Dumbbell Lying Floor Skull Crusher

How to do the Dumbbell Lying Floor Skull Crusher

1. 1Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet planted. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
2. 2Press the dumbbells up so your arms are fully extended and the weights are stacked directly over your shoulders.
3. 3Keeping your upper arms vertical and your elbows pointing toward the ceiling, bend at the elbows to lower the dumbbells under control toward the sides of your head.
4. 4Lower until your upper arms rest lightly against the floor, letting the floor mark the bottom of the range.
5. 5Pause briefly, keeping tension on the triceps without resting the weights down.
6. 6Extend your elbows to press the dumbbells back up until your arms are fully locked out over your shoulders.
7. 7Complete your reps, then lower the dumbbells to your chest and set them down safely.

Form tips

• Keep your upper arms still and vertical throughout the rep so the movement happens only at the elbow and the triceps do the work.
• Use the floor as a consistent stopping point on every rep rather than crashing the dumbbells down.
• Move slowly on the lowering phase and avoid letting the dumbbells drift too far behind your head.
• Pick a weight light enough to keep your wrists stable and your elbows tracking straight, since the floor limits how much you can use momentum.

Common mistakes

• Letting the elbows flare out wide, which shifts the load off the triceps and stresses the elbow joint.
• Dropping the dumbbells onto the floor instead of controlling the descent, which kills tension and risks hitting your head.
• Letting the upper arms swing forward and back, turning the move into a press and reducing the triceps work.
• Going too heavy, which forces the wrists to bend and makes it hard to control the dumbbells near your head.

Frequently asked questions