Lying Triceps Press

The lying triceps press is performed supine on a flat bench, lowering a bar from fully extended arms overhead to behind the head by bending only the elbows. It is mechanically near-identical to the EZ-bar skullcrusher — the primary distinction is the finish position: the skullcrusher targets the bar to the forehead while the lying press lowers behind the head, slightly increasing shoulder flexion and elongating the triceps long head further at the bottom.

Execution

1. Lie on a flat bench; hold an EZ-bar at full arm extension overhead, shoulder at ~90° flexion
2. Lower the bar by bending only the elbows, maintaining the upper arms' position
3. Lower to approximately behind the top of the head (not to the forehead)
4. The upper arms may drift slightly back toward the face during lowering; control this with the shoulders
5. Extend the elbows to return to the start

Relationship to the Skullcrusher

Feature	Skullcrusher	Lying Triceps Press
Bar lowered to	Forehead	Behind head
Shoulder flexion	~90°	~100°+
Long head stretch	Mid-range	Slightly more
Elbow stress	Similar	Similar

For most trainees the difference is minor; choose based on comfort and feel.

EMG Data Context

The Boehler 2011 data (long 70%, lateral 55%, normalized) is virtually identical to the skullcrusher data from the same study — as expected given the near-identical mechanics. The Brettler 2023 true %MVIC value (23.79%) reflects 65% 1RM dynamic loading.

For system-specific training applications, see each system's lens entry.