The devil press may sound intimidating, but it’s just a burpee with a dumbbell snatch thrown in—sounds simple, right? Don’t let that fool you, though. This move packs a punch, hitting everything from your shoulders to your glutes while testing your endurance. Whether you’re new to lifting or pushing for a personal best, nailing the technique is key to avoiding injury and getting the most out of every rep. Ready to break it down and build serious strength? Let’s get started.
What Is the Devil Press Exercise
The Devil Press is a total-body burner that mixes a burpee with a dumbbell snatch, turning your workout into a power-packed challenge.
You’ll start with a burpee, then explode up with a dumbbell snatch, driving through your hips to lift the weight overhead.
It’s a killer combo for total-body strength, hitting your shoulders, core, and glutes while building muscle endurance.
The explosive hip movement keeps it dynamic, and since it’s functional training, you’ll feel the carryover to real-life strength.
Just keep your spine neutral and focus on smooth changes—this move demands control as much as power.
Key Muscles Targeted by the Devil Press
- Lower Body: The hip hinge motion torches your glutes, hamstrings, and quads for explosive power.
- Upper Body: Your shoulders, chest, and triceps drive the dumbbells overhead, turning this into a full-body workout.
- Core Muscles: Your abs and obliques stabilize every move, keeping you tight from the push-up to the snatch.
You’ll feel it everywhere—because everything’s in play.
Step-by-Step Guide to Performing the Devil Press
Mastering the devil press starts with nailing the setup—stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, two dumbbells just outside them, and brace your core like you’re bracing for impact.
Drop into a burpee, hands on the dumbbells, then jump or step back into a plank. Lower your chest between the weights, push up, and jump your feet forward.
Now, hip hinge to swing the dumbbells back, then explode up, driving through your hips to lift them overhead. Keep your core tight for stability and control the descent.
The key? Use momentum wisely for a smooth, full-body movement.
Benefits of Incorporating the Devil Press Into Your Routine
Adding the Devil Press to your routine gives you a full-body strength boost by working your legs, shoulders, and core all at once.
It also ramps up your cardiovascular endurance, pushing your heart and lungs to work harder while burning calories fast.
Plus, you’ll notice smoother, more efficient movement patterns in everyday activities or sports as your coordination improves.
Full-Body Strength Boost
Because it combines a burpee and a dumbbell snatch, the Devil Press fires up nearly every major muscle group—chest, back, shoulders, core, glutes, and legs—giving you a serious full-body strength boost in one explosive move.
Here’s how it ramps up your power and muscular conditioning:
- Total-Body Engagement: From pressing the dumbbells overhead to driving through your legs, you’re hitting multiple muscles at once, building functional strength.
- Explosive Power: The snatch portion trains your hips and glutes to generate force, translating to better athletic performance.
- Core Stability: The movement demands tight control, strengthening your core for everyday fitness and beyond.
Enhanced Cardiovascular Endurance
The Devil Press doesn’t just build strength—it also rockets your cardiovascular endurance to new levels.
By combining explosive power with relentless motion, it pushes both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, boosting stamina and resilience.
Your heart rate surges, improving efficiency over time. The high-intensity effort ramps up calorie burn and post-exercise oxygen consumption, keeping your metabolism firing long after you finish.
Plus, the dynamic nature of the movement builds muscular endurance, so you can sustain effort in any strength and conditioning routine.
Whether you’re chasing endurance or efficiency, the Devil Press delivers, making every rep count toward a fitter, tougher you.
Improved Functional Movement Patterns
Mastering the Devil Press doesn’t just boost your heart health—it also sharpens the way your body moves in real life.
This exercise improves functional movement by blending strength, endurance, and coordination into one powerful motion.
Here’s how it helps:
- Better Coordination: The Devil Press combines a burpee and dumbbell snatch, teaching your muscles to work together smoothly for everyday tasks.
- Stronger Hinge Mechanics: It reinforces hip movement, essential for lifting, jumping, or even picking up groceries.
- Enhanced Stability: Engaging your core and major muscle groups builds balance, reducing injury risk and improving overall movement efficiency.
Common Form Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
You may not realize poor dumbbell placement throws off your balance, making the movement harder and riskier.
Without strong hip engagement, you’re missing the power that drives the exercise, forcing your arms to work overtime.
A weak core also sets you up for shaky form, so focus on bracing your midsection to stay stable.
Poor Dumbbell Placement
- Align just outside your feet: Keeps your neutral spine stable during the burpee phase and prevents chest collisions.
- Avoid wide grips: Strains your shoulders and weakens your explosive hip drive.
- Check before each rep: Guarantees proper hip engagement and keeps the movement smooth for CrossFit or any workout.
Stay mindful, stay safe.
Limited Hip Engagement
As your hips don’t fire properly during the Devil Press, you might notice your arms doing all the work—leaving you exhausted faster and risking shoulder or back strain. Limited hip engagement robs you of explosive power and forces your upper body to compensate. Instead, focus on driving through your glutes and hamstrings in a swift hip hinge to generate power. Keep your core position tight to avoid strain on the lower back and maintain ideal leverage.
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Weak hip snap | Practice explosive hip drives |
| Dropping dumbbells low | Swing above knees for better leverage |
| Rushing the movement | Slow down to perfect the hip hinge |
Weak Core Stability
Weak core stability turns the Devil Press into a battle against your own body instead of a powerful full-body movement.
