Thruster is a weightlifting movement on Fiz. Front squat to overhead press. Primary muscles: quads, shoulders, glutes. Scored by reps + weight. Featured in Daniel, Fran, Jackie, Open 14.5, Open 17.5, Row & Thruster, The Seven, Thruster Fives, Tommy V.
Thruster
Front squat to overhead press
Category
Weightliftingloaded barbell and dumbbell work
Logged as
Reps, Weight (kg)
Primary muscles
Quads, shoulders, glutes
Secondary
Hamstrings, triceps, core, upper back
How to do a thruster
4 steps- Start with the barbell in a front rack, elbows high, feet about hip width.
- Squat until the hip crease drops below the top of the knee.
- Drive out of the bottom and let that momentum carry straight into the press. The squat and the press are one movement.
- Finish with the bar locked out overhead, over the middle of your foot, hips and knees straight.
What counts as a rep
Movement standard- Hip crease below the top of the knee at the bottom. This is judged, and it is the first thing to go once the set gets long.
- A continuous drive from the squat into the press. If the bar stops at the shoulders and is then pressed, you have performed a front squat and a push press, which is two movements rather than a thruster.
- Full lockout overhead with the bar over or slightly behind the middle of the foot.
Common faults
3 faults
The elbows drop out of the rack on the way down, dumping the bar forward onto the arms.
FixKeep the points of the elbows up through the descent. A dropped rack forces you to re-set the bar before you can press it.
The press starts after the legs have finished, wasting the drive out of the squat.
FixThink of the bar leaving the shoulders while you are still standing up. Late is a grind, on time is free.
Depth quietly disappears in the back half of a set, because a shallower squat is easier to press out of.
FixBreak the set before depth breaks. Unbroken reps that get no-repped are worse than a planned rest.
Scaling ladder
3 easier
ThrusterWorks quads, shoulders, glutes
Dumbbell ThrusterFront squat to overhead press in one motion with a pair of dumbbells
Goblet SquatSquat holding dumbbell or kettlebell at chest
Front SquatSquat with barbell on front of shoulders
Workouts using the thruster
9 on FizFrequently asked
4 answersWhat muscles does the Thruster work?
Thruster primarily works quads, shoulders, glutes, with secondary engagement of hamstrings, triceps, core, upper back.
How do you do a Thruster?
Start with the barbell in a front rack, elbows high, feet about hip width. Squat until the hip crease drops below the top of the knee. Drive out of the bottom and let that momentum carry straight into the press. The squat and the press are one movement. Finish with the bar locked out overhead, over the middle of your foot, hips and knees straight.
What counts as a rep on the Thruster?
Hip crease below the top of the knee at the bottom. This is judged, and it is the first thing to go once the set gets long. A continuous drive from the squat into the press. If the bar stops at the shoulders and is then pressed, you have performed a front squat and a push press, which is two movements rather than a thruster. Full lockout overhead with the bar over or slightly behind the middle of the foot.
What's an easier alternative to the Thruster?
Scale it to Dumbbell Thruster, Goblet Squat or Front Squat.