The Thruster

The thruster is a total-body movement where the athlete moves through a large range of motion. The movement teaches athletes how to properly utilize the lower and upper body effectively and efficiently to create power. This movement can be used to build strength while also being notorious for achieving a potent conditioning and endurance stimulus when utilizing the appropriate loads and rep schemes. This movement builds off the fundamentals established in the front squat and the push press, and mastery in this movement will be enhanced with sound practice in the prerequisite fundamental movements. Read further to learn everything you need to know about the thruster.

• What Is the Thruster?
• Thruster Benefits
• Muscle Groups Worked
• How to Prepare for the Thruster
• Equipment Needed
• How to Warm Up for the Thruster
• How to Perform the Thruster
• Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Thruster Modifications
• Thruster Variations
• Common Thruster Workouts
• Get Started Today!

What Is the Thruster?

The thruster is a common weightlifting exercise used at CrossFit affiliates that can be utilized to build strength; however, it is most commonly used as part of conditioning workouts. This movement builds off the mechanics established in our foundational movements like the front squat and push press. 

The thruster starts with the bar supported in the front-rack position while maintaining a full grip on the bar with feet in a squat stance. The athlete then performs a front squat where the crease of the hips descends below the top of the knees. From this point, the athlete transitions to the upward phase of the movement. At the top of the lifting phase, the athlete needs to accelerate aggressively with the hips and legs to elevate the bar off the shoulders. The bar must stay connected to the body until the legs elevate it off the shoulders. To finish the movement, the athlete presses the bar into the overhead finish position. 

This movement will tax musculature throughout the entire body. Athletes will maximize efficiency and load lifted when performing the movement with a focus on using the legs to elevate the load prior to pressing the bar off the shoulders. 

Thruster Benefits

The thruster develops full-body coordination, as well as full-body strength and endurance.

Full-Body Coordination

The thruster moves the body through a large range of motion by including elements of a front squat and an overhead press. This demands the entire body to work together to move as efficiently and effectively as possible. The thruster places a premium on using core-to-extremity movement patterns correctly by ensuring that the legs elevate the bar off the shoulders on the ascent before relying on the arms to direct the bar into the overhead position.

Full-Body Strength Development

The nature of the movement is that the athlete is moving through a full front squat and overhead pressing motion, which means strength can be developed for both the legs and the upper body.

Full-Body Endurance

The thruster is notorious as being an effective means for building stamina and endurance when performed with light to moderate loads and for a relatively high number of reps. 

Muscle Groups Worked

The range of motion and movement functions involved utilize the entire body. The primary muscle groups involved are the legs, core, shoulders, upper back, and arms.

Legs

The muscles of the legs, including the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, and associated lower body musculature, are utilized greatly due to the squatting demands and the demand to aid with accelerating the bar into the overhead position. 

Core

The core muscles, including the abdominals and spinal erectors, contract isometrically to maintain trunk stability throughout the movement. This protects the spine and allows for an optimal transfer of forces from the leg drive at the top of the squat through the core into the arms and the bar. 

Shoulder, Upper Back, and Arms

After the legs accelerate the bar off the shoulders, the arms take over to drive the bar overhead; the muscles of the shoulders, upper back, and arms, including the deltoids, traps, rhomboids, lats, and triceps, contract forcefully. This portion of the movement can add to developing the strength and endurance of these muscle groups.

How to Prepare for the Thruster

Preparing to thruster requires assembling the proper implements to be utilized for the workout, as well as performing a general and specific warm-up to prepare the body for the large range of motion demands.

Equipment Needed

The thruster can be trained using a variety of implements such as a barbell and bumper plates, a pair of dumbbells, a pair of kettlebells, and even a sandbag. The loads utilized will be based on the parameters surrounding the daily workout and the capacity of the athlete. Athletes can train this movement using a PVC pipe during the initial stages of development. 

How to Warm Up for the Thruster

To warm up for the thruster, the athlete should perform general movements that work every joint through its full range of motion. Jumping jacks, air squats, light goblet squats, bar hangs, lunges, shoulder circles and thoracic rotations, GHD hip extensions, and push-ups are good choices for the general warm-up. 

For the specific warm-up, combining elements of a front squat and push press will aid with skill development. Consider the following specific warm-up:

5-7 push presses with a pause in the overhead position

5-7 front squats with a pause at the bottom of the squat

5-7 thrusters focusing on the range of motion and proper timing

How to Do the Thruster

Performing a thruster involves establishing the correct setup position, executing a mechanically sound front squat, and transitioning efficiently to an overhead press.

Set-up

In the setup for the thruster, the athlete assumes a roughly shoulder-width stance with toes turned out slightly, the legs and hips fully extended, and the bar racked high along the shoulders. The athlete has a full grip on the bar with the hands just outside the shoulders and are up and forward of the bar.

