The devil press is CrossFit’s unholy spawn of a burpee and a dumbbell snatch. It’s brutal, it’s effective, and if you’ve ever seen it written on the whiteboard, you know that feeling of immediate dread.
But here’s the thing: the devil press works. It builds full-body strength, explosive power, cardiovascular capacity, and mental toughness in one movement. No other exercise combines strength and conditioning quite like this.
What Is the Devil Press?
The devil press is a compound movement that merges a dumbbell burpee with a double dumbbell snatch into one continuous rep. You start standing, drop to the ground with dumbbells in hand, perform a burpee, then explosively drive the dumbbells from the floor to overhead in one fluid motion.
The movement breakdown:
- Start standing with two dumbbells on the floor
- Drop into burpee position (hands on dumbbells)
- Chest and thighs touch the floor
- Push back up to standing
- Hinge at hips and swing dumbbells between legs
- Explosively extend hips to drive dumbbells overhead
- Lock out arms fully overhead
- Return dumbbells to floor and repeat
Critical detail: The dumbbells go straight from the floor to overhead without stopping at the shoulders. This separates a devil press from a devil clean and jerk.
Why the Devil Press Is So Effective
Full-body engagement: Every major muscle group works during a single rep. Legs drive you out of the burpee. Your posterior chain powers the hip hinge. Shoulders, traps, and arms guide the dumbbells overhead. Your core stabilizes everything.
Cardiovascular demand: The combination of ground-to-overhead work with minimal rest spikes your heart rate immediately. A set of 10 devil presses will have you gasping faster than almost any other movement.
Explosive power development: The snatch portion requires rapid force production. You’re training your body to generate maximum power in minimal time, which transfers to Olympic lifts, sprinting, jumping, and athletic movement.
Time efficiency: One devil press works more muscles and energy systems than doing burpees, deadlifts, and overhead presses separately.
Metabolic conditioning: High-rep devil press workouts create massive metabolic stress, burning calories during the workout and for hours afterward.
Muscles Worked
The devil press is as close to total-body as you can get with dumbbells.
Lower body: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
Upper body: Shoulders, traps, triceps, chest, biceps, upper back
Core: Abs, obliques, lower back
No muscle escapes. This is why 10 reps feel like 50.
How to Perform the Devil Press
Equipment: Two hex dumbbells of equal weight
Setup:
- Place dumbbells on floor shoulder-width apart
- Stand behind them, feet hip-width apart
Execution:
Phase 1: The Burpee
- Squat down and grip both dumbbells (palms facing each other)
- Jump or step feet back into plank, hands on dumbbells
- Lower chest, thighs, and hips to floor
- Push back up to plank
- Jump or step feet forward outside dumbbells
Phase 2: The Snatch
6. Hinge at hips and swing dumbbells slightly between legs (like kettlebell swing)
7. Explosively extend hips and knees
8. Use momentum to guide dumbbells overhead (don’t muscle them up)
9. Keep elbows close to body as dumbbells travel upward
10. Turn wrists over and punch dumbbells to full lockout overhead
11. Finish standing tall, arms fully extended
Phase 3: The Return
12. Lower dumbbells to floor in one controlled motion
13. Immediately begin next rep
The entire movement should be one continuous flow. No pausing at shoulders, no resting between reps.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Stopping at the Shoulders
Catching dumbbells at shoulder height, pausing, then pressing overhead turns this into a devil clean and press (different exercise).
Fix: Use more hip drive. The momentum from your hips should carry the dumbbells most of the way overhead.
Swinging Dumbbells Away from Body
If dumbbells drift forward during the snatch, you’re wasting energy and risking shoulder injury.
Fix: Keep elbows tight to your body as dumbbells travel upward. Pull them straight up along your centerline.
Poor Hip Hinge
Squatting the dumbbells up instead of hinging fatigues your legs too quickly and reduces power.
Fix: Practice kettlebell swings. The hip hinge pattern is identical. Drive through heels, extend hips explosively.
Not Lowering Chest to Floor
Half-assing the burpee portion saves energy short-term but defeats the purpose.
Fix: Full chest and thighs to floor every rep. If too difficult, scale to a box or use lighter dumbbells.
Using Too Much Weight
Ego lifting with devil presses is a fast track to injury.
Fix: Start light. Master the pattern with 15-25 lb dumbbells before progressing. You should be able to complete at least 10 reps with good form.
Not Using Hex Dumbbells
Round dumbbells roll. When you’re in plank position with hands on dumbbells, a roll can tweak your shoulder.
