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Devil Press

The devil press marries a burpee to a double-dumbbell snatch, making it one of the most demanding full-body conditioning movements you can program. You drop to the floor, press up, then hinge and hip-snap both dumbbells overhead, so the whole posterior chain and the shoulders fire on every rep. It is savage on the lungs; keep the loads moderate and treat the overhead lockout as a hip-driven swing, not an arm curl.

Equipment
Dumbbell
Body part
Glutes, Shoulder
Type
Cardio, Functional
Browse by movement
Hinge, Horizontal Press, Squat
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Anterior, Gluteus Maximus, Rectus Femoris
Secondary
Deltoid Middle, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Vastus Lateralis, Erector Spinae, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Triceps Brachii Long Head
Tertiary
Upper Rectus Abdominals, Lower Rectus Abdominals, Trapezius Upper, Gastrocnemius Medial Head

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand over two dumbbells set on the floor about shoulder-width apart, one hand on each handle.

  2. 2

    Jump or step your feet back and lower your chest to the floor between the bells for a push-up.

  3. 3

    Press up and jump the feet back toward your hands so you are hinged over the dumbbells.

  4. 4

    Keep the arms long and swing both dumbbells back between the legs to load the hips.

  5. 5

    Snap the hips forward and let the momentum carry both bells in an arc straight to overhead.

  6. 6

    Lock out overhead with the arms by your ears, then lower under control and reset for the next rep.

Tips

  • Let the hip snap throw the dumbbells overhead; bending the elbows to muscle them up wastes energy and stalls your pace.
  • Keep the dumbbells close to the body on the way up so they travel in a tight arc rather than swinging out front.
  • Use hex dumbbells that sit flat on the floor so your hands stay stable during the push-up.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The hips stay stuck in a half-hinge instead of fully extending at the top, so the arms end up finishing the lift that the hips were supposed to power.
  • The lockout arrives with soft, bent elbows instead of the arms fully locked by the ears, loading the shoulder joint in an unsupported position rep after rep.
  • The chest sags toward the floor on the push-up once fatigue sets in, turning a full-body movement into a low-back strain waiting to happen.
  • Landing the feet unevenly during the jump-to-standing transition throws the next rep off balance before the dumbbells even leave the floor.
  • Chasing an unbroken set past the point where the overhead lockout gets sloppy trades a few extra reps for a joint that is no longer protected.

Frequently asked

What is a good starting dose for the devil press?
A sensible start is 3 rounds of 5 reps with a light pair of dumbbells and a minute or two of rest, since a clean overhead lockout matters far more here than speed. The prerequisite worth having first is a solid bodyweight burpee and a confident single-arm dumbbell snatch on each side.
What can I use instead of two dumbbells for the devil press?
A single dumbbell or kettlebell, alternating which hand loads the snatch each rep, keeps the same burpee-to-overhead pattern with less grip and coordination demand. With no weight at all, a burpee finished with a broad jump trains a similar full-body power output.
What is the devil press good for, and when is it a poor choice?
It is a brutal full-body conditioning tool that pairs a burpee with an explosive hip-driven overhead throw, popular in competitive and interval-style training. It is a poor choice for anyone new to the dumbbell snatch pattern or with shoulder impingement, since fatigue is exactly when the overhead lockout gets sloppy and the joint loses support.

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