Front Squat

While maintaining the thruster grip, the athlete initiates the descent by pushing their hips back and down until they descend lower than the knees. After reaching the bottom position, the athlete initiates the ascent and extends the hips and knees rapidly at the top of the movement to aid with elevating the barbell. The trunk remains neutral, and the knees stay in line with the foot throughout the movement. The heels remain down until the hips and knees fully extend. 

Overhead Press

After the athlete has aggressively extended their hips and legs, the athlete uses the upper body to continue to press the bar in a straight line to the finish position. Proper timing of the press is essential to the efficiency of the movement. 

Finish Position

The movement is finished when the bar is overhead and roughly in line with the ankles and the hips, knees, and arms are fully extended. The trunk is neutral, and the shoulders are driving upwards toward the bar. 

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Improper Timing- The Arms Press Early

It is common for athletes to engage their arms early in the thruster as they attempt to get the bar overhead. This means the athlete presses the bar before completing full hip and leg extension. This is a core-to-extremity violation that will result in less weight being lifted, inefficient movement, and increased fatigue. 

To learn the proper timing and coordination of the lift, athletes can practice push presses to focus on the lower body, elevating the bar. The athlete can also perform the squatting motion and attempt to pop the bar off the shoulders at the top of the movement without using their arms. After performing either of these drills, it is recommended to combine them with the full thruster. For example, perform 2 sets of 2 push presses, followed by 1 thruster. 

Both of these drills will allow the athlete to focus on what full hip extension and leg extension feel like and how this musculature contributes to the movement. They should notice the bar pops off the shoulders and moves vertically past the chin. This transfer of force from the hip extension into the bar that causes the bar to move off the shoulder is the athlete’s cue to engage the arms. With a little practice, the athlete should be able to get this timing right. 

Descending Into the Squat Before the Bar is in the Rack Position (Improper Timing on the Return Phase)

After the bar reaches the lockout position, there can also be a timing issue that occurs when attempting to move immediately into the next rep. This issue occurs when the athlete initiates the squat before the bar has returned to the shoulders. This may cause the athlete to crash into the bottom of the squat and lose the ability to maintain sound mechanics and stability. Ideally, execution is for the bar to contact the shoulders before the athlete flexes at the hips and/or knees. 

Slowing down the return phase of the movement or cueing the athlete when moving quickly to wait to squat until the bar clears their line of sight are viable options to aid with improving this fault. 

Front Squat and Shoulder Press Mechanics

Faults found in the front squat and shoulder press will also be found in the thruster. Issues such as heels lifting from the floor prematurely, knees collapsing inward, loss of lumbar curve, poor bar path, and lack of range of motion may be present. 

Thruster Modifications

Modifications can be made to the stance, grip, equipment, and load to accommodate any lifter in the thruster.

Equipment

If achieving the rack position with a barbell is difficult and leads to the elbows colliding with the knees at the bottom of the squat, the athlete may experiment with using a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells. These implements may allow for a safer rack position for the athlete. 

Use a Target

If an athlete lacks the awareness of proper depth on the squat, they may use a target such as a medicine ball that allows them to achieve full depth and maintain consistency. Be mindful that the athlete should move away from this tool so they can develop kinesthetic awareness of their movement. 

Grip

Widening the athlete’s grip may help them achieve the proper overhead position or allow for a better rack position, particularly if they have tight shoulders. 

Thruster Variations

Common variations of the thruster include dumbbell or kettlebell thrusters and single-arm thrusters. 

Dumbbell or Kettlebell Thruster

The thruster can be done with two dumbbells or two kettlebells. These variations allow for a slightly different range of motion and require the athlete to stabilize each side independently of the other, thereby significantly stimulating the muscles in the shoulder and core. Using dumbbells or kettlebells may also allow for a better rack position and may allow athletes to work around certain wrist, elbow, or shoulder issues. 

Single- Arm Thruster

Done with a dumbbell or kettlebell, the single-arm thruster provides a significant challenge to core musculature as the body attempts to stabilize the uneven loading during the squat and when pressing overhead. Single-arm lifting permits more freedom in the overhead range of motion, allowing an athlete to work around flexibility, mobility, or pain issues. 

Common Thruster Workouts

The thruster can be used in a variety of workouts, from heavy and low-rep to fast, light, and high-rep.

Fran

21-15-9 rounds for time:

Thrusters (65/95 lb)

Pull-ups 

Thruster 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps

Tommy V

21 thrusters (65/115 lb)

12 rope climbs to 15 feet

15 thrusters

9 rope climbs

9 thrusters

6 rope climbs