Skull Crushers VS Tricep Pushdowns

[Rugby88]

I used to love that machine too. One of the gyms I trained at in London had one. Me and a totally jacked Lithuanian dude used to go the full stack for AMRAP sets. Good, painful times.

Yep lol - an old gym I used to train had one with a belt - strap yourself in and enjoy the ride haha

 

[bozodos]

I rate this as one of the best triceps exercises out there - def top 3 for me - hardly any gym has this machine - think I have come across like 2....

pretty sure my gym has one of these, naturally positioned right behind the power cage. How would using that be better than doing dips though? Just more isolation of the tricep muscles themselves?

 

[Goosey]

pretty sure my gym has one of these, naturally positioned right behind the power cage. How would using that be better than doing dips though? Just more isolation of the tricep muscles themselves?

Just two exercises (off the top of my head) that don't require a specific machine to make it a better, safer more efficiant exercise are; dips and calve raises.

 

[C_T]

What does the burn achieve compare to "for mass"?

skull crushers heavy and low rep, pushdowns (esp using rope) i find best is with light weight but high rep (at the end of tricepts workout), easy safe exercise to goto failure. try 50 rep stuff.

skull crushers to failure will hurt your tendons, stick to heavy but controlled. or do whatever you want...

 

[Goosey]

Nautilus Multi Exercise Machine at PTC - YouTube

if you look at the cam you'll see the resistance increase dramatically at extension.

as an aside, Dan doesn't complete the reps in the dip, but the pulls are better, but no pause at the top

and, he needed to lower the handles prior to dipping, you'll see the cam and stack hardly moving.

 

[Rugby88]

pretty sure my gym has one of these, naturally positioned right behind the power cage. How would using that be better than doing dips though? Just more isolation of the tricep muscles themselves?

From purely a tricep development point of view yes I think this is a better exercise than dips....

Dips are still one of the best exercises though for overal chest/tricep/front shoulder development though!

 

[Goosey]

From purely a tricep development point of view yes I think this is a better exercise than dips....

Dips are still one of the best exercises though for overal chest/tricep/front shoulder development though!

how would the two differ exactly?

 

[Rugby88]

how would the two differ exactly?

The machine takes pretty much everything out of the movement besides the triceps....totally isolates the triceps.

 

[White_Lie]

Anyone else get shoulder pain if they use a rope and really flare it out at the bottom or is it just me? I prefer using the v or straight bar for pushdowns for this reason

 

[Shrek]

I'm fine with either.

 

[Goosey]

The machine takes pretty much everything out of the movement besides the triceps....totally isolates the triceps.

Thats not possible Joel, the major difference between the two exercises (bar and machine) would be the strength curve, even that would be minimal.

the major difference I see between the two is the fact that a weak man or women can use this type of machine to improve the strength of the upper body using a full movement.

but I like the idea better of using negatives on some bars, for a beginner, or weak person.

 

[Rugby88]

Thats not possible Joel, the major difference between the two exercises (bar and machine) would be the strength curve, even that would be minimal.

the major difference I see between the two is the fact that a weak man or women can use this type of machine to improve the strength of the upper body using a full movement.

but I like the idea better of using negatives on some bars, for a beginner, or weak person.

Sorry mate thought you were talking about dips v the machine!

 

[Goosey]

Sorry mate thought you were talking about dips v the machine!

I am.

 

[Sniper]

Im down with you white_lie but 6x6x6 picked this up from Charles Poliquin.

I start over the head, to nose to chin, that way as you start to get tired you finishing on the easier of the 3 which is like a close grip bench.

But love to finish the tri's on single grip cables, brings out the best pump.

 

[Sniper]

Anyone do JM press? Hurts my shoulder
But feels good on the tris if I keep it lighter.
Skull crushers hurt my elbow. Tri pushdowns are fun.

Tim.

This look sweet How To Perform The JM Press - Tricep Exercise - YouTube need to gibe these a crack.

Cheers for the heads up Tim.

 

[Rugby88]

I am.

I am confused now mate - sorry.

Dips are more of a full upper body movement using the chest/front shoulders/triceps/even your back to a degree.

Machine your sitting there - alot of cases strapping yourself in (with a seat belt - so you have min movement) and it purely focusing on the triceps - of course there will be a slight carry over to chest/shoulders again but because of the way you are stationed it would be very mininal.

When I am doing dips I could do 3 x 6 and I'll be pumped as fuck through the chest/shoulders/triceps - when doing the machine I will only feel it through the triceps.

They are totally diff though I would never suggest someone pick one over the other - I see dips as somewhat the squat of the upper body - the tricep machine is simply just a machine to hit your triceps.

 

[Goosey]

I am confused now mate - sorry.

Dips are more of a full upper body movement using the chest/front shoulders/triceps/even your back to a degree.

Machine your sitting there - alot of cases strapping yourself in (with a seat belt - so you have min movement) and it purely focusing on the triceps - of course there will be a slight carry over to chest/shoulders again but because of the way you are stationed it would be very mininal.

When I am doing dips I could do 3 x 6 and I'll be pumped as fuck through the chest/shoulders/triceps - when doing the machine I will only feel it through the triceps.

They are totally diff though I would never suggest someone pick one over the other - I see dips as somewhat the squat of the upper body - the tricep machine is simply just a machine to hit your triceps.

you're statement makes no sense to me lol.

not wanting to argue though, we will agree to disagree, in my minds eye regardless as to whether the hip is strapped in or not, the muscles doing the mechanical will be the tricep.
The deltoids, the pecs and the lats and friends are doing their best to maintain shoulder integrity.

 

[Jungnaut]

Sitting in a dip machine doing dips is like doing squats in a smith machine. The movement is set to a defined path and your core muscles don't get a chance to work. More so with weighted dips, I find the pecs, abs and lats get way pumped up compared to just strapped in a chair pushing some levers down.

 

[Rugby88]

Sitting in a dip machine doing dips is like doing squats in a smith machine. The movement is set to a defined path and your core muscles don't get a chance to work. More so with weighted dips, I find the pecs, abs and lats get way pumped up compared to just strapped in a chair pushing some levers down.

Its not ment to be the same exercise though - its ment to isolate the triceps/its purely a tricep exercise - thats what it was designed to to. I wouldnt compare tricep pressdowns to say pushups....

I think people are getting confused here.

 

[White_Lie]

I just can't see how it can isolate the movement purely to the tri's. It's the same as doing dips but you're pushing a weight stack instead of your bodyweight no?