Cable Skull Crushers: Your Guide to Total Tricep Strength

You’ve likely come across the traditional variation of a skull crusher: using an EZ bar or pre-loaded barbell to tone your triceps is a common choice. 

But here, we present to you an alternative: cable skull crushers. 

This skull crusher variation lets you get more time under tension and provides elastic resistance in your tricep workouts. 

Unpack the mysteries of the cable skull crusher. We’ll give you a breakdown of what muscles this exercise works, the benefits of cable skull crushers and a how-to guide for this exercise. 

We’ll also give you simple visual guides to follow along as you learn this move and a weekly workout plan that prioritizes cable skull crushers to help you build your best triceps to date. 

What are Cable Skull Crushers?

To start things off, let’s see how a cable variation expands on the traditional skull crusher. 

By definition, cable skull crushers are a variation of the traditional skull crusher exercise, where you target the triceps using a cable machine. 

In one simple movement, you bend your elbows to lower the bar towards the forehead while keeping the upper arms stable, then extend your elbows to bring your weight back up. 

The cable variation puts more continuous tension on your triceps during the full range of motion. This effectively helps isolate and strengthen your triceps while engaging your forearms and core muscles for stabilization. They can also be a good side, rear and front delt workout.  

Since you’re typically lying, they provide a good medial head tricep exercise compared to standing tricep isolation. They’re a great lateral head tricep exercise, too. Although a standing position is more optimal to activate the long head of the triceps, skull crushers are still among the best long head tricep exercises. 

What Muscles Do Cable Skull Crushers Work?

Cable skull crushers primarily target the triceps brachii. Usually just called “triceps,” these muscles are located on the backs of your upper arms. 

The triceps brachii has three heads: the long head, lateral head, and medial head. The long head originates from the scapula and helps with shoulder extension and adduction. The lateral head sits on the outer side of the humerus (upper arm bone) and is primarily involved in elbow extension during heavy lifting. The medial head, on the back of the humerus, also helps extend your elbows and is particularly active during lower-resistance tasks.

This exercise is particularly effective at isolating your triceps, helping them grow and build strength. On top of this, cable skull crushers engage the following muscles as secondary stabilizers:

1. Anconeus: A tiny muscle located at your elbow that helps with elbow extension.
2. Forearms: The muscles of the forearms, like your wrist extensors and flexors, help stabilize your wrists and grip your bar as you move. 
3. Deltoids: The anterior (front) deltoids are engaged (to a lesser extent) to stabilize your shoulder joints, keeping your shoulders in place during cable skull crushers.
4. Core Muscles: Finally, your core muscles, including the abdominals and obliques, work to stabilize the body and maintain proper form while you lie on your weight bench.

Overall, cable skull crushers effectively target your triceps and help you engage additional muscles to keep you stable, making it a comprehensive upper body exercise.

How Do You Do Cable Skull Crushers? 

So now that we know what cable skull crushers are and how they operate on the muscles of your body, here's a breakdown of how to do them:

• Set-Up: Attach a straight bar or an EZ-curl bar to the low pulley setting on a cable machine. Set an adjustable bench to a flat position and place it in front of the cable machine. Select an appropriate weight. Since this is an isolation move, you’ll want to use a lighter weight than you would with a maximal power-based lift. 
• Body Position Lie down on the bench with your head closest to the cable machine. Grab the bar with an overhand grip. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart. Bring your arms straight up towards the ceiling, keeping a slight bend in your elbows so you don’t lock them out.
• Action: Bend your elbows to lower the bar towards your forehead or just above it. Keep your upper arms still and only move your forearms. Keep a slow and controlled motion to engage your triceps effectively and avoid hitting your head with the bar. 
• Reverse: Extend your elbows to push the bar back to the starting position, fully engaging your triceps. Make sure your upper arms stay still throughout the movement.
• Reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps.

What are the Benefits of Cable Skull Crushers? 

Like all other exercises, cable skull crushers also have benefits for your body:

1. Triceps Activation

Cable skull crushers give you continuous tension on the triceps throughout the movement. This helps with effective muscle activation so your triceps can grow. 

