For triceps growth
For triceps growth, skull crusher rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the triceps, easier to progress.
Dumbbell skull crusher is easier on the joints.
Both are good choices, and they train the triceps differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Dumbbell Skull Crusher. Dumbbells let each arm find a comfortable path with a decent long-head stretch. Awkward to load heavy.
Skull Crusher. Lowering behind the head stretches the long head, but heavy reps can be hard on the elbows.
For triceps growth, skull crusher rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the triceps, easier to progress. Dumbbell skull crusher is easier on the joints. Both are good choices, and they train the triceps differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Dumbbell skull crusher needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it. Skull crusher needs an EZ bar and a bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Dumbbell skull crusher: it rates Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for skull crusher.