Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Lie flat on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended directly over your shoulders, palms facing each other in a neutral grip.
2
Keeping your upper arms stationary and perpendicular to the floor, bend at the elbows to lower the dumbbells toward the sides of your forehead.
3
Allow the elbows to reach full flexion, feeling a deep stretch in the long head of the triceps at the bottom position.
4
Reverse the motion by powerfully extending the elbows, pressing the dumbbells back to the start position without flaring the elbows outward.
5
Maintain a slight backward arm angle (elbows pointing just behind vertical) to keep constant tension on the triceps at lockout.
6
Control the tempo throughout—use a 2-3 second lowering phase and an explosive but controlled extension.

Common Mistakes

Allowing the elbows to flare wide, which shifts the load to the chest and shoulders and creates medial elbow stress.
Moving the upper arms forward and backward to assist the lift, turning the exercise into a pullover hybrid.
Lowering the dumbbells too quickly and losing control near the face, risking impact and reducing eccentric stimulus.
Locking out aggressively with full elbow hyperextension, which unloads the triceps and stresses the joint capsule.

About This Exercise

The dumbbell skullcrusher is a supine triceps isolation exercise that maximally loads the long head of the triceps by combining overhead arm positioning with deep elbow flexion. Using dumbbells instead of a barbell allows each arm to find its natural path, reducing elbow joint stress and enabling a slightly greater stretch at the bottom. This exercise is a cornerstone for building triceps mass, particularly the inner-arm sweep created by long head development.

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