How to Devil Press: Form, Muscles Worked and Mistakes

Muscles worked

What the devil press trains

Front

Back

Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.

Before the first rep

How to set up

01
Pick light dumbbells. Start lighter than you think. The weight travels from the floor to overhead on every rep, and the set is usually long. Hex dumbbells are best because their flat sides do not roll under your hands.
02
Place the dumbbells. Set them on the floor about shoulder width apart with the handles pointing forward, so your hands land on them like push-up handles.
03
Stand behind them. Stand just behind the dumbbells with your feet about hip to shoulder width apart and a clear space behind you for the plank.
04
Grip the handles. Hinge or squat down and grab each handle in the middle, wrists straight and stacked over the handles.

Step by step

How to do the devil press

01
Down to the floor. Holding the handles, jump or step your feet back into a plank, then lower your chest and hips to the floor between the dumbbells. Keep your grip on the handles.
02
Up and in. Push back up to a plank and jump your feet forward so they land flat, a little wider than the dumbbells, with your hips high, back flat and arms long.
03
Hinge and swing back. Push your hips back and let the dumbbells swing a short way back between your legs, keeping your back flat and your chest over the weights.
04
Drive the hips. Stand up hard by snapping your hips and knees straight. Let that drive, not your arms, send the dumbbells forward and up, close in front of your body.
05
Punch to lockout. As the dumbbells pass your chest, turn your elbows under and punch them up to straight arms overhead, biceps by your ears, standing tall with hips and knees locked.
06
Lower in stages. Bring the dumbbells down to your shoulders, then to your hips, then hinge and set them on the floor in place for the next rep.

Cues to say in your head

Chest to the floor
Feet land flat
Flat back, hips back
Snap the hips
Keep the dumbbells close
Punch to lockout
Lower in stages

Fix these first

Common mistakes

Lifting with the arms
The arms only guide the dumbbells. Drive with your hips and legs, and if you still have to curl or front raise them up, go lighter.
Rounding your back over the dumbbells
Land with your feet a little wider than the dumbbells, push your hips back and keep your chest up. Keep the swing between your legs short.
Dumbbells swinging out in a wide arc
Keep them close to your body on the way up, elbows high and outside, then turn under and punch. A wide arc pulls you forward and strains your shoulders.
Soft or bent arm finish
Finish every rep with straight arms, biceps by your ears and hips fully open, and pause there for a moment before you lower.
Letting the dumbbells crash down
Lower them in stages, overhead to shoulders to hips to floor. Dropping them straight from overhead jars your shoulders and back.
Hips sagging in the plank
Brace your abs before your feet go back and keep your wrists stacked over the handles. If your lower back still dips, step your feet back instead of jumping.

Stay safe

Use light dumbbells while you learn the move, hex dumbbells that will not roll, and enough clear space that a swinging dumbbell cannot hit anything. If a rep stalls on the way up, let the dumbbells come back down in front of you along the same path and set them on the floor; do not try to muscle a stuck rep overhead with bent arms, and never throw or drop dumbbells from overhead. Fatigue shows up as a rounded back in the hinge or a sagging plank, so rest or step your feet back and forward when that starts. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in your back, shoulders, wrists or knees, or if you get dizzy, short of breath beyond normal hard effort, or have chest pain, and check with a doctor before hard intervals if you have a heart or blood pressure condition.

Programming

Sets, reps and how much weight

Goal	Sets	Reps	Load	Rest
Technique	3 to 4	5 to 6	40–50% 1RM	1 to 2 min
Conditioning	5 to 10	6 to 10	50–65% 1RM	45 to 90 s
Endurance	2 to 3	12 to 20	40–55% 1RM	1.5 to 2 min

Plan your next session

Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.

Recent setlbReps

Estimated 1RM 216 lb

Conditioning sets

108–140lb

5 to 10 sets of 6 to 10 reps, 45 to 90 s rest. Intervals or reps every minute on the minute. Hold one steady pace from the first round to the last.

Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.

Keep training

Variations and alternatives

Variations

Man MakerStarts in a push-up position on the dumbbells and adds a push-up and a row with each arm, then cleans the dumbbells to your shoulders and squats into a press. Pick it for a slower, more strength based complex, usually with lighter dumbbells.
Dumbbell SnatchThe overhead half of the devil press with one dumbbell. Use it to practice the hip drive and the punch to lockout before linking it to the burpee.

Alternatives

BurpeeThe same floor to standing pattern with no weights. Use it when you have no dumbbells or want to lower the load.
Dumbbell ThrusterAnother dumbbell full body move, with a squat and press from the shoulders instead of a hinge and swing from the floor.
Kettlebell SwingTrains the same hard hip snap with less shoulder work and no trip to the floor.
Wall BallA squat and throw to a target that keeps the heart rate high with less technique to learn.
Ball SlamAn overhead to floor conditioning move that is simple to learn and easy on the wrists.

Pairs well with

Pull-UpThe devil press is all hinge and push. Pull-ups add the vertical pulling it leaves out and give your legs a rest between rounds.
Rowing MachineA low impact cardio piece to alternate with devil presses in a longer conditioning workout.
Farmer's CarryBuilds the grip and trunk strength that keeps the dumbbells steady, and it is simple to do when you are tired.
Air BikeKeeps the heart rate high between sets with no impact and no load on your shoulders.

Questions

Devil Press questions

What muscles does the devil press work?

Mainly your glutes and hamstrings, which drive the dumbbells up, and your front shoulders, which take them to lockout. Your quads, traps, triceps and chest help, and your abs and lower back hold your trunk steady through the hinge and the plank.

What is the difference between a devil press and a man maker?

The devil press is a chest to floor burpee on the dumbbells followed by one swing from the floor to overhead. The man maker starts in a push-up position on the dumbbells, adds a push-up and a row with each arm, then cleans the dumbbells to your shoulders and squats into a press. The devil press is faster and more explosive; the man maker is slower and adds upper back and leg work.

What weight should I use for devil presses?

Start light, because the dumbbells travel from the floor to overhead on every rep. Pick a pair you can take overhead for about 10 clean reps when fresh, and go lighter for long sets or workouts with many rounds.

Should the dumbbells swing between my legs?

Usually yes: a short swing back between your legs loads your hips before the drive. Keep it short with a flat back. Starting straight from the floor is fine too, as long as your hips, not your arms, lift the weight.

Is the devil press good for beginners?

It is an intermediate move. Get comfortable with the burpee, the kettlebell swing or a dumbbell hinge, and an overhead press first, then put them together with light dumbbells.

How many devil presses should I do?

Start with 3 or 4 sets of 5 or 6 light, clean reps. For conditioning, most people use intervals of 6 to 10 reps for 5 to 10 rounds, and add reps or rounds slowly over a few weeks.