Tate Press
Trains the Triceps.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your feet.
- Press both up over your chest and turn them so the inner ends point toward each other.
- Keep the upper arms roughly vertical and the elbows pointing out.
- Bend the elbows to lower the dumbbells toward the middle of your chest, letting them travel inward.
- Stop when the dumbbells touch your chest or come close to it.
- Press back up by straightening the elbows, keeping the upper arms where they are.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a press. The upper arms stay put and only the forearms move; if the shoulders are pressing, this has become a close-grip dumbbell press.
- Choosing a heavy pair. The path is unusual and the elbows are out, which is a weak position — the weight is much lighter than any pressing movement.
- Letting the dumbbells drop onto the chest. The bottom is where the elbow is most bent and the triceps longest, and dropping into it is not a rest.
- Expecting it to feel like a skull crusher. The elbows point out rather than forward, which is what makes it a different exercise and what makes some elbows prefer it.