How do you do skulls?

[Rock Lee]

I'm asking because I can't really feel my triceps working the way I do them now like I can when doing cable pressdowns or close-grip dips. Basically I've seen/read about 3 variations:

1. Upper arms perpendicular to body and the forearms are bent and lowered until a right angle is formed.

2. Upper arms form ~45° angle with body and at the top of the motion the bar is over the eyes, the bar is lowered until it is around the forehead.

3. (this is the one I'm doing now as described by AST's Max-OT) Head is actually hanging off of the bench and the bar is lowered to the top of/behind the head.

I perform these with an EZ curl bar and make sure my elbows don't at any time flare out during the exercise. Also I recently lowered the weight to ensure that I was actually creating an arc motion instead of doing a half skull half close-grip bench press type exercise. Anyway which one of these three (or other) do you do?

Thanks.

 

[Longdog]

I use method #2. I find if you lower the weight behind your head, it is more serratus & less triceps in the 1st half of the movement. It would be the eqivalent doing bicep curls to your forehead. Other muscles take over beyond the triceps (or biceps) ROM.

 

[Rock Lee]

Damn man, that's exactly what I was thinking. AST's website though said something to the effect of #3 is the best even though noone uses it and I was just like "okay whatever".

 

[Cuffs]

#2 for me. Hard and heavy! This also makes me very aware of my form so I don't crash the bar into my face. I have tried the #3 method, but it almost feels like cheating to me.

 

[BingeAndPurge]

#2 here as well. I also alternate between the flat and decline. I love the negative you get from these on a decline.

 

[dougdoug6]

i keep upper arms at 45degrees to body but I also go down behidn my head, but head still on the bench..

 

[In-Human]

Try lying on the floor, with an EZ Curl bar, load it with 25s, reach out full extending your arms, grab the bar on the inside, roll the bar close to your head, with your elbows bent, lift the bar straightening your arms over your head.

It is sort of a J-Press or French Curl with out the bench part thrown in...

 

[Gumbo]

I've had great results doing them on an incline bench (lowest setting). I seem to get more of a stretch.

Gumbo