How to do a thruster in Crossfit: Technique and tips

There are exercises that must be done correctly in order to achieve a high number of repetitions without getting too tired or injured, and the thruster is undoubtedly one of them. That's why today we're going to see how to do a thruster in CrossFit correctly.

What is a thruster

A thruster is a movement that consists of moving, usually an Olympic barbell, although it can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells or balls, from the front rack position to above our head, first doing a front squat and ascending without stopping. That is, from the squat we ascend without stopping until we put the object over our head.

How to do a thruster with an Olympic bar

We need an Olympic bar on the floor . We recommend that if you are going to use an "empty bar" you put a technique disc on it to raise it off the floor and make the first clean a little more comfortable. Although it is true that since we only pick up the bar from the floor once, it is not essential, as it would be with full cleans, for example.

As we said, we stand in front of the bar, with our legs shoulder-width apart, ready to do a full clean. The thruster itself starts with the bar in the front rack position, but it has to be raised to that position and to avoid a wasted lift, what we do is start with that clean. The next repetition will no longer start on the floor but we will simply lower ourselves into a front squat and then raise ourselves again.

For the clean , with arms stretched out, we begin to raise our legs while keeping our back neutral, and at the height of the middle of the thigh we begin to straighten the trunk and prepare to pull our arms. Bringing our elbows to the ceiling, we perform a pull that allows us to raise the bar as much as possible and then do the entry.

The entry consists of placing our body under the bar, rotating our hands over it and resting it on our torso and hands. We could do a power clean, but then we would have to go down into a front squat to start, so the most practical thing is to do a full clean with a squat starting from parallel and then start the ascent.

So we are in a front squat to move on to the ascension. When ascending, we must try to keep the body as upright as possible and with the heels well supported to keep us stable. It is important to apply the ascension in an energetic way to try to make the least possible effort with the arms and for the bar to rise due to the momentum of our trunk.

When the bar comes up and reaches the height of our ears we can do a shoulder press to achieve the final extension.

Tips for doing a thruster in CrossFit

Breathe twice with each thruster: You will have to practice this but it is very important, exhale during the squat and the push, that is, when the bar is at its lowest and highest point.

Keep your elbows high: This will help you stay more upright and prevent you from leaning forward and risking dropping the bar.

Lift with power: It is easier to use force with your legs than to then need to use your shoulders because you cannot lift the bar.

Grip the bar firmly throughout the entire movement: Don't rest it on 2 or 3 fingers.

Keep your back neutral at all times: This will prevent you from leaning forward or hurting yourself when lowering the bar.

Variations with other materials

Remember that you can also perform the thruster with other elements such as dumbbells, kettlebells or medicine balls.

Dumbbells and kettlebells pose an additional challenge due to the instability of carrying an element in each hand. With dumbbells it is somewhat easier since they rest on our shoulders, while kettlebells require greater technique to achieve a good front rack position.

The ball is a good place to start, after all you've probably practiced it in a veiled way like wall balls more than once. The difference is that now you don't have to let go of it.

The thruster is a demanding movement, you need to master the front squat and the push press before you start doing it. Start by practicing the technique with light weights and increase the intensity when you see that you can maintain it.