What are thrusters
Thrusters are a functional strength exercise that combines a weighted squat and chest press.
Most often, thrusters are performed with a barbell, but you can also do them with dumbbells and kettlebells, a medicine ball, and even an expander band.
In CrossFit and functional multisport, this movement is often included in competition routines to test athletes’ strength endurance. Sometimes it is also used to test strength and power, for example if the task asks you to find your one-rep maximum on that exercise.
Why are thrusters good?
This exercise It has several advantages:
- Pumps up the upper and lower body. The hips and buttocks, abs and back, arms, chest and shoulders will receive the load.
- Develops power. Trains the ability not only to make an effort, but also to do it quickly.
- Increases strength endurance. Performing thrusters many times per set teaches the body to resist fatigue longer.
- Spends a lot of calories. Since thrusters use many muscle groups and quickly raise your heart rate, they can be considered a good exercise for losing weight. At least if you perform them in combination with other movements.
- Trains well-coordinated muscle function. In thrusters, you learn to transfer forces from the lower extremities to the upper ones through the body, which is useful both in various sports and in everyday life.
Thus, thrusters will be useful to anyone who wants not only to lose weight or build muscle, but also to get a strong, functional and comprehensively developed body.
How to do thrusters with a barbell correctly
Thrusters are most often performed with a barbell because this apparatus provides shoulder stability and allows you to handle more weight than using dumbbells or kettlebells.
Remove the bar from the racks, place it on your chest so that the bar touches your collarbones and front delts, bring your elbows forward.
Step away from the racks, place your feet shoulder-width apart, straighten your back and try to bend your thoracic spine and keep your lower back straight.
Move your hips back slightly and perform a squat. Lower yourself deeply so that your pelvis is below knee level. At the same time, do not lift your heels off the floor and do not roll your knees inward.
Keeping your back straight, come out of the squat. At the end of the lift, when your legs are not yet fully straightened, with a sharp explosive movement, press the barbell up from your chest.
Both phases of the exercise should be a single movement, without pause. Use the momentum of the lift to push the barbell upward.
Extend your arms completely above your head. Make sure that at the top of the exercise the bar is in line with your body and not in front of it. Leaving the barbell in front will place unnecessary stress on your lower back and may result in pain.
Smoothly lower the barbell back to your chest while bending your knees to immediately go into the next squat. Repeat as many times as necessary.
What other weights can you perform thrusters with?
This exercise can be done with different equipment, focusing on the tasks and capabilities of your body.
With a medicine ball
Thrusters with a ball are suitable for beginners who find it difficult to work with a barbell due to insufficient mobility in the thoracic spine. With the ball in front of your chest, it will be easier for you to keep your back straight. In addition, these shells are lighter than an empty bar – the weight of medicine balls varies from 3 to 12 kg.
With your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, take the ball in your hands and hold it in front of your chest.
Squat down until your pelvis is below your knees, then straighten your legs at the hips and knees and lift the ball above your head. Lower the bar to chest level and repeat.
With dumbbells
This exercise is easier to perform with a tight thoracic spine, since separate implements provide more freedom. At the same time, dumbbells are less stable, which increases the load on the shoulder girdle.
Start with light weights and add weight only if you are confident that your shoulders will hold up and not become injured due to fatigue.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grab dumbbells, bend your elbows and place the weights above your shoulders. Squat below parallel of your thighs to the floor, keeping your back straight. Explosively come up and lift the dumbbells overhead. Straighten your arms completely, then lower the barbells back to the starting position and repeat.
With a weight
Try this variation if you want to develop shoulder stability and target your core muscles more. To start, choose a light kettlebell with which you can easily work on your technique and see if you can keep your shoulder in the desired position.
Bend your elbow and position the kettlebell next to your shoulder so that its body is pressed against the back of your forearm and the handle hangs from the base of your thumb, like on a hook. Holding the kettlebell in this position, squat just below the parallel of your thighs with the floor. You can extend your free arm in front of your body to maintain balance.
Sharply straighten your legs at the hip and knee joints. At the end of the extension phase, use the momentum you have gained and press the kettlebell overhead, extending your arm fully. Then smoothly return it to the starting position, simultaneously bending your knees, and go into the next squat.
With expander
This option is good for home workouts. Also, thrusters with an elastic band are suitable for beginners who are not yet ready to work with free weights.
Step on the elastic band and hold the other end of the loop in your bent arms above your shoulders. Lower yourself into a squat, and as you come out of it, sharply straighten your arms above your head.
When performing thrusters with this apparatus, you will not put much strain on your legs, since during the squat the elastic band will dangle freely and create a slight resistance only at the end of the movement. But during the press, the expander will tighten and provide a good load on the arms, shoulders and chest.
How to Incorporate Thrusters into Your Workouts
If you want to develop muscle power and strength, add thrusters to your program once a week. Perform the exercise in 3-5 sets of 6 repetitions with a rest of 2-5 minutes.
Choose a weight that allows you to perform the movement explosively, fatigue your muscles, but still finish all reps with good form.
If you’re looking to increase your calorie burn and build overall and strength endurance, try CrossFit’s Workout of the Day (WOD) workouts. Perform them 1-2 times a week, at the end of a strength training session (if it is not very voluminous and heavy) or on days off from training.
There are a lot of complexes with thrusters, so you can easily find an option that suits your capabilities. Below we present two WODs that can be performed with a minimum set of equipment.
Complex 1
Record the time and do the following in a row without rest:
- 10 thrusters with a bar;
- 50 double jump ropes;
- 8 thrusters with a bar;
- 40 double jump ropes;
- 6 thrusters with a bar;
- 30 double jump ropes;
- 4 thrusters with a bar;
- 20 double jump ropes;
- 2 thrusters with a bar;
- 10 double jump ropes.
Select the weight so that you can complete 10 repetitions without much effort. If you don’t know how to do double jumps over a skipping rope, do single jumps.
Complex 2
Complete 10 rounds:
- 30 seconds burpee;
- 30 seconds rest;
- 30 seconds of thrusters with dumbbells (14 kg for women, 20 kg for men).
- 30 seconds rest.
Select the weight of dumbbells according to your capabilities. You need to be able to do at least one 30-second interval without stopping.
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