BIP.

Exercise library · Full body

Man maker

Explosive lift for the whole body with dumbbells.

How to do it

1 of 5

Set the dumbbells on the floor

  1. Starting position

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

  2. The movement

    Set the dumbbells down, jump back to a plank with your feet wide, do a push-up, row each dumbbell, jump in, clean them to your shoulders and press overhead.

Most common mistake

Don't twist your hips as you row, and keep your back straight as you lift the dumbbells off the floor.

Watch the video larger →

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

Muscles worked

The man maker packs several exercises into one rep, so nearly your whole body works. Your chest, the front of your shoulders and your triceps do the push-up. Your lats and upper back row the dumbbells while your trunk stops you twisting on one hand. Your legs and glutes handle the jumps and drive the clean, and your shoulders and triceps finish with the press. Each rep is long, so the exercise is as much conditioning as strength. The weakest link, usually the press or the row, sets the weight.

Common mistakes

  • The dumbbells roll in the plank. Round dumbbells can tip under your weight and bend your wrist. Use hexagonal dumbbells placed directly under your shoulders, with the handles parallel to your body.
  • You curl the dumbbells up. The clean should come from your hips, not your biceps. Bend your knees, drive your hips forward explosively and let the dumbbells float up to your shoulders.
  • Your hips sag in the push-up. When you tire, your middle drops and your lower back takes over. Brace your abs and glutes as in a plank, and do the push-up on your knees if you need to.

Variations and alternatives

  • The renegade row is the plank row on its own, the part that is usually hardest to keep still.
  • The devil press has fewer parts and swings the dumbbells overhead in one go, for when you want a higher pace.
  • Burpees give the same down-and-up movement without weights, a good first step before the dumbbells.

Sets and reps

As every rep contains several exercises, a few go a long way. 3 to 5 sets of 4 to 8 reps with light dumbbells and two minutes' rest is common, or a few reps at the start of every minute for 8 to 12 minutes. Pick a weight you can handle in every part, not just the easiest one. You will find more on planning your sets in the guide to sets and reps.

Add reps before heavier dumbbells, and keep your row and press tidy to the last rep. That is how progressive overload works when fatigue comes from every direction. If your wrists or shoulders are painful, not merely tired, stop and let a doctor or physiotherapist take a look.

Swap for

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

Want it in a programme?

Tell BIP your goal and your equipment, and BIP builds a week with sets, reps and rest worked out. You log your weights as you train and watch yourself get stronger. The first week is free.

Create a programme →