How to master Thrusters

Anyone who has tried the thruster exercise in a WOD (Workout Of the Day) knows how challenging it is. A combination of a front squat and a push press, which will surely make your muscles burn if you're not careful. Of course, we say this with affection, as thrusters are a fantastic exercise to train mental toughness and can turn any workout into a real cardio fest.

The movement consists of three parts:

1. The bar starts on the chest, just above the collarbones.
2. You perform a squat, lowering your thighs below parallel with the floor, keeping the bar on your chest.
3. You then stand up quickly and press the barbell overhead until your arms are fully extended.

And that’s one repetition of a thruster; then you just repeat the steps. Even though this may seem like a simple exercise, there are some pitfalls that make it worthy of its tough reputation.

No worries – in this guide, we will go over why you should include thrusters in your training and how to do them with proper technique, including guidelines, modifications, common mistakes, and advanced tips to help you take your thrusters to the next level.

Why Do Thrusters?

Thrusters are actually one of our favorite barbell exercises. They require and maintain mobility in the hips and ankles, good mobility in the upper back (to perform an upright front squat), and also involve shoulder mobility. In addition to these aspects of mobility, they also require core strength, shoulder strength, and leg strength, making them a great combination of flexibility and strength.

Thrusters also provide excellent cardiovascular conditioning. Since the bar travels such a long distance during each repetition, pretty much the whole body works in every rep. This requires a lot of oxygen to be delivered to the entire body, meaning that after 20 repetitions, you’ve already had a great cardio workout. If you doubt that, try a Fran.

This is why thrusters are worth a small part of your time.

Thruster Guidelines

While this might not be an official guideline, since the exercise involves a squat, we always recommend placing your feet in a squat stance just outside of the hips or under the shoulders, ready to lift the bar.

The next step is to get the bar to your shoulders – a power clean. From here, bend your hips and knees until your hip crease is below the top of your knee. Then drive your hips forward with force and press the bar overhead.

And that’s how you perform a thruster!

But before you try it yourself, let’s go over some common mistakes to avoid.

Common Mistakes in Thrusters

There are a variety of mistakes athletes make when performing thrusters. While they may not necessarily be dangerous, since thrusters are often done with lighter weights, these mistakes will make the exercise far more uncomfortable than it needs to be.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes in thrusters:

Mistake 1: Poor Rack Position
The first mistake we’ll call poor rack position, which can appear in three different forms:

1. Not resting the bar on your shoulders: The correct way to start a thruster is in the front rack position, where most of the bar’s weight rests on the shoulders during the squat. Many make the mistake of not letting the bar rest on the shoulders but instead lift it from the shoulders and squat with the bar in the air. Doing just one rep this way is challenging; doing an entire set like this becomes much worse. Let the bar rest on your shoulders until it’s time to press.

2. Elbows too low: Another problematic behavior is allowing the elbows to drop in the front rack position. If the elbows point downward during the squat, they can hit the legs, which is a surefire way to cause wrist injuries. Even if they avoid the legs, they are far less effective at this angle compared to if they were higher up. High elbows push the upper back and chest up and help maintain a better front rack position. So remember to drive your elbows upward throughout the squat.

3. Resting the bar on fingertips: The last mistake that contributes to a bad rack position is when the bar rests on the fingertips. Pressing the bar up from this position is nearly impossible. Find a balance where at least four fingers grip the bar in the front rack position, with most of the weight resting on your shoulders’ rack, not on your elbows or wrists. Ideally, your hands can easily switch roles, from stabilizing the bar in the front rack to gripping it and pressing it up.

Mistake 2: Poor Posture
The second most common mistake is poor posture, which can be caused by incorrect foot or hand placement.

1. Poor foot stance: It’s not uncommon to see people lifting the bar with only a narrow stance between the feet, making it difficult to perform a proper squat. For good posture, your feet should be far enough apart to allow for a deep, comfortable squat. For most people, this means feet slightly outside the hips or under the shoulders, with feet turned outward and knees in the same direction.

2. Poor hand/arm position: Sometimes people have a rack position with their hands too narrow, which is inefficient and makes it hard to rest the bar on the shoulders. On the other hand, hands can be too wide, which also makes the exercise harder. A good balance is to have your thumbs just outside of the shoulders when the bar rests in the rack position.

A good posture means feet are outside the hips or under the shoulders, and hands are just outside the shoulders.

