How is this different from doing skull crushers on a bench?

The floor sits right behind your head, so the dumbbells stop at about ear level instead of traveling behind and below the head. That gives a slightly shorter, very consistent range, while the Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension on a bench allows a fuller range of motion.

Should the dumbbells touch the floor?

In the standard version the dumbbells stop beside your head at about ear level, and the floor only acts as a backstop. Some coaches teach a dead-stop version that rests the dumbbells on the floor behind the head between reps, which is better treated as its own variation.

Why use a neutral grip?

With the palms facing each other, the dumbbells pass on either side of your head and the wrists stay in a natural position. Many lifters find this easier on the elbows than the fixed overhand grip of a Barbell Skull Crusher.

Is it a good triceps exercise for home workouts?

Yes. It needs only a pair of dumbbells and enough floor to lie on, and an exercise mat makes it more comfortable. It pairs well with the Dumbbell Floor Press for a complete pressing and triceps session without a bench.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Three to four sets of 8 to 15 controlled reps works well for most people, done after the main pressing exercises. Pick a weight you can lower slowly to ear level on every rep.

Dumbbell Floor Skull Crusher

What Is the Dumbbell Floor Skull Crusher?

Dumbbell Floor Skull Crusher is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps, with the lats and shoulders working lightly to hold the upper arms in place. It is a beginner-level movement performed lying face-up on the floor with the knees bent, lowering a pair of dumbbells beside the head and pressing them back to straight arms above the shoulders.

The exercise builds triceps size and elbow extension strength, which carries over to the lockout of pressing lifts such as the Barbell Bench Press and the push-up. It usually sits after the main pressing work in an upper body or arm session. Because it needs nothing but dumbbells and a patch of floor, it is a practical triceps option for home workouts and crowded gyms where no bench is free.

The floor is what sets this version apart from the Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension. On a bench, the dumbbells can travel behind and below the head and the upper arms can drift back. On the floor, the ground sits directly behind the head, so the dumbbells stop at about ear level and every rep covers the same, slightly shorter range. Compared with the Barbell Skull Crusher, the dumbbells let each arm work on its own and allow a neutral grip, with the palms facing each other, which many lifters find easier on the wrists and elbows than a straight bar.

All three heads of the triceps straighten the elbow. With the upper arms held vertical, the long head works at a moderate length, less stretched than in an overhead triceps extension, so the two movements complement each other in a program. The floor version suits beginners learning to isolate the triceps and anyone training without a bench. If even light dumbbells are hard to control beside the head, build up with the Band Triceps Pushdown or the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) first.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): High
Deltoid: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Minimal
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Minimal
Teres Major: Minimal

Instructions

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat, holding a dumbbell in each hand on your thighs.
Lie back, bring the dumbbells to your chest and press them straight up over your shoulders.
Turn your palms to face each other (neutral grip) with your arms straight and upper arms vertical.
Keep your head, upper back and hips on the floor, with your knees bent and feet resting on the floor.
Keeping your upper arms still and elbows pointing up, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells slowly toward either side of your head.
Stop when the dumbbells reach about ear level beside your head, without letting them rest on the floor or your upper arms drift back.
Straighten your elbows to press the dumbbells back up over your shoulders, keeping your wrists straight.
Repeat for the desired reps, then bend your elbows, bring the dumbbells down to your chest and roll up to sit before setting them down.

Common Mistakes

Letting the upper arms drift
Moving the elbows toward the head or chest on each rep turns the exercise into a partial pullover or press and takes work away from the triceps.
Flaring the elbows
Letting the elbows splay outward as the set gets hard shifts the load off the triceps and stresses the elbow, so keep them pointing up at the ceiling.
Using too much weight
Dumbbells that are too heavy force momentum and loose control right beside the face, and they are a common cause of elbow pain.
Lowering too fast
Dropping the dumbbells quickly toward the floor reduces control at the bottom and loads the elbow tendon abruptly.
Bending the wrists back
Letting the wrists bend back tips the dumbbells behind the forearms and strains the wrists instead of keeping the load stacked over them.

Injuries

Dumbbell Floor Skull Crusher is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The floor limits how far the dumbbells can travel, which removes the deep behind-the-head position that a bench allows, and the movement is normally done with light to moderate dumbbells.

The main strain point is the back of the elbow, where the triceps tendon attaches. Loads too heavy to control, fast lowering and a high volume of sets can irritate it over time. The wrists are stressed when they bend back under the dumbbells, and the dumbbells pass close to the face, so a lost grip or a rushed rep can end with a weight near the head. Choose a load you can lower slowly for 8 to 15 reps, keep the wrists straight and stacked over the forearms, and set the dumbbells down at the chest rather than beside the head when the set ends.

To make it easier, use lighter dumbbells or switch to the Band Triceps Pushdown, which keeps the load away from the face. To progress, move to the bench version, the Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension, for a fuller range, or to the EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension for heavier loading.

Stop if you feel sharp pain at the back of the elbow, a pop, or pain or numbness in the wrist or hand. Elbow pain that lingers after training or returns every session is a reason to lighten the load and see a clinician if it does not settle.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Dumbbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from doing skull crushers on a bench?: The floor sits right behind your head, so the dumbbells stop at about ear level instead of traveling behind and below the head. That gives a slightly shorter, very consistent range, while the Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension on a bench allows a fuller range of motion.
Q: Should the dumbbells touch the floor?: In the standard version the dumbbells stop beside your head at about ear level, and the floor only acts as a backstop. Some coaches teach a dead-stop version that rests the dumbbells on the floor behind the head between reps, which is better treated as its own variation.
Q: Why use a neutral grip?: With the palms facing each other, the dumbbells pass on either side of your head and the wrists stay in a natural position. Many lifters find this easier on the elbows than the fixed overhand grip of a Barbell Skull Crusher.
Q: Is it a good triceps exercise for home workouts?: Yes. It needs only a pair of dumbbells and enough floor to lie on, and an exercise mat makes it more comfortable. It pairs well with the Dumbbell Floor Press for a complete pressing and triceps session without a bench.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: Three to four sets of 8 to 15 controlled reps works well for most people, done after the main pressing exercises. Pick a weight you can lower slowly to ear level on every rep.