How to do a Tate Press
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Tate Press
Flat Bench
Dumbbells
Workouts with Tate Press
Instructions for Proper Form
Tate Press is a variation on the more standard Skull Crusher. Similar to Skull Crusher, this is an isolation movement that targets your triceps. The use of dumbbells ensures that you aren’t compensating for any discrepancies between sides. The unique positioning of elbows for this exercise can help to further recruit the long head of the triceps compared to similar tricep or pressing exercises.
- Lie your back onto a bench while squeezing your shoulder blades together and placing your heels firmly on the ground underneath your knees.
- The bench should be in contact with your head, shoulders, and butt at all times.
- Extend your arms over your shoulders and position the dumbbells against each other with your palms facing forward.
- Keep your core braced touching as you flex your elbows slightly lateral to allow the dumbbells to descend down toward your chest.
- Once the dumbbells touch your chest in vertical position, exhale to extend your elbows back to the starting position.
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What's good about the Tate Press?
The Tate press is a good exercise for targeting the triceps, particularly the long head of the triceps. It helps in building triceps strength and size by isolating the muscle effectively. Additionally, the unique movement pattern of the Tate press can add variety to your triceps training, potentially improving muscle development and preventing workout monotony. However, proper form is crucial to avoid elbow strain, so starting with lighter weights and gradually increasing them is recommended.
Common Form Mistakes
Limit Range of Motion at the Top
Make sure you’re keeping tension on your triceps at the top of the movement. Many lifters will lock out their arms with the weight directly over their elbow. This gives your triceps time to rest between reps. Limit your range of motion so there’s always tension on your triceps.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Tate Press standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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Alternative Exercises to Tate Press
1. Dumbbell Skullcrusher
98.4 mSCORESWAPPED 547 TIMESDumbbell Skullcrusher is an isolation exercise that targets your triceps. Unlike some skull crusher variations, the use of dumbbells prevents you from compensating for any differences in strength between sides, as well as adding some instability to the movement.
2. Single Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension
88.5 mSCORESWAPPED 342 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Tricep Extension. Like other tricep extensions, this is an isolation movement that targets your triceps. By performing this exercise with a single arm, you add more instability to the movement, as well as prevent yourself from compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides.
3. Seated Tricep Press
97.4 mSCORESWAPPED 337 TIMESSeated Tricep Press is an isolation exercise that targets your triceps. The positioning of the dumbbell varies from many other tricep exercises, which is great for adding some variety to your exercise selection. By positioning the dumbbell overhead you can ensure that you’re taking your triceps through their full range of motion.
4. Dumbbell Kickbacks
93.7 mSCORESWAPPED 333 TIMESDumbbell Kickbacks are an isolation exercise that target the triceps. The use of dumbbells prevents you from compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides. The movement itself is simple and easy to perform, making this a great exercise for beginners, and plenty of variations exist for more advanced users looking to add more difficulty and complexity to the movement.
5. Bench Dip
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 290 TIMESBench Dip is a variation on the standard Dip. Like other Dip variations, this is a compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily targets your triceps. Because your feet are still on the ground, this tends to be an easier variation, and a great way to build tricep strength as you work towards full bodyweight dips.
- Beginner
- Triceps
- Flat Bench
6. Standing Dumbbell Tricep Extension
77.1 mSCORESWAPPED 236 TIMESLike other Dumbbell Tricep Extensions, this is an isolation movement that targets triceps. By performing this exercise while standing instead of seated, you add a small amount of instability to the movement. In addition, performing this exercise while standing can make this a more beneficial variation for developing functional strength in your triceps.
7. Cable Tricep Pushdown
97.9 mSCORESWAPPED 126 TIMESThis is an isolation exercise that targets the triceps. This exercise is very similar to other cable tricep exercises with the exception of using a flat bar instead of other handle attachments. This keeps your hands palms down, and reduces the demand for stabilizing your wrist during the movement.
- Beginner
- Triceps
- Rope Cable
8. Cable Rope Tricep Extension
99.1 mSCORESWAPPED 122 TIMESThis is an isolation triceps exercise. The use of cables gives you more control over where the resistance is coming from, allowing you to keep more tension in your triceps compared to equipment like dumbbells. Because you can easily adjust the weight on a cable machine this is also a great exercise for performing drop sets, and burning out your triceps.
- Intermediate
- Triceps
- Rope Cable
9. Dumbbell Tricep Extension
86.6 mSCORESWAPPED 101 TIMESThe Dumbbell Tricep Extension isolates the triceps, promoting muscle growth and strength. Performed either standing or seated, it involves extending the arms above the head with a dumbbell, focusing on tricep contraction and control during the movement. This exercise enhances arm aesthetics and supports upper body strength, making it essential for a balanced arm workout routine.
10. Close-Grip Bench Press
96.6 mSCORESWAPPED 96 TIMESClose Grip Bench Press is a triceps focused variation on the standard Bench Press. By bringing your hands closer together, you reduce the amount of tension in your chest, and place more of that tension on your triceps. This is a great exercise for working a little bit more triceps into your chest days.