Band Skull Crusher
Lie on a bench with a band anchored behind your head, elbows pointed at the ceiling, and extend the arms until they lock. Because the band pulls horizontally rather than down, the resistance keeps climbing as you straighten — the opposite of a barbell skullcrusher, which goes nearly weightless at lockout.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Anchor the band low, at the base of the rack or under the bench legs, directly in line with the top of your head.
- Lie back and shuffle down until the band already has light tension with your elbows bent and hands near your ears.
- Point your elbows straight at the ceiling and keep the upper arms perpendicular to the floor — that is the fixed hinge for the whole set.
- Set your feet flat and press your lower back lightly into the bench so the band cannot drag you up the pad.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale as you extend, inhale as the hands return. One second up, one second held at lockout, three seconds down against the band's pull.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Use a light band and set your distance from the anchor rather than swapping bands — sliding 10 cm down the bench changes the tension more than most people expect. The right setting lets you lock out every rep with a one-second hold and still be genuinely close to failure at rep 18. Progress by moving further from the anchor before you reach for a thicker band.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Keep the points of your elbows aimed at the ceiling and imagine them pinned in place. If they migrate, move a few centimetres further from the anchor and use a lighter band.
Shuffle down the bench until you feel resistance with your arms already extended. You should have to work to keep the arms straight, not just to reach straight.
Take three seconds on every return. If you cannot control it, the band is too strong — a band you can only lock out by snapping into it will teach your elbows nothing good.
Keep the elbows about shoulder width and pointed up. Flaring turns the movement into a pressing motion and hands the work to the chest and front delt.
Why bother
A barbell skullcrusher is hardest with the bar near your forehead and almost free at the top, because that is where the bar sits directly over the elbow. A band anchored behind your head reverses that: it is slack when your hands are near your ears and at peak stretch when your arms are straight. The lockout, the range the long head of the triceps is weakest through, finally gets loaded.
It is also easy on the elbows. The classic complaint about skullcrushers is a nagging ache at the point of the elbow under a heavy bar in deep flexion — and deep flexion is exactly where a band offers the least resistance. You get triceps work without the joint stress that makes people abandon the movement.
Where it fits
After your pressing, as the second or third triceps movement, in the 12-20 range. Pair it with something loaded in the stretched position — an overhead dumbbell extension or a cable extension — so the triceps gets both ends of the curve in one session. Two to three sets is enough.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Is this as effective as a barbell skullcrusher?
It loads a different part of the curve, so it is a complement rather than a substitute. The barbell hammers the stretched, mid-range portion and lets you use real load; the band hammers the lockout and spares the elbows. If you can only pick one for size, pick the barbell version and use this when your elbows are complaining.
Can I do this standing instead of lying on a bench?
You can, but it becomes a different movement. Standing with the band anchored overhead turns it into an overhead extension, which loads the stretched position rather than the lockout — the exact profile this variation exists to avoid duplicating. If you want the lockout emphasis, stay on the bench. If you have no bench, lie on the floor with the band under a door or a heavy table leg; the floor limits how far your elbows can travel back, which is a bonus.
Why does my elbow hurt on skullcrushers but not this?
Because the load profiles are opposite. A barbell is heaviest with the elbow deeply flexed and the bar behind your head, which is a lot of compression on a small joint. The band is nearly slack there. If elbow pain is what drove you off skullcrushers, this is the version to keep.
Do I need to lock out completely?
Yes, and hold it. The long head of the triceps only fully shortens at lockout, and with a band that is also the point of maximum resistance. A rep that stops 10 degrees short skips the best part of the movement.