Which Exercise Is Better for Building Bigger Triceps?
When it comes to building bigger, stronger triceps, two exercises consistently appear in bodybuilding and strength-training programs: skull crushers and tricep pushdowns. Both exercises can effectively train the three heads of the triceps, but they place the muscles under tension in different ways and offer distinct advantages.
So, which is better for triceps growth: skull crushers vs. tricep pushdowns?
The answer depends on your training goals, experience level, equipment, and how you structure your workout. For maximizing muscle growth, there is a strong argument for including both exercises in your routine.
Our team at Generation Iron is going to break it down.
Skull Crushers vs. Tricep Pushdowns: The Basics
Skull crushers are a free-weight triceps exercise typically performed while lying on a bench with a barbell, EZ curl bar, or dumbbells. The lifter lowers the weight toward the forehead or behind the head before extending the elbows to return to the starting position.
Tricep pushdowns are generally performed using a cable machine. With the upper arms held relatively close to the body, you extend the elbows and push the attachment downward until the arms are straight.
Both exercises primarily target the triceps brachii, the three-headed muscle located on the back of the upper arm.
While both movements train the same primary muscle group, their resistance profiles, joint positions, and execution are different.
What Muscles Do Skull Crushers Work?
Skull crushers primarily target the triceps, including the:
- Long head
- Lateral head
- Medial head
The long head of the triceps crosses the shoulder joint, which means shoulder position can influence how much it is lengthened during an exercise.
One advantage of skull crushers is that they can place the triceps under significant tension while the elbows are flexed. Depending on how you perform the movement, lowering the weight farther behind the head can create a substantial stretch in the triceps.
Skull crushers also require more stabilization than cable pushdowns, particularly when using a barbell or dumbbells.
What Muscles Do Tricep Pushdowns Work?
Tricep pushdowns also primarily train all three heads of the triceps. Because the movement is performed with the upper arm generally positioned alongside the torso, pushdowns are relatively straightforward to learn and execute. They also make it easy to control the resistance and maintain consistent tension throughout a set.
Changing the attachment can also alter the feel of the movement. Common options include:
- Straight bar
- EZ-bar attachment
- Rope
- Individual handles
A rope attachment, for example, allows you to separate your hands at the bottom of the movement, while a bar provides a more fixed hand position.
Skull Crushers for Muscle Growth
One of the biggest advantages of skull crushers is their ability to challenge the triceps through a relatively deep range of motion.
The exercise can be particularly useful for lifters looking to emphasize the lengthened portion of the movement. Research on resistance training increasingly supports the importance of training muscles at longer lengths, although the ideal range of motion and exercise selection can vary between individuals.
For hypertrophy-focused training, skull crushers can be an excellent secondary or accessory exercise after heavier pressing movements.
However, they can also be more demanding on the elbows. Poor technique, excessive weight, or unnecessarily aggressive ranges of motion can make the exercise uncomfortable.
Using an EZ bar or dumbbells may provide a more comfortable setup for some lifters.
Tricep Pushdowns for Muscle Growth
Tricep pushdowns offer several advantages for bodybuilding and hypertrophy training.
First, they are easy to learn. You don’t need to balance a barbell over your head, and the movement can be performed with relatively little technical complexity.
Second, cables allow you to quickly adjust the resistance. This makes pushdowns particularly useful for higher-repetition training, drop sets, and other bodybuilding techniques.
Pushdowns can also be easier to recover from than some free-weight triceps exercises, making them a practical choice for lifters who train frequently.
Which Exercise Is Better for Bigger Triceps?
If your primary goal is building bigger triceps, neither exercise necessarily needs to be considered the outright winner.
Instead, they can complement each other.
Skull crushers are useful for loading the triceps through a challenging range of motion and emphasizing the lengthened position.
Tricep pushdowns are excellent for controlled repetitions, accumulating training volume, and finishing a workout with relatively simple isolation work.
Using both gives you two different ways to challenge the same muscle group.
