Lie back and blow up your triceps. Don't hit your skull.
Only your forearms move, keep those upper arms still and elbows pointing up.
With your upper arms locked vertical, bending only at the elbows makes the triceps handle the entire load through a long range, including a deep stretch as the bar approaches your forehead. Nothing assists, which is the appeal, this is triceps isolation you can genuinely load. It stays in programmes decade after decade because few movements grow the back of the arm as directly.
Usually too much weight, a bounced turnaround at the bottom, or flared elbows. Lighten the load, slow the lowering phase, and keep the elbows pointing at the ceiling. Lowering the bar slightly behind the head instead of to the forehead also eases elbow stress for many lifters.
This version uses the straight bar, which is fine for many people, but if your wrists complain the EZ bar's angled grips are the standard fix. The triceps do not care which bar it is, so use whichever lets you train pain free.
Skull crushers keep the upper arms still so only the triceps move the weight, while a close grip bench is a compound press where chest and shoulders help. Press heavy for total strength, crush for direct isolation.
