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Exercise library · Full body

Devil press

Explosive lift for the whole body with dumbbells.

How to do it

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Set the dumbbells on the floor

  1. Starting position

    Stand shoulder-width with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms by your sides.

  2. The movement

    Set the dumbbells down, jump back, lower your chest and push back up, jump in and swing the dumbbells in one motion from the floor to straight overhead.

Most common mistake

Don't round your back as the dumbbells leave the floor, hinge at your hips and drive them up with your hips and legs.

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Muscle group
Full body
Equipment
Dumbbells
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The devil press is a burpee with dumbbells that finishes with a swing to overhead. On the floor, your chest, front shoulders and triceps do the work while your trunk stays straight. In the swing, your glutes and hamstrings take over, since it is the hip extension that sends the dumbbells up. Your shoulders and traps guide them on their way, and your triceps lock your arms out at the top. Your grip works throughout. Your heart rate climbs fast, so the exercise is as much conditioning as strength.

Common mistakes

  • Pressing the dumbbells up with your shoulders. The power should come from your hips, with your arms only guiding. If you have to press out the last part, the dumbbells are too heavy for the day.
  • Landing with your feet behind the dumbbells. Jump in so your feet land either side of them. They can then swing back between your legs before going up, instead of being lifted straight out in front of you.
  • Dropping the dumbbells from overhead. Lower them in a controlled arc with your knees bent and set them on the floor, so the next rep starts from a stable position.

Variations and alternatives

  • Burpees when you want to practise the floor part without weights.
  • The dumbbell swing teaches the hip drive with one dumbbell, without the floor part.
  • The man maker is a longer dumbbell complex, often with rows and a press, for when you want more strength work for your upper body.

Sets and reps

Keep the dumbbells light to moderate and the reps few, as technique falls apart once you are out of breath. Common choices are 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps, or 4 to 6 reps at the start of every minute for 8 to 12 minutes. The guide to sets and reps explains how the set-up shapes what you train.

Pick dumbbells you can manage 10 reps with before you start pressing. Then add reps per minute or more minutes before going heavier, one change at a time. That is progressive overload, even in a conditioning workout. If your back, shoulders or wrists hurt, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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