Fix: Always use hex dumbbells (flat sides). This is non-negotiable.
Devil Press Variations
Single-Arm Devil Press
Perform the entire movement with one dumbbell, switching arms each rep or completing all reps on one side first.
Why it’s harder: Unilateral work creates greater core stability demands. Research shows unilateral training improves balance, coordination, and addresses left-right imbalances.
When to use it: Challenge core stability, work on imbalances, or when you don’t have matching dumbbells.
Devil Clean and Jerk
Instead of snatching dumbbells straight overhead, clean them to shoulders, pause, then jerk overhead.
Why it’s different: The pause at shoulders allows brief recovery and lets you lift heavier. More strength focus, slightly less conditioning.
When to use it: Focusing on strength or when prescribed in a workout.
How to Progress to the Devil Press
Step 1: Master the Burpee
Full chest to floor, explosive drive to standing. Practice 3 sets of 10 burpees.
Step 2: Practice Dumbbell Swings
The hip hinge and swing pattern is critical. Practice 3 sets of 15 two-handed dumbbell swings.
Step 3: Learn the Dumbbell Snatch
Start with one dumbbell. Practice 3 sets of 8 per arm, then progress to double-dumbbell snatches.
Step 4: Combine Burpee + Deadlift
Practice 3 sets of 5 burpees into sumo deadlifts with dumbbells.
Step 5: Full Devil Press with Light Weight
Put all pieces together with 10-15 lb dumbbells. Practice 5 sets of 3-5 reps.
Step 6: Increase Volume and Intensity
Gradually add weight and reps as form improves.
Devil Press Workouts
Workout 1: Beginner Devil Press EMOM
EMOM 10 Minutes:
- 5 Devil Presses (15/10 lb)
Goal: Finish under 30 seconds, rest remainder
Workout 2: Chipper
For Time:
- 50-30-10 Devil Presses (25/15 lb)
- 40-20 Air Squats (between rounds)
Time cap: 20 minutes
Workout 3: Devil Press Ladder
5 Rounds for Time:
- 10 Devil Presses (35/25 lb)
- 200m Run
Goal: Sub-15 minutes
Workout 4: Death by Devil Press
Minute 1: 1 Devil Press Minute 2: 2 Devil Presses Minute 3: 3 Devil Presses
Continue adding 1 rep per minute until you can’t complete reps within the minute.
Workout 5: Descending Pyramid
For Time:
- 21-15-9 reps of:
- Devil Presses (40/30 lb)
- Pull-Ups
Goal: Sub-10 minutes
Devil Press Alternatives
Burpees: Same cardiovascular stimulus, removes weight and overhead component.
Kettlebell Swings + Burpees: Perform both separately. Example: 10 burpees + 10 KB swings = 1 round.
Burpee Box Jumps: Maintains burpee with explosive lower body power, removes upper body demands.
Dumbbell Thrusters: Similar full-body demands with less technical complexity.
Programming the Devil Press
For conditioning: Use lighter weights (20-35 lbs for men, 10-25 lbs for women) with higher reps (10-20+ per set).
For strength-endurance: Use moderate weights (40-50 lbs for men, 25-35 lbs for women) with moderate reps (5-10 per set).
In metcons: Devil presses work well in 8-15 minute AMRAPs or 3-5 round chippers. Pair with running, rowing, or other cardio to manage shoulder fatigue.
Frequency: 1-2 times per week max. Devil presses are taxing.
Who Should Do Devil Presses?
Best for:
- CrossFit athletes
- Functional fitness enthusiasts
- Hybrid athletes (Hyrox, DEKA, etc.)
- Intermediate to advanced trainees
Not recommended for:
- Complete beginners (master burpees and basic strength first)
- Those with shoulder injuries or instability
- Anyone unable to perform burpees or overhead pressing safely
The Bottom Line
The devil press earned its name. It’s hard, it’s humbling, and it will expose every weakness in your conditioning and movement quality.
But it’s also one of the most effective full-body exercises you can program. It builds strength, power, cardiovascular capacity, and mental toughness faster than almost any other single movement.
Start light. Focus on technique. Build volume gradually.
Want structured dumbbell programming that makes the devil press a staple movement alongside other dumbbell-specific exercises? The Functional Dumbbell Program is built around movements that can only be done efficiently with dumbbells (like devil presses, dumbbell snatches, and dumbbell complexes), giving you complete full-body training with minimal equipment. Perfect for home gyms or anyone who wants to master dumbbell-based conditioning and strength work.
