How is the Tate press different from a dumbbell lying triceps extension?

In a Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension your elbows point at the ceiling and the dumbbells lower toward your head, much like a Barbell Skull Crusher. In the Tate press your elbows point out to the sides and the dumbbells fold in toward each other over your chest, so the triceps work from a different shoulder position and the dumbbells stay away from your face.

Does the Tate press help your bench press?

It can, because the triceps finish the lockout of a bench press and the Tate press trains them directly, which is why powerlifters use it as an accessory. It supports your pressing rather than replacing it, so it belongs after your main bench work.

How heavy should you go on the Tate press?

Use light to moderate dumbbells you can lower slowly for 8 to 15 reps, which will be far lighter than what you press. If you need your shoulders or a bounce to finish a rep, the weight is too heavy.

Should the dumbbells touch your chest?

Lower them until the inner ends meet just above your chest, or to a light touch at most. Letting them rest or bounce on your chest takes the load off your triceps at the hardest point.

Is the Tate press easier on the elbows than skull crushers?

For many lifters it is, and that is why Dave Tate started using it, but it still puts the whole load through the elbows. If it hurts, drop the weight first, and if the pain stays, switch to a pushdown or another triceps exercise that feels comfortable.

Dumbbell Tate Press

What Is the Dumbbell Tate Press?

Dumbbell Tate Press is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the front of the shoulders and the chest as stabilizers. It is an intermediate-level movement performed lying on a flat bench, where you hold two dumbbells over your chest with your palms facing your feet, then bend your elbows out to the sides so the inner ends of the dumbbells meet just above your chest.

The exercise is named after powerlifter and strength coach Dave Tate, who used it in the 1990s to train his triceps for the bench press after skull crushers and other extensions left his elbows sore. It still fills that role today. Lifters place it after their main pressing work to build the elbow extension strength that finishes a bench press or an overhead press, and bodybuilders use it as one more angle for triceps size.

All three heads of the triceps straighten the elbow. Because your upper arms stay pointed up over your chest rather than overhead, the long head works at a moderate length, shorter than in a Cable Overhead Triceps Extension. What sets the Tate press apart from a Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension is the path: there the elbows point at the ceiling and the dumbbells travel toward your head, while here the elbows point out to the sides and the dumbbells fold in toward each other over your chest. Some lifters set the bench at a slight incline, which changes the angle without changing that elbows-out path.

The movement suits lifters who already have some triceps training behind them and can control two dumbbells over their chest. The weights are light compared with any press, and the elbows-out path takes a few sessions to feel natural, so it helps to build a base first with the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) and the Dumbbell Bench Press. Lifters whose elbows complain during skull crushers often find this path more comfortable, though that varies from person to person.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Primary
Deltoid: Medium
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Low
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Low
Pectoralis Major: Low
Extensor Carpi Radialis: Minimal
Serratus Anterior: Minimal

Instructions

Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell resting on each thigh, then lie back and bring the dumbbells up over your chest.
Plant your feet flat on the floor and keep your head, upper back and hips on the bench.
Press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight above your chest, with your palms facing your feet and the dumbbells in a line across your body.
Keep your wrists straight and your shoulder blades pressed into the bench.
Bend your elbows and let them point out to the sides, so the dumbbells tip in toward each other as they lower.
Keep your upper arms close to where they started and let the movement happen at the elbows, without dropping the elbows toward your sides.
Lower slowly until the inner ends of the dumbbells meet just above your chest, without resting them on it.
Straighten your elbows to press the dumbbells back up along the same path until your arms are straight over your chest.
Breathe in as you lower and out as you press, and repeat for your reps.
When you finish, bring the dumbbells down to your chest and sit up with them resting on your thighs.

Common Mistakes

Elbows tucking in
Letting the elbows drift down toward your sides turns the rep into a close-grip press, so the chest and shoulders take over from the triceps.
Going too heavy
Dumbbells heavier than your triceps can control strain the elbow tendons and force your shoulders to help push the weight up.
Resting the dumbbells on the chest
Dropping the dumbbells onto your chest takes the tension off the triceps at the bottom and lets a rebound start the press.
Bent wrists
Letting your wrists bend back under the dumbbells loads the wrist joint and makes the dumbbells harder to steer together.
Shoulders leaving the bench
Rolling your shoulders forward on the way down or reaching up at the top brings the chest and front deltoids into a movement meant for the triceps.

Injuries

Dumbbell Tate Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The weights are light, but the dumbbells travel over your chest and the elbows carry the whole load, so control matters more here than the number on the dumbbell.

The elbows take most of the strain, at the back where the triceps tendon attaches and on the inner and outer sides of the joint. The wrists come next if they bend back under the dumbbells, and the front of the shoulder can complain when the shoulders roll forward off the bench at the bottom. Warm up with a set at about half your working weight, keep the load moderate enough for 8 to 15 smooth reps, keep your wrists straight, and lower each rep slowly instead of letting the dumbbells drop toward your chest.

If the movement is new or your elbows are sensitive, start with very light dumbbells or build triceps strength first with the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope), where the load is easier to adjust and nothing moves over your body. To progress, add reps or slow the lowering phase before you add weight.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the back of the elbow, a pop or sudden weakness while pressing, wrist pain, or numbness or tingling in your hands. Elbow pain that lingers into the next day is a sign to drop the exercise for a while, and sudden pain with weakness at the back of the elbow should be checked by a clinician.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Dumbbell and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Dumbbell Tate Press

The Dumbbell Tate Press is also known as:

Dumbbell Elbows-Out Triceps Extension

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is the Tate press different from a dumbbell lying triceps extension?: In a Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension your elbows point at the ceiling and the dumbbells lower toward your head, much like a Barbell Skull Crusher. In the Tate press your elbows point out to the sides and the dumbbells fold in toward each other over your chest, so the triceps work from a different shoulder position and the dumbbells stay away from your face.
Q: Does the Tate press help your bench press?: It can, because the triceps finish the lockout of a bench press and the Tate press trains them directly, which is why powerlifters use it as an accessory. It supports your pressing rather than replacing it, so it belongs after your main bench work.
Q: How heavy should you go on the Tate press?: Use light to moderate dumbbells you can lower slowly for 8 to 15 reps, which will be far lighter than what you press. If you need your shoulders or a bounce to finish a rep, the weight is too heavy.
Q: Should the dumbbells touch your chest?: Lower them until the inner ends meet just above your chest, or to a light touch at most. Letting them rest or bounce on your chest takes the load off your triceps at the hardest point.
Q: Is the Tate press easier on the elbows than skull crushers?: For many lifters it is, and that is why Dave Tate started using it, but it still puts the whole load through the elbows. If it hurts, drop the weight first, and if the pain stays, switch to a pushdown or another triceps exercise that feels comfortable.