Thruster

Muscles worked by the Thruster

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

GlutesGluteus MaximusTrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, quad, quads.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Thruster

1. Hold a barbell in a front rack position with elbows high.
2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Squat down to parallel while keeping your torso upright.
4. Drive up out of the squat and press the bar overhead in one motion.
5. Lock out your arms at the top with the bar overhead.
6. Lower the bar back to the front rack and repeat.

Form tips

• Use the momentum from the squat drive to launch the press.
• Keep your elbows high so the bar rests on your shoulders, not your wrists.
• Finish each rep with the bar locked out over your ears.

At a glance

Thruster in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Behind the Neck Press
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Machine Shoulder Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "thruster",
  "name_en": "Thruster",
  "name_de": "Thruster",
  "name_es": "Thruster",
  "description_en": "A full-body barbell movement combining a front squat with an overhead press in one fluid drive.",
  "description_de": "Eine Ganzkörperübung mit der Langhantel, die eine Frontkniebeuge und ein Überkopfdrücken in einer fließenden Bewegung verbindet.",
  "description_es": "Un movimiento de cuerpo completo con barra que combina una sