The Man Maker is a expert-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the quadriceps, shoulders, lats and middle back, with the chest, triceps, abdominals and glutes working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesQuads, Shoulders, Lats, Middle Back
Secondary musclesChest, Triceps, Abs, Glutes
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelExpert
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Man Maker
Set two dumbbells on the floor about shoulder-width apart and take a high plank with one hand on each handle.
Lower your chest toward the dumbbells and press back up, keeping your hips level and your feet wide enough to stay stable.
Row the right dumbbell to your ribs without letting the hips rotate, lower it under control, then repeat on the left.
Step or jump both feet up outside your hands so you finish in a deep squat with the dumbbells still on the floor.
Stand and clean both dumbbells to your shoulders, then press them overhead until your elbows lock out.
Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and back to the floor, then return to the plank to start the next repetition.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Covers push, pull, squat and press patterns inside a single repetition, so a short set does a lot of work.
Drives heart rate high with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, which suits circuits with limited floor space.
Exposes trunk stability under fatigue, because the rows require anti-rotation control mid-set.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the hips rotate during the row, which turns the plank into a twist and pulls load off the working side.
Setting the feet too narrow in the plank, which makes the base unstable and forces you to cut the row short.
Flaring the ribs and arching the spine on the press, which shifts load off the shoulders and onto the lower back.
Chaining the four parts together before each one is clean, which is the fastest way to lose form once fatigue arrives.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Man Maker, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
