French press vs. skull crushers

[m189]

I've been stickn' to pressdowns and dips, and have seen some pretty crazy results, my tris are finally not the weakest group. Uhm, i just kindof want a clarification though:

french press is not past your forehead while a skull crusher is? if so, whats better on your elbows (ive had issues that wax and wane whenever i get heavier than i have been)

[shaneee]

they are the ****ing same thing....................
but either way when you bend your elbows and take the bar to like on top of your head past your forehead it's easier on the elbows

[chazzy1864]

They aren't the same thing. It is technicalities.

As stated though, generally allowing the bar to go behind your head will be easier on your elbows.

If you like skull crushers better, but have discomfort in the elbows, try doing them on a decline.

[XXX666]

skull crushers are done from a decline/incline/flat horizontal position while a french press is done standing/seat and the weight is lowered behind the head.

[Fitto13]

French presses KILLED my shoulders.

EZ Curl skull crushers on an incline are pretty good.

Gotta find what works for you

[TheDirtyCat]

Originally Posted by XXX666

skull crushers are done from a decline/incline/flat horizontal position while a french press is done standing/seat and the weight is lowered behind the head.

Not true. French press can be done anyway I think. At least I know it can be done on the flat or incline.
Just something I learned on my fitness instructor course.

[hulkinout]

This argument gets raised every few weeks here.

It's been explained to me the same way Chazzy explains: French press lowers behind the head, skullcrushers to the face (forehead, nose, chin, what have you). They're both variations of lying tricep extensions, and can be done on any angle bench (flat, decline, incline).

Once in a rare while, I hear the sitting (or overhead) extension referred to as a French press, but not by guys who seem to be in the know.

P.S. I just googled "french press" and while most of the entries agree on the lying aspect, I see a couple referring to a "standing french press." The mystery deepens...

[Jippo]

I personally do 'french presses' kneeling on the floor, them and weighted dips have thickened my triceps right up.

[-Lucifer]

Skullz hurt my elbows a lot so I kicked them off my routine.

French presses don't hurt me at all.

[psychowolverine]

Originally Posted by DaRk LuCiFeR

Skullz hurt my elbows a lot so I kicked them off my routine.

French presses don't hurt me at all.

same here... Skulls tore my freaking tricep.... wasnt a feel good moment

[Jippo]

I found that too, although doing them with an EZ curl bar fixed the issue but i still prefer french presses with a heavy dumbbell.

[Defiant1]

Originally Posted by m189

I've been stickn' to pressdowns and dips, and have seen some pretty crazy results, my tris are finally not the weakest group. Uhm, i just kindof want a clarification though:

french press is not past your forehead while a skull crusher is? if so, whats better on your elbows (ive had issues that wax and wane whenever i get heavier than i have been)

From what I know/have read/was told:

A French Press is essentially the same as a Tricep Extension. From any angle.

So, a Skullcrusher is a French Press, but a French Press is not necessarily a Skullcrusher.

IMO, Skullcrushers and Lying Extensions are the same thing. The term "Skullcrusher" is relatively new.

If you are looking to avoid elbow pain, chose the version that has the least range of motion, especially at the elbow joint (in the case of your description it would the skullcrusher).

People are so f*cking pedantic on the internet about terms. **** takes on a life of it's own. Worst I've seen is "classifications" of heavy metal. Gets laughable at times.

[XXX666]

Originally Posted by TheDirtyCat

Not true. French press can be done anyway I think. At least I know it can be done on the flat or incline.
Just something I learned on my fitness instructor course.

I'm not going to waste my time.................

[nano.ix]

Originally Posted by Defiant1

From what I know/have read/was told:

A French Press is essentially the same as a Tricep Extension. From any angle.

So, a Skullcrusher is a French Press, but a French Press is not necessarily a Skullcrusher.

IMO, Skullcrushers and Lying Extensions are the same thing. The term "Skullcrusher" is relatively new.

If you are looking to avoid elbow pain, chose the version that has the least range of motion, especially at the elbow joint (in the case of your description it would the skullcrusher).

People are so f*cking pedantic on the internet about terms. **** takes on a life of it's own. Worst I've seen is "classifications" of heavy metal. Gets laughable at times.

French press = standing, sitting
Skulls = laying


yup yup

... and umm you a fan of gorecore, emocore, hardcore, screamocore, deathcore, techcore & failcore?

[bigal1905]

yo just to overhead dumbell extensions. its hard to screw those up.... same movement consistantly and it stretches the fascia very well.... plus its easier on your wrists and shoulders.

[Lean88]

I prefer french presses, I find they hit my tri's better and are more comfortable for me. Its
a matter of preference IMO

[hulkinout]

Originally Posted by Defiant1

From what I know/have read/was told:

A French Press is essentially the same as a Tricep Extension. From any angle.

So, a Skullcrusher is a French Press, but a French Press is not necessarily a Skullcrusher.

IMO, Skullcrushers and Lying Extensions are the same thing. The term "Skullcrusher" is relatively new.

If you are looking to avoid elbow pain, chose the version that has the least range of motion, especially at the elbow joint (in the case of your description it would the skullcrusher).

People are so f*cking pedantic on the internet about terms. **** takes on a life of it's own. Worst I've seen is "classifications" of heavy metal. Gets laughable at times.

The Defiant one has spoken... Ok boys, break it up and move on... ;-)

[-Lucifer]

Originally Posted by Long813

French press = standing, sitting
Skulls = laying

You can do French presses while lying on a bench too.

[Rsardinia]

Well this is my understanding of french curls vs. skull crushers, and also how I do them. When I do skull crushers I go to my forehead and keep my elbows in as tight as I can. These are usually done laying down on a flat bench. For french curls, I do them seated behind my head with my elbows flared out, keeping them in causes elbow pain very quickly. You can do them laying on a flat bench as well but they don't seem to feel near as good.

skull crusher


french curl

[m189]

Originally Posted by bigal1905

yo just to overhead dumbell extensions. its hard to screw those up.... same movement consistantly and it stretches the fascia very well.... plus its easier on your wrists and shoulders.

I do these, and speakn' of which, ive seen pple say that you dont need to have your arm up vertically when you do these.. anyones take o nthis? seems less streuous, but i dont see it as something that could really injury oneself.

[sdbolts512]

skullcrushers put more stress on the elbow and joints than they do on the triceps, and you can also kill yourself doing them.

french presses put the tricep into a deeper stretch and stretching the muscle is a component of hypertrophy.

so french presses are far superior to skullcrushers