Without proper core engagement, you’ll lose balance, risk lower back pain, and miss out on explosive power.
Here’s how to fix it:
- Brace your core like you’re bracing for a punch—tighten your abs before lifting the dumbbells to protect your spine and improve muscle recruitment.
- Control the descent—don’t let gravity do the work. Lower with purpose to maintain technique and avoid rounding your back.
- Practice planks—build core strength separately to master the full-body power move.
Importance of Hip Engagement for Optimal Performance
At the moment you nail hip engagement in the Devil Press, you’re not just moving weight—you’re releasing power that makes the whole exercise smoother and safer. Your hips act like springs, driving explosive power from your glutes and hamstrings while protecting your lower back. Proper technique here means better muscle fiber recruitment across your posterior chain, turning a brute-force move into a fluid, efficient motion. Mobility drills help, too—looser hips mean cleaner shifts.
| Focus Area | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Hip Drive | Generates explosive power for the snatch |
| Glutes & Hamstrings | Takes pressure off your lower back |
| Mobility | Guarantees smooth, safe shifts |
| Technique | Maximizes muscle fiber recruitment |
| Posterior Chain | Links power from hips to shoulders |
Breathing Techniques for Enhanced Execution
Master your Devil Press by timing your breaths with each movement—inhale as you lower into the burpee and exhale sharply during the explosive snatch.
Keep your breathing steady and rhythmic to avoid gasping or losing control mid-set. This simple technique helps you stay strong and focused, making every rep smoother and more powerful.
Inhale During Descent
At the moment you’re lowering into a Devil Press, taking a deep inhale through your nose isn’t just about catching your breath—it’s a transformative factor for your form and power.
Here’s why:
- Stabilizes Your Core: A proper inhale during descent tightens your midsection, creating a solid base for explosive movement.
- Boosts Performance: Rhythmic breathing maintains endurance, so you stay strong rep after rep.
- Enhances Control: It keeps your alignment sharp, reducing injury risk while maximizing power.
Sync your breath with your motion—inhale as you drop, and you’ll feel the difference in every lift.
Exhale on Explosive Lift
As you launch into the explosive lift of a Devil Press, exhaling sharply isn’t just a reflex—it’s your secret weapon for better performance.
Whenever you exhale as you drive the dumbbells overhead, you engage your core strength, locking in proper posture and boosting force production. This breathing technique stabilizes your torso, making the movement smoother and more powerful.
It also helps you handle high-repetition sets by managing fatigue. Consider your breath as fuel—timing it right guarantees athletic efficiency and smooth shifts.
Practice exhaling with purpose, and you’ll feel the difference in control and power every rep.
Maintain Rhythmic Breathing Pattern
Ever marvel why some people make the Devil Press look effortless? It’s all about rhythmic breathing. Mastering this keeps your core engaged, boosts stamina, and powers your explosive movement.
Here’s how to nail it:
- Inhale deep during the burpee phase—fill your lungs to stabilize your core for the next move.
- Exhale hard as you lift the dumbbells overhead, fueling the explosive movement with controlled breathing.
- Sync your breath with your reps—inhale for 2 seconds, exhale for 2—to maintain proper form and avoid gassing out.
Rhythmic breathing turns chaos into control.
Choosing the Right Weight for Your Fitness Level
Choosing the right weight for the Devil Press depends on your current strength and experience. Start with 50-60% of your body weight to keep proper form.
Beginners should grab 5-15 pound dumbbells to master the move initially. Should you be into strength training, try 20-35 pounds per dumbbell, matching your personal strength levels.
Pick a weight that lets you do 8-12 smooth repetitions—no struggling! Reassessment every few weeks tells you at what point to safely increase weights by 5-10%.
Push yourself, but don’t sacrifice control. The right weight builds power without wrecking your technique—listen to your body and progress smartly.
Variations to Customize Your Training
To switch up your Devil Press routine, try different variations that keep workouts fresh while targeting specific fitness goals.
- Single-arm Devil Press: Focus on one side at a time to correct muscle imbalances and boost strength development.
- Alternating arms: Build coordination and endurance by switching sides each rep, keeping your core engaged.
- Tempo variations: Slow down the movement to increase time under tension or use lighter weights for higher reps.
Adding a dynamic element like the Devil Clean and Jerk can also challenge your power and control.
Mix these to keep progress steady and fun.
Who Can Benefit Most From the Devil Press
The Devil Press isn’t just for elite athletes—it’s a powerhouse move that can level up almost anyone’s fitness game. Should you be into CrossFit or high-intensity training, you’ll love how it blends strength and conditioning.
Casual lifters benefit too, thanks to its full-body engagement, boosting cardiovascular fitness while building explosive power. MMA fighters use it to sharpen coordination and endurance.
In case fat loss is your goal, the Devil Press torches calories through metabolic conditioning. Even with minimal equipment, it hits multiple muscle groups, making it perfect for home workouts.
No matter your fitness level, this move delivers results.
Conclusion
Feel your muscles ignite as you nail each devil press—exploding up from the floor like a spring uncoiling, the dumbbells floating overhead just long enough for you to catch your breath. Your heart hammers, your arms shake, but damn, you’re strong. Stick with it, and soon you’ll move smoother, lift heavier, and own this full-body beast. Now drop those weights and grin—you just conquered the devil.
