MovementsConditioning
Man-Maker
Also known as: Dumbbell Man-Maker
A burpee with dumbbells that adds a row on each arm before standing up and pressing overhead. It is four movements stacked into one rep, and the name is not an exaggeration.
Man-MakerConditioning
The standard
A valid rep includes a push-up with the hands on the dumbbells, a row with each arm, and a finish with both dumbbells locked out overhead with the hips and knees extended.
How to do it
- 01Start standing with a dumbbell in each hand, then place them on the floor and step or jump back to a plank.
- 02Perform a push-up with the hands on the handles.
- 03Row one dumbbell to the ribs, replace it, then row the other.
- 04Jump or step the feet in and clean both dumbbells to the shoulders.
- 05Press or push-press them overhead to full lockout, then lower and repeat.
Common faults
- · Hips twisting wildly during the rows because the feet are too close together.
- · Skipping the push-up or cutting its depth once fatigue sets in.
- · Rowing with a rounded back rather than holding the plank.
- · Going too heavy so the overhead finish becomes a grind on every rep.
Scaling & progressions
- · Drop the load: the sequence is the stimulus, not the weight.
- · Step the feet rather than jumping at both ends.
- · Widen the feet in the plank so the rows do not tip you over.
- · Remove the push-up or the rows and build the full sequence over time.
Coaching tips
- · Count on this being the boss fight of any workout it appears in and pace accordingly.
- · A wide foot position in the plank makes the rows dramatically more stable.
- · Hexagonal dumbbells make the push-up far safer than round ones.
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