Tate Press

What is the Tate Press?

The Tate press is a lying dumbbell triceps isolation where you lower the dumbbells to the chest with the elbows flared out, then press them back up. The flared-elbow path biases the medial head of the triceps and keeps the movement short and strict, making it a distinctive accessory for the inner and lower portion of the muscle.

Muscles worked

Primary: Triceps

The triceps extends the elbows to press the dumbbells up from the chest; the flared-elbow position emphasises the medial head more than a standard tucked extension.

How to perform the Tate Press

1. Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, pressed up over the chest with a pronated grip so the palms face the feet.
2. The Tate press flares the elbows out and drives the dumbbells down onto the chest, which isolates the lateral and medial heads.
3. Keeping the upper arms roughly vertical, bend the elbows and lower the dumbbells inward toward the upper chest with elbows pointing out.
4. Lower until the dumbbell heads nearly touch the chest, feeling the triceps stretch with the elbows flared.
5. Press the dumbbells back up by extending the elbows until the arms lock out over the chest.
6. Keep the movement controlled and avoid letting the elbows collapse, which turns it into a sloppy press.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation performed lying on a bench: elbow extension with the dumbbells lowered to the chest and the elbows flared outward. Flaring the elbows changes the line of pull toward the medial head, and the short path keeps it strict and demanding on the triceps.

Form cues

• •Lie back holding the dumbbells over your chest, palms facing your feet.
• •Lower the dumbbells to your chest by flaring the elbows out to the sides.
• •Press back up by extending the elbows, keeping the wrists stacked.
• •Move deliberately: the flared path is strict and doesn’t suit heavy swinging.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the elbows collapse in instead of flaring them out, which turns it into a sloppy press.
• •Lowering with momentum rather than controlling the dumbbells onto the chest.
• •Letting the upper arms tip away from vertical so the lateral-head emphasis is lost.
• •Going too heavy so the elbows cannot stay flared and the path breaks down.

Variations & alternatives

• •Dumbbell skull crusher, a tucked-elbow lying triceps extension.
• •Close-grip dumbbell press, a triceps press with the dumbbells together.
• •Reverse-grip pushdown, another movement biasing the medial head.
• •Overhead dumbbell extension: loads the long head’s stretch instead.

Tricep Pushdown

Triceps · Cable

Overhead Tricep Extension

Triceps · Dumbbell

Skull Crusher

Triceps · Barbell

Tricep Dip

Triceps · Bodyweight

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps · Barbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the Tate press in the library’s 10–15 rep range as a strict triceps accessory that biases the medial head. Keep the load moderate (the flared path is demanding on the elbows) and move deliberately. Run it after your pressing and pair it with an overhead extension to also load the long head.

Frequently asked questions