Let me show you a skull crusher variation that causes no elbow pain!

I rarely program skull crushers into my muscle building programs because most lifters have a problem with them ruining their elbows. I typically recommend performing extensions either with two dumbbells to allow for slight individual biomechanical adjustments through the extension pattern and allowing the lifter to utilize a neutral grip OR performing extensions with an Olympic plate with your hands around the outside of the plate. Both of these options provide a more comfortable exercise and won’t beat up your elbows.

Another option you have is progressively loading the extension at the top and using a light barbell to put some weight in the lifter’s hands. By using a light EZ curl bar to give a slight angle to your grip and anchoring a band perpendicular to the extension pattern, you can allow the load to be lightest when the lifter’s leverage is at its worst and strongest when the leverage improves.

Here is the circuit where you can hit different angles without moving from a supine position; perform 10-20 reps with the extension finishing directly over the lifter’s eyes, 10-20 reps with the extension finishing over the lifter’s chin, and finally, 10-20 reps with a decline press toward the lifter’s feet.

Band-Resisted EZ Curl Prone Tricep Extensions
1A) Extension to Eyes, 10-20 reps
1B) Extension to Chin, 10-20 reps
1C) Decline Press to Feet, 10-20 reps
* BONUS: 1D) Crush Grip DB Bench, 20 reps
Repeat 3-4x

Try out this killer routine and let me know how it goes! And, if you love high-volume muscle building, you need to try out Diesel MASS!