Tate Press (How To, Muscles Worked, Benefits)

The Tate Press is a much less known variation of Dumbbell Skull Crushers. Basically, instead of bringing the dumbbells down beside the ears with the elbows facing forward, the elbows are faced to the side and the dumbbells are brought down to the chest.

In this guide, I’ll explain how to properly perform Tate Presses, including their benefits, muscles worked and a few alternatives in case you need them.

How To Do Tate Presses

Equipment Needed

Bench Press*
Dumbbells

Muscles Worked

Triceps (medial head emphasis)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Raise the dumbbells over your chest with your arms fully extended.
Start with the inner edge of the dumbbells roughly 2 to 3 inches apart.
Bend your elbows out to the side to lower the dumbbells toward your chest, keeping the dumbbells the same distance apart.
Lightly touch the dumbbells to your chest, then extend your arms back to the starting position.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of reps.

Coaching Points

*Having a bench is ideal (and certainly more convenient), but Tate Presses can also be done on the floor if need be.

Focus on keeping the dumbbells about two or three inches apart as you lower and raise them. They should keep that same consistent distance throughout the movement, not swing in and away from each other.

Benefits of Tate Presses

Tate Presses are going to provide many of the same benefits as the more popular (and very similar) Skull Crusher. It’s a great movement for targeting and working the medial head of the triceps.

The Tate Press strengthens the triceps in the end range of the bench press or overhead press, helping to improve lockout strength and power in these exercises.

Tate Press Alternatives

If you can’t do Tate Presses, for whatever reason, here are a couple of exercises that you may be able to use as a substitute.

Close Grip Bench Press

The Close Grip Bench Press is a great alternative to the Tate Press, as it also targets the triceps muscles while also recruiting the chest and shoulders. By keeping your hands close together on the bar, you place more emphasis on the triceps, helping to develop strength and size.

Additionally, the Close Grip Bench Press can help to improve your Bench Press performance by strengthening the lockout position.

Dumbbell Skull Crushers

I’ve already mentioned Dumbbell Skull Crushers a few times so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see it here as an alternative exercise.

With a slight tweak in the movement pattern, you can turn a Tate Press into a Dumbbell Skull Crusher pretty quickly.