Tate Press: A Complete Guide

Quick Intro

Tate Press, also called the Elbows-Out Tricep Press or Dumbbell Tate Press, is an isolation strength exercise performed lying supine with dumbbells held over the chest, elbows pointing wide outward and lowering the dumbbells toward the chest by bending only at the elbow. It’s a tricep isolation exercise that maximally loads the lateral and medial heads of the triceps, using dumbbells as the only equipment.

Equipment Needed

Tate Press needs Dumbbells, one held in each hand, the one required piece of equipment. A flat bench to lie on is also useful, though the floor works as well.

Why Tate Press Matters

Lowering the dumbbells toward the chest with the elbows flared wide out to the sides trains the triceps brachii through an unusual angle that most other pressing exercises don’t reach, with the chest (pectoralis major and minor) assisting to stabilize the dumbbells overhead. The wide elbow position is what shifts the emphasis away from the long head of the triceps and onto the lateral and medial heads specifically.

Strength and endurance in the triceps are asked for in equal measure across sets of ten or more reps.

When to Do It

Tate Press works well as an accessory exercise near the end of an arm or push-focused session, once the bigger pressing lifts are already done and a more targeted tricep finisher makes sense. Two to three sessions a week is a reasonable frequency, since the triceps tend to tolerate frequent, lighter isolation training.

Anyone with a current elbow tendon issue should approach this lift cautiously, since the wide, flared elbow position loads the joint through an angle that’s less common than a standard press. Using a lighter weight and a shorter range of motion is a reasonable way to test how the elbow responds before adding resistance.

Getting Ready

Circling the arms and running through a few light band pressdowns wakes up the triceps and elbows before the wide-elbow angle is loaded. A few unloaded reps of the elbows-out lowering pattern, arms simply bending and extending without weight, rehearse the unusual angle before any load is added.

A lighter warm-up set with the dumbbells gives the triceps a chance to adjust to this exercise’s uniquely wide elbow position before the working sets begin.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The setup. Lie supine, holding a dumbbell in each hand extended above the chest, palms facing each other.

2. The lower. Bend the elbows and lower the dumbbells toward the chest, keeping the elbows flared out wide to the sides throughout.

3. The press. Press the dumbbells back up to full extension, straightening only at the elbow.

How Many, How Often

Tate Press is dosed by reps, sets and the weight held, with the working weight chosen relative to how well the wide elbow position stays intact through a full set.

Keeping the elbows flared out to the sides throughout and lowering the dumbbells toward the chest by bending only at the elbow matters more here than the weight used, since letting the elbows tuck inward turns this into a close-grip press and shifts the emphasis off the triceps.

Modifications and Variations

Tate Press has two alternatives, both of which shift the work toward the long head of the triceps.

For an alternative with a different muscle emphasis, Skull Crushers lowers the weight toward the forehead with the elbows kept closer together instead of flared wide, shifting emphasis toward the long head of the triceps.

For an alternative with a different technique and equipment, Overhead Tricep Extension extends the arms overhead from behind the head instead of pressing from over the chest, reaching the long head through a deep overhead stretch.

Progression path: Tate Press for the lateral and medial tricep heads, with Skull Crushers and Overhead Tricep Extension as parallel alternatives that shift emphasis toward the long head through a different angle.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the elbows tuck inward. Letting the elbows tuck inward turns this into a close-grip press and shifts the emphasis off the triceps and onto the chest. Keeping the elbows flared out to the sides throughout is what makes this exercise work.

Cutting the range of motion short. Stopping the lower before the dumbbells reach the chest leaves range unused, the same range that gives this exercise its unusual, effective angle on the triceps. Lowering all the way to the chest on every rep, even with lighter weight, gets more out of the exercise.

Letting the shoulder joint move. Letting the upper arm shift or the shoulder move during the press brings other muscles into a movement meant to isolate the triceps through elbow flexion and extension alone. Keeping the upper arm still and moving only at the elbow keeps the isolation strict.

After Your Set

A light, lying isolation movement like this leaves the heart rate mostly unchanged, so stretching can begin right away. An overhead tricep stretch, reaching one arm overhead and bending the elbow to pull the hand down the back, targets the muscle that just worked through this unusual wide-elbow angle. Opening both arms wide at shoulder height and drawing the elbows gently back eases the chest that assisted through the press.

Going Deeper

Tate Press usually sits near the end of an arm or push session, added specifically for the unusual elbow angle it reaches, not as a full replacement for a standard tricep exercise. Pairing it with Skull Crushers or Overhead Tricep Extension across different sessions covers a wider range of angles on the same muscle.

Progress here tends to stall on elbow position, not raw strength: a lifter can have plenty of tricep strength and still lose most of this exercise’s benefit by letting the elbows drift inward under fatigue. Dropping the weight and rebuilding a wide, fixed elbow position tends to unstick a stalled Tate press faster than adding more load to a pattern that’s already narrowing.

Someone new to this lift generally needs a session or two to find a comfortable elbow width and grip, and continues adding weight over the following several weeks as the triceps adapt to this less common angle.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. The elbows staying flared out wide for the entire set
2. A full lower to the chest reached on every rep
3. A heavier pair of dumbbells pressed without the elbows tucking in
4. The upper arm staying still, with movement happening only at the elbow

A wide, fixed elbow position through the whole set, not the weight used, is what marks progress here.

Muscles Worked

• Triceps Brachii (the back of the upper arm, loaded through its outer and middle portions by the flared elbows)
• Pectoralis Major (the chest muscle, assisting as the dumbbells travel in toward the sternum)
• Pectoralis Minor (a smaller chest muscle beneath it, holding the shoulder blades down against the bench)

FAQ

What makes Tate Press different from Skull Crushers? The elbows stay flared wide out to the sides on Tate Press, which shifts the emphasis toward the lateral and medial heads of the triceps rather than the long head Skull Crushers targets more (see Modifications and Variations above).

Why do my elbows want to tuck in during this exercise? That usually happens as the triceps fatigue and the body looks for a more mechanically efficient angle; consciously keeping the elbows wide and using a lighter weight if needed preserves the intended angle.

Is Tate Press harder than a regular tricep press? It generally isn’t heavier in absolute weight, but the wide elbow angle makes the triceps work harder for the same load, which often means using less weight than a standard tricep exercise to keep the technique correct.

Can I do this exercise lying on the floor? Yes, the floor works just as well, though a bench allows a slightly deeper range of motion since the arms aren’t limited by the floor.

---

Related to Skull Crushers and Overhead Tricep Extension.