For example, a triceps-focused portion of a workout could look like:
Exercise 1: Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 8–12 reps
Exercise 2: Tricep Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10–15 reps
The goal isn’t necessarily to use maximum weight. Instead, focus on controlled repetitions, consistent technique, and progressively increasing the training stimulus over time.
Skull Crushers vs. Pushdowns for Beginners
For beginners, tricep pushdowns are generally the easier exercise to learn.
The cable machine provides a stable resistance source, and the movement is relatively simple. Beginners can focus on keeping their elbows controlled and learning how to properly extend the arms without worrying about balancing free weights overhead.
Skull crushers can be introduced once a lifter has developed better control and understands how to position the elbows and shoulders.
That doesn’t mean beginners should avoid skull crushers. It simply means pushdowns may provide an easier entry point for direct triceps training.
Skull Crushers vs. Pushdowns for Strength
If you’re interested in improving overall pressing strength, neither exercise should replace foundational compound movements such as the bench press, overhead press, or close-grip pressing variations.
However, both skull crushers and pushdowns can strengthen the triceps as accessory exercises.
Skull crushers generally allow you to work with heavier external loads than many cable isolation variations, although the amount of weight used isn’t directly comparable between machines and free weights.
Pushdowns are particularly useful for accumulating additional triceps volume without adding another heavy compound movement to your program.
Which Exercise Is Easier on the Elbows?
This varies significantly from person to person.
Some lifters find pushdowns extremely comfortable because the cable allows them to find a natural hand position and control the resistance. Others prefer skull crushers with dumbbells or an EZ bar because those variations allow the wrists and elbows to move more naturally.
If skull crushers cause elbow discomfort, reducing the weight, changing your grip, using an EZ bar, or experimenting with dumbbells may help.
If an exercise consistently causes pain rather than normal training fatigue, don’t simply push through it. Consider modifying the movement or choosing another triceps exercise.
How to Perform Skull Crushers Properly
To perform a basic skull crusher:
- Lie on a flat bench while holding a barbell or EZ bar.
- Press the weight directly above your chest.
- Keep your upper arms relatively stable.
- Bend your elbows and lower the weight under control.
- Lower the weight toward your forehead or slightly behind your head.
- Extend your elbows to return the weight to the starting position.
- Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
Avoid turning the exercise into a pressing movement. The goal is to allow the elbows to flex and extend while keeping the movement controlled.
How to Perform Tricep Pushdowns Properly
To perform a cable tricep pushdown:
- Stand facing a high cable attachment.
- Grab the bar or rope with a comfortable grip.
- Keep your upper arms close to your torso.
- Brace your core and maintain a stable posture.
- Extend your elbows and push the attachment downward.
- Fully contract the triceps without excessively moving the shoulders.
- Slowly allow the weight to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
Avoid using excessive bodyweight to move the cable. If you have to lean dramatically into the movement, the weight is probably too heavy.
Should You Do Skull Crushers and Pushdowns in the Same Workout?
Absolutely.
For a bodybuilding-focused program, combining exercises can be an effective way to accumulate quality triceps volume.
A simple approach is to perform skull crushers earlier in the workout when you’re fresh and use pushdowns later as a higher-repetition isolation movement.
For example:
Skull Crushers: 3 × 8–12
Cable Tricep Pushdowns: 3 × 10–15
You can also reverse the order depending on your goals. If pushdowns feel better on your elbows or you want to prioritize them, perform them first.
The Bottom Line
The skull crushers vs. tricep pushdowns debate doesn’t need to have a single winner.
Skull crushers are an excellent free-weight exercise for challenging the triceps through a deep range of motion and can be particularly useful for hypertrophy-focused training. Tricep pushdowns are simple, versatile, easy to progressively overload, and excellent for accumulating quality training volume.
For maximum triceps development, the best strategy may be to use both exercises rather than choosing one.
Build your program around progressive overload, proper technique, sufficient training volume, and recovery. When those fundamentals are in place, skull crushers and tricep pushdowns can both play an important role in building bigger, stronger arms.
Let us know your favorite tricep exercise in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
References:
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D. W., & Plotkin, D. L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum.Sports, 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(12), 3508–3523. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(11), 1073–1082.
