Thrusters: How to Do This Full-Body Exercise

The thruster is an efficient, powerful movement that works your whole body. When you're pressed for time, this is the one exercise you should be doing in your workout.

In the past month my typically outdoor bootcamp class has moved indoors because we actually had some really cold days here in Florida. When we move inside, there's access to more equipment and my trainers start to get more crazy ideas for us (interpretation: workouts get super hard).

What are Thrusters?

The past couple of weeks, we've been able to do thrusters and I love hate LOVE them. Why? Because they are hard but they work! By work I mean they work your whole body in one move, so they are an excellent way for us time-pressed folks to work the entire body. I also mean they work by giving you the results of strength and definition in your lower body muscles (legs, butt and back).

The thruster is a move from a front squat (holding the weight in front of you instead of on the back of your shoulders) into an overhead press with the weight overhead in a fluid motion. The good news is that by going through such a wide range of motion you work almost every muscle in your body.

Thruster Variations

Another reason to love thruster workouts is that all levels can do this exercise and you can use any type of weight equipment available - barbells, free weights, and even kettlebells. Or, just do this exercise with body weight only.

While this exercise looks intense (i.e. intimidating) it is doable! Start by trying it with body weight only. Then, for a barbell thruster move on to an empty barbell or light barbell. For dumbbell thrusters, move on to lighter weight dumbbells, or kettlebells. As you get more comfortable with the movement pattern, you can move on to heavier weights. If you exercise at a gym with certified personal trainers, I recommend asking them to watch you once. This will help to make sure you are in proper form with good posture to reduce your risk of injury.  I do this often because I'm not blessed with great body awareness. 

{As a word of caution, this exercise is not suited for those with knee issues/pain, lower back problems, or shoulder problems. If you are not sure if this exercise is a good idea for you, I recommend checking with a sports medicine doctor first.}

So as I often have to remind myself, it's good to push yourself hard when you workout. This is the perfect full-body exercise to do just that.

Try It

Pop out of your chair right now and try doing the thruster motion with good form. Sit back in the full squat as your starting position. Then, really pop up and press your arms into the air with full extension and slightly behind your head.

Feel it? It's a powerful full-body movement that I think serves as a great way to give you a powerful mindset too. 

Add this thruster exercise to your workout this week whether at home or in the gym. And please share this post with anyone looking for a new compound movement for their workouts.

Check out my post on the Benefits of Squats for Women where I discuss how squat movements benefit your body along with three at-home squat variations: body weight squat, front goblet squat with weight, and the TRX squat.

Have a healthy day! -- Jenna