Which is better dips or skull crushers?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 23, 2026
Skull crushers are the superior choice for developing maximum triceps mass because they train the head—the long head—that accounts for most of your triceps size, much more optimally than dips. Dips, on the other hand, require no equipment because you can do them on a chair or on your sofa.
Is the skull crusher effective?
Skull crushers are an excellent exercise to build mass and strength in your triceps. They're also an excellent way to work on stability in your shoulders. Remember: The name of the exercise sounds painful, but if you do it correctly, it shouldn't cause you harm. Always perform the movement slowly and with control.
Should I go heavy on skull crushers?
Think squats, bench presses, deadlifts, overhead presses, and chin-ups. With smaller lifts, such as skull crushers, we want to go lighter. That will limit the stress on your elbow joints, and it should allow you to eke out a bit more muscle growth from every set.
Which is better skull crushers or tricep extensions?
But for building the most prominent triceps head—the long head—skull crushers are superior because they permit large amounts of shoulder movement and thus train both functions of the long head: elbow extension and shoulder extension.
Are dips better than tricep extensions?
Tricep extensions train the long head optimally, whereas dips don't. Dips are a multi-joint exercise and can thus replace compound free-weight presses. Dips put more pressure on the shoulders than lying extensions and likely still a bit more than overhead extensions as well.
44 related questions foundWhat is the best tricep exercise?
The 8 Most Effective Triceps Exercises
- Diamond Push-Ups.
- Kickbacks.
- Dips.
- Overhead Triceps Extensions.
- Rope Pushdowns.
- Bar Pushdowns.
- Lying Triceps Extensions.
- Close Grip Bench Presses.
Do dips work the lateral head of the tricep?
Dips are a multi-joint body weight exercise that simultaneously work your chest, anterior deltoids and triceps. Dips equally work the long head and lateral head of your triceps with the medial head kicking in at the top of the movement.
What can I use instead of skull crushers?
Top 7 skullcrusher alternatives
- Diamond push-ups. Diamond push-ups are accessible and remarkably effective for building the triceps. ...
- Improvised skull crusher. ...
- Overhead extensions. ...
- Bench dips. ...
- Tricep pushdowns. ...
- Close grip bench press. ...
- Tricep kickbacks.
Are tricep kickbacks better than tricep extensions?
Kickbacks train your triceps in a much shorter anatomical position and thus produce a stronger peak contraction than skull crushers. Tricep extensions enable you to lift much heavier than kickbacks and are therefore the better choice for gaining strength.
What part of the tricep do Skullcrushers work?
Skull Crushers Muscles Worked
Lowering the bar to your forehead primarily works the medial and lateral heads of the triceps. These are the muscles on the inside and outside of the back of your arm. While lowering the bar over your head works primarily the long head of the triceps.
What is the best shoulder exercise?
Best Shoulder Exercises
- Barbell Overhead Press.
- Half-Kneeling Landmine Press.
- Arnold Press.
- Push Press.
- Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press.
- Wide-Grip Seated Row.
- Leaning Lateral Raise.
- Incline Y Raise.
How many skull crushers should I do?
Typically, you want to lift a weight that allows you to do around ten reps. You'll accumulate more mechanical tension or stress, which is what your muscle needs to breakdown and then bounce back stronger. Do four to six sets of eight to 12 repetitions, and rest one to two minutes between sets.
What does military press workout?
A military press, also known as an overhead press and a shoulder press, is a barbell strength training exercise that works muscle groups in the upper body like the triceps in your arms, the trapezius muscles in your upper back, and the deltoid muscles in your shoulders, including the anterior and medial delts.
Are dumbbell skull crushers good?
Stronger Triceps
The dumbbell skull crusher is one of the premier exercises proven to strengthen your triceps muscle. A stronger tricep is crucial for completing so many other upper body exercises. Without strong triceps muscles, it will be difficult to properly train your chest and shoulders.
What is the best workout for arms?
The Six Best Arm Exercises For Your Next Arm Workout
- Barbell Bicep Curl. Muscles Targeted: Biceps Brachii (Long Head & Short Head) ...
- Dumbbell Preacher Curl. Muscle Targeted: Biceps Brachii & Brachialis. ...
- Cable Bicep Curl. ...
- Skull Crusher. ...
- Cable Triceps Pushdown. ...
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension.
What muscles do dumbbell skull crushers work?
The skull crusher is a push exercise that isolates the triceps brachii, working it from the elbow all the way up to the latissimus dorsi muscle of the back. 2 The triceps brachii contains three heads. which can be targeted by doing a variety of lying triceps extension variations.
What is wrong with triceps kickbacks?
The kickbacks do not provide any kind of meaningful stretch to the triceps. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Due to the position of the elbow (which is in line with your body), kickbacks emphasize the contraction of the triceps and are completely useless when trying to stretch them under resistance.
Are tricep dips effective?
Tricep dips are one of the best exercises to increase your arm strength, and also build lean muscle in your upper arms. They will work all three tricep muscles, and simply must be part of any effective tricep workout or bodyweight workout.
Do dumbbell kickbacks work?
The tricep dumbbell kickback is a versatile and effective exercise that targets the triceps muscles in the back of your arms. The triceps are one of the most important muscles involved in upper body stability and conditioning.
What part of tricep do dips work?
Unlike some triceps movements, dips hit every head of the triceps: the long, medial, and lateral. While it's okay to target individual heads to bring up weaknesses, the core of your triceps program should revolve around big movers like the dip.
What can I do instead of dips?
10 Awesome Alternatives to Dips for a Bigger Chest and Triceps
- Single-Arm Resistance Band Extensions.
- Close Grip Push-Ups.
- Close Grip Bench Press.
- Cable Machine Tricep Pushdowns.
- Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks.
- Decline Dumbbell Bench Press.
- Dumbbell Hex Press.
- Pec Deck Fly.
How do you do EZ bar skullcrusher?
Lie back on a flat bench. Grip the EZ bar on the innermost grips and extend your arms straight up, palms facing your feet. Keeping your elbows fixed and tucked in, lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows.
Are dips the best chest exercise?
The dip is an exercise that primarily targets your chest but it also activates the shoulders, triceps, and abdominals. Depending on how you angle your body during the exercise, you can increase the demand on the chest or the triceps.
Why dips are the best?
The Benefits of Dips
Dips are considered an upper-body pressing exercise that primarily build bigger and stronger triceps, but they also hit the chest, shoulders and even the back. In fact, Dips are one of the best exercises for developing overall upper-body strength and size.
Will dips give me big triceps?
"Dips are an excellent movement to build size, strength and power into the triceps," explains, body-transformation coach, Charlie Johnson. "[Having] some variation of dips within a training programme is a wise idea if you're looking to develop this muscle group and improve your pressing strength."