Devil Press
How to Do a Devil Press With Proper Form
Place two stable dumbbells on the floor around shoulder width with clear space around you.
Grip the dumbbells and step or jump the feet back into a strong plank.
Complete the burpee depth used in your workout while keeping the dumbbells stable.
Bring the feet forward into a wide, balanced hip-hinge stance.
Brace the trunk and use explosive hip and leg drive to accelerate the dumbbells upward.
Guide the dumbbells close to the body and finish with controlled overhead lockout.
Lower the weights under control and reset before repeating.
Form Check & Technique
DO THIS (Technique Tips)
- Start lighter than for standalone dumbbell snatches.
- Stabilize the plank before moving the feet.
- Land wide enough to hinge well.
- Drive with hips and legs.
- Keep dumbbells close.
- Lock out with a braced trunk.
- Take short resets when fatigue changes technique.
AVOID THIS (Common Mistakes)
- Dumbbells rolling during the burpee — use stable dumbbells and centered hand pressure.
- Rounding the back during pickup — land the feet in a usable hinge stance and brace.
- Pressing entirely with the arms — create most of the upward momentum with the hips and legs.
- Casting the dumbbells away — keep the weights close to the body.
- Overarching at lockout — finish with ribs controlled.
- Rushing while technique breaks down — reduce pace, reps or load.
- Using conditioning weight that is too heavy — choose a load you can control for the entire interval.
About Devil Press
The devil press is a full-body conditioning exercise that combines a dumbbell burpee with an explosive ground-to-overhead movement. Most versions use two dumbbells: you move from the floor into a burpee or push-up position, bring the feet forward into a strong hinge, then use the hips and legs to drive the dumbbells overhead.
Devil Press Muscles Worked
The burpee portion trains the chest, triceps, shoulders, quadriceps and core.
- The ground-to-overhead phase uses the glutes and hamstrings for hip extension, the quads for leg drive, and the shoulders and upper back to stabilize overhead.
Sets & Reps Guidance
Technique / Learning
Technique: 2–4 sets of 3–5 light reps or a single-arm / step-back version.
Strength Focus
Power: 4–6 sets of 3–5 reps with full recovery.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
Conditioning: 3–5 rounds of 6–12 controlled reps with lighter dumbbells.
General training baseline. Need.fit automatically adjusts exact sets, reps, and working weight based on your individual fitness level, recovery, and progress over time.
Exercise Variations & Alternatives
Burpee
Bodyweight foundation without external loading.
Kettlebell Snatch
Single-implement ballistic hinge to overhead.
dumbbell-snatch
Thruster
Front squat into overhead press for conditioning.
Barbell Back Squat
Learn barbell back squat form, muscles worked, rack setup, stance, bracing, squat depth, common mistakes, variations, and practical sets and reps.
Goblet Squat
Learn proper goblet squat form, muscles worked, dumbbell or kettlebell setup, stance and depth cues, common mistakes, variations, and sets and reps.
Devil Press Benefits
It combines strength, power and conditioning in one movement and is useful when training time or equipment is limited.
Devil Press vs Burpee
A standard burpee is bodyweight and usually finishes by standing or jumping. The devil press adds dumbbells and continues into a loaded overhead action, increasing strength and coordination demands.
Devil Press vs Dumbbell Snatch
A dumbbell snatch is mainly an explosive ground-to-overhead lift. The devil press adds a burpee before the overhead phase, making it more metabolically demanding and less suitable for maximal loading.
How to Scale the Devil Press
Use step-backs instead of jumps, reduce burpee depth, use one dumbbell, or replace the snatch-style finish with a clean-to-press while learning.
How to Progress the Devil Press
Beginners should start with light dumbbells and low-rep sets. Progress only when the floor transition, hinge and overhead finish remain consistent.
How to Program Devil Press
Use small sets for power and moderate sets or timed circuits for conditioning. Longer rest is appropriate when the goal is explosive quality rather than fatigue.
Do You Need a Push-Up in a Devil Press?
Standards vary by gym and workout.
- Some require chest-to-floor contact while others use a high-plank burpee.
- Choose one standard before the set and keep it consistent.
Sources & References
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