Is not un only exercise.
It's the exercise.
It's a deadly combo of clean, front squat and push press.
In comparison to other exercises - yes: even multi-joint - the power you can express with the thruster is unbeatable.
You will work buttocks, calves and quadriceps like never before.
And you will approach the legendary Rich Froning, for which the thruster is the best CrossFit® exercise.
Index
How to make a thruster
Starting position: feet wide shoulders, lower back arched, barbell in rack position with the elbows well pushed forward. Chest raised and always head in a natural position.
First phase of the movement: push your hips back and drop into a squat below the parallel.
Second phase of the movement: explode towards the starting position, e use explosive power to push, at the end of the ascent, the barbell above and slightly behind the head.
End of movement: at this point you will find yourself in standing position with shoulders, hips and also aligned. The balance is brought back - with control - into rack position, from where you will go down in squat for a second squat.
Benefits of the thruster
- It's an exercise really full body, since the energy released with the legs is transferred from core and lumbar towards theupper body: shoulders, triceps and upper back.
- It is a metabolic exercise. Yup: like the burpees, but you can load weight.
- It allows you to work, depending on the percentage of load you use, on the force, on explosiveness or resistance.
- It has many variations, depending on whether you decide to do it with barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags ...
Tips for improving thruster performance
Keep your weight on your heels
Pushing on the toes means nullify much of the thrust. The weight, on the other hand, must move in a straight and vertical line. If you push yourself forward - on the toes, then - you will find yourself "rolling" forward in your turn, performing an ineffective, weak, and potentially harmful movement.
In this way the bulk of the pushing work will be done by the legs. And let's face it: you can push a lot more weight with your quadriceps than with the upper body!
Elbows upwards
Well, this concerns every movement that starts or passes through the rack position. The sense of high elbows is to create a stable base on which to place the barbell.
Fluidity first of all
In the sequence that I listed before, the thruster is (hypothetically) divided into phases. The secret to a great thruster is actually run it smoothly, as a single uninterrupted sequence.
It may not be easy, especially at the beginning, and requires the humility of use a weight appropriate to your abilities.
Never stop during movement (at most, you can "rest" when you reach the overhead position). Above all, when you start the first front squat descent, make it clear that you will have to perform the ascent with a single movement.
Soft grip
Squeezing the barbell tires your forearms in an instant. Keep this in mind while in rack position. There pinch (made with three fingers) it should be tightened when the barbell is overhead, for example prevent it from swinging and force you to stop the movement.
Breathe!
Inhale as you come down, breathe out at the end of the media.
It will help you keep a steady pace, and will allow you to perform more repetitions.
Rest (in moderation)
The secret is in a constant rhythm. Rest, take a breath - with the barbell on the ground, in rack position or overhead - but don't get carried away.
If you rest too much, restart the movement and finish those thruster reps will be even more difficult!