Most people equate building bigger biceps to building bigger arms.

While having bigger biceps will add size to your arms, you cannot maximize arm size without building up the triceps.

The tricep makes up around 2/3rds of the arm and has 3 heads (hence the name ‘tri’cep);

The lateral head, the medial head and the long head.

Out of this, the long head makes up the majority of the muscle.

This means that if you’re someone who’s looking to fill out those shirt sleeves, focusing on building up the long head should be something you pay close attention to.

While some can grow great triceps by just bench pressing and overhead pressing, the majority of us will need at least some direct work to maximize tricep growth.

There are multiple ways to hit the triceps, but one of the most effective exercises to target the long head of the triceps is the Lying Tricep Extension, a.k.a. the Skull Crusher with a little form tweak.

I’m sure most of you have, if not tried it yourself, seen someone at the gym rep out this movement.

The reason I write this article is to share with you two very simple, yet effective changes you can make to your form while performing this exercise that can help you squeeze out more gains.

Here are the two tweaks you can implement:

1. Instead of stopping the bar over your forehead, drift it back and drop it further down to get a full stretch on the triceps.

I know, this goes against the name of the exercise - Skull Crusher.

But this is one of the most simple things you can do to get more out of the movement.

While some may argue that this brings in the shoulders into the movement, they forget that the triceps not only work elbow extension, but also shoulder extension and flexion.

Thus, going further down not only helps us get a great stretch on the triceps, but it also makes the triceps perform both elbow extension and shoulder flexion.

From the bottom, you come back up in one fluid motion (as you normally would in a Skull Crusher).

2. Alter the beginning/ending position slightly.

Instead of keeping your arms exactly perpendicular to your body, keep them at a slight angle.

You don’t need to be extreme with this.

Just a very small tilt will make you feel the difference.

This will keep a lot more tension on the triceps, helping you squeeze out more from this movement.

In fact, this tweak almost goes hand-in-hand with the first one and might just come naturally while performing the movement.

These are the two things I want you to try out.

If you haven’t tried them before, they might seem too simple, but once you do them, you’ll never want to go back!

Here are some more tips for executing this movement:

• You can use either a Straight Bar, an EZ Bar, a Tricep Bar or Dumbbells.

All can get the work done but the straight bar is my last preference (personal preference) since it is slightly more taxing on the elbow joint.

• Try to be explosive with the concentric (when coming up) but control the eccentric (when you go down).

• Keep your elbows slightly flared out instead of pinning them by your side (also helps if you feel a lot of stress on the elbow joint).

Now you know what you need to do to take your tricep game to the next level.

That being said, don’t forget the most important thing;

Progressive Overload

Without this, your efforts will go to waste.

Also, to make the fastest progress, eating in a slight surplus will be your best friend.

(Read more about bulking without gaining excess fat here.)

Now that doesn’t mean you can’t make absolutely any progress if you’re dieting down.

As long as you don’t go too aggressive, you can still make progress.

(Learn how to set up your nutrition for fat loss here.)

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