For triceps growth
For triceps growth, the two are close. Cable kickback rates slightly higher: easier to progress, easier on the joints.
Dumbbell skull crusher gives more stretch.
Both are good choices that train the triceps the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Cable Kickback. Hardest where the triceps is shortest, so it misses the stretch, but it’s light on the elbows.
Dumbbell Skull Crusher. Dumbbells let each arm find a comfortable path with a decent long-head stretch. Awkward to load heavy.
For triceps growth, the two are close. Cable kickback rates slightly higher: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Dumbbell skull crusher gives more stretch. Both are good choices that train the triceps the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Cable kickback needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Dumbbell skull crusher needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it.
Cable kickback: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for dumbbell skull crusher.