Mistake 3: Not Using Your Legs
The third common mistake is not using your legs properly. Remember, your legs are probably stronger than your arms, so when performing thrusters, you want to use your leg power as much as possible. A common mistake is pressing with the arms too early, which causes the bar to leave the shoulders prematurely, resulting in a strict shoulder press – something you want to avoid.

To do the movement correctly, think of it happening in this order: legs, hips, then arms. The descent should be slower, and the ascent should be explosive. To maximize power and efficiency in your thrusters, use your legs and drive up out of the front squat as hard as possible. Extend your hips, squeeze your glutes, and finish by pressing the bar upward using the power you get from the final extension in your hips and ankles, just like a push press.

Mistake 4: Incorrect Breathing
The fourth mistake is not breathing properly, or even forgetting to breathe altogether. It may sound odd, but it’s common to forget to breathe when lifting heavy weights in functional training. During a thruster, you’re under tension the whole time, making it easy to forget to take proper breaths, which leads to rapid fatigue.

To avoid this, try exhaling when you press up and lock the bar overhead, then inhale when you’re at the top and on your way down. Some people find it works to not breathe during the squat part – try it yourself to see what works best for you. Try to find a breathing pattern that aligns with the movement so that you’re inhaling and exhaling during the same parts of each repetition.

Mistake 5: Loose Lockout at the Top
The final mistake is perhaps the most frustrating issue in all types of barbell training involving presses: the loose lockout. This happens when you don’t fully extend your elbows or, if you do lock out, let your head fall back, causing the bar to move in front of the body.

A bent arm lockout is often seen, where the bar only just goes overhead without the arms fully extending – this is a "no rep." Another issue is letting the head fall back, causing the bar to move in front of the body even if the arms are extended. Both of these result in inefficient lifts and risk disqualification in competitions, as well as not looking good when training at the gym.

Modifications

One of the great things about CrossFit and functional training is that exercises can be adapted for all levels. If you're struggling with the technical aspects or can’t meet all the movement requirements, there are several ways to modify the exercise and improve your thrusters.

Adjust the Weight
A simple solution is to reduce the weight. A 30 kg thruster is much easier to perform with full range of motion than a 43 kg thruster. By scaling down the weight, you can focus on proper movement patterns and improve efficiency, which will help you get the desired training stimulus.

Adjust the Range of Motion (ROM)
If you can’t perform the full range of motion, it’s better to do three-quarters of a thruster correctly than to try the full range with poor form. You can shorten the squat or allow an incomplete elbow lockout if necessary due to injury or mobility limitations.

Another option is to switch the barbell for a kettlebell or dumbbells, and perform one- or two-arm variations depending on what works best for you.

Elevate Your Heels
If you're struggling with squat depth, it could be due to limited ankle mobility. Place small weight plates under your heels or use weightlifting shoes to help alleviate this limitation. This can help you get deeper into the squat and achieve full range of motion.

Break the Movement Down
For beginners struggling with unbroken thrusters, you can break the movement down into different parts. This means combining a front squat and a push press or a front squat and a strict press to train the different components.

Perform a front squat, take a break, and then press the bar overhead. This way, you can practice the movement step by step, and once you’re comfortable, you can combine the movements into a full thruster.

Advanced Thruster Tips

For those already experienced with thrusters and who have completed Fran multiple times, here are a few advanced tips to help you be more efficient and improve your performance.

Think Speed and Power, Not Strength
Remember, thrusters are primarily about speed and power, not just strength. You want to generate momentum in the squat phase so that you don’t need to rely too heavily on your arms for the push press. A powerful squat will give you the necessary power to drive the bar up quickly.

Use a Narrower Stance
Try a narrower stance with your feet underneath your hips. While this isn’t recommended for beginners, it may help you be more explosive during the squat phase and improve your positioning. If you’re looking for more speed and efficiency in your thrusters, a narrow stance might be worth experimenting with.

Utilize the "Hip Pop"
To maximize the drive from your legs, focus on the "hip pop" when standing up from the squat. This is where you squeeze your glutes, fire your hips, and shoot them forward, generating enough force to drive the bar overhead in a fluid movement.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced lifter, thrusters are one of the best exercises to develop strength, conditioning, and explosive power. With the right technique and modifications, you can master this brutal movement and see massive benefits in your overall fitness. Keep working on your form, build strength, and remember to add them to your training routine for a fantastic total-body workout.