers [or lying extensions], and I can’t seem to manage any X Reps at the end of my sets. Are my triceps just too weak down below the middle part of the rep to make X Reps happen?

 

A: Not at all. As we say in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book, some exercises have a leverage shift that makes X Reps difficult or nearly impossible below the middle of the stroke. Lying extensions, barbell squats and barbell curls are in that group.

On lying extensions the arc of the rep and gravity create odd leverage at the X spot—between the bottom and middle of the stroke. We tried using partner assistance, like forced-rep partials, but that was awkward, so we found another solution. We do our lying extensions to failure, then, using the same weight, we launch into a set of close-grip bench presses. When we can’t get another rep on those, we do X Reps right below the midpoint of the press. You can use that superset whether you’re doing extensions with an EZ-curl bar or two dumbbells. You’ll feel your triceps firing like never before. We’ve both noticed new growth in our triceps’ long head thanks to that combo.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: lying extensions, skull crushers, triceps, X Reps

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