2. Joint-Friendly

Using a cable machine can reduce the strain on your elbows compared to free weights. If you struggle with joint issues like: 

• Tricep tendonitis
• Elbow (olecranon) bursitis 
• Chronic Tendonopathy
• Muscle strains or pulls

This can be a joint-friendly option for tricep training.

3. Continuous Tension for Better Muscle Activation

Cable skull crushers let you experience tension on the triceps throughout the entire range of motion. Unlike free weights, where the resistance can vary due to gravity, the cable machine ensures consistent resistance. 

This constant tension helps to maximize your muscle activation and engagement. An engagement pattern like this can lead to more effective triceps development and growth.

4. Reduced Joint Strain and Improved Safety

Using a cable machine for skull crushers can be gentler on your elbows and wrists than traditional free-weight skull crushers. 

With cables, you get a smoother and more controlled movement. This can lessen your risk of joint strain and injury. Because of this cable skull crushers might be a safer option for you if you experience elbow or wrist issues but still want an effective tricep workout.

Weekly Workout Plan with Cable Skull Crushers

So now that you know the risks, the benefits, and the ins and outs of cable skull crushers, it’s time to see how you can build this simple exercise into a weekly workout routine. 

Day 1: Shoulder and Upper Body

Warm-Up:

• Dynamic stretches and shoulder mobility exercises (10 minutes)

Workout:

• Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent-Over Rows: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Lat Pulldowns: 3 sets of 12 reps

Accessory Work:

• Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Tricep Rope Pushdowns: 3 sets of 15 reps

Cool-Down:

• Stretching and foam rolling (10 minutes)

Day 2: Legs

Warm-Up:

• Dynamic stretches focusing on hips and legs (10 minutes)

Workout:

• Squats: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Deadlifts: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps (each leg)
• Leg Press: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Calf Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps

Cool-Down:

• Stretching and foam rolling (10 minutes)

Day 3: Cardio/Core

Cardio:

• 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (running, cycling, or rowing)

Core Workout:

• Plank: 3 sets of 1 minute
• Bicycle Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Russian Twists: 3 sets of 15 reps (each side)
• Leg Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps

Cool-Down:

• Stretching and foam rolling (10 minutes)

Day 4: Active Recovery

• Light activities like walking, yoga, or stretching

Day 5: Shoulder and Upper Body

Warm-Up:

• Dynamic stretches and shoulder mobility exercises (10 minutes)

Workout:

• Cable Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Arnold Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Pull-Ups: 3 sets to failure
• Cable Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Accessory Work:

• Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Tricep Dips: 3 sets of 12 reps

Cool-Down:

• Stretching and foam rolling (10 minutes)

Day 6: Legs

Warm-Up:

• Dynamic stretches focusing on hips and legs (10 minutes)

Workout:

• Front Squats: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts: 4 sets of 10 reps
• Step-Ups: 3 sets of 12 reps (each leg)
• Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps

Cool-Down:

• Stretching and foam rolling (10 minutes)

Day 7: Rest and Recovery

• Complete rest day to allow muscles to recover and repair.

Tips and Tricks

• Progression: Increase weights gradually to challenge muscles and stimulate growth.
• Nutrition: Maintain a balanced diet with adequate protein to support muscle recovery.
• Hydration: Stay hydrated throughout the day to optimize workout performance and recovery.
• Consistency: Stick to the workout plan and prioritize rest days to prevent overtraining.

Big Picture

Using a balanced weekly workout plan, like the one in this article, incorporates cable skull crushers to target the triceps effectively while letting you build the rest of your upper body and lower body in a balanced way. 

Adjust weights and repetitions as needed to match your fitness level and goals. Hopefully, this gives you a solid foundation for thinking about how cables can be a good alternative to dumbbells in your workouts. 

They help you prioritize time under tension and can also be a fun way to explore a new piece of equipment.

Continue to crush your skull (not really!) and your workouts. The Flex App progresses as you do with plate tracking capabilities and auto progression. Try it out for free today.