Muscles worked
In the Tate press, your elbows point out to the sides and the dumbbells lower in towards your chest. Your triceps do the work as your elbows straighten, while your chest and the front of your shoulders hold your upper arms still. The angle sets it apart from most triceps exercises, and many people feel it clearly in their triceps even with light dumbbells. It also loads the elbows in a position that does not suit everyone.
Common mistakes
- Starting too heavy. With too much weight you lose control at the bottom, and the dumbbells can hit your chest. Start much lighter than in other triceps exercises and build up carefully.
- Elbows dropping towards the bench. The movement then turns into a press and your chest takes over. Keep your elbows high and pointing out, so only your forearms move.
- Resting the dumbbells on your chest. Setting them down on your chest between reps takes the tension off. Touch lightly and reverse at once.
Variations and alternatives
- The skull crusher with your elbows pointing up rather than out, a more established choice if the Tate press feels odd on your elbows.
- The dumbbell floor skull crusher uses the same dumbbells on the floor, when you have no bench.
- The close grip bench press when you want to train your triceps heavy, with help from your chest and shoulders.
Sets and reps
The Tate press is not one for heavy sets. For muscle, 10 to 15 reps over 2 to 3 sets suits it, with 15 to 20 for endurance. It usually fits late in the session, after the pressing exercises, once your triceps are warm. Even so, warm up your elbows with a light set first, as the guide to warming up describes. The guide to sets and reps explains how the ranges are chosen.
Progress slowly. Add reps until you reach the top of your range on every set before moving to heavier dumbbells, and take the smallest step available. That is progressive overload at a gentle pace. If your elbows hurt, rather than just feeling heavy or tired, stop the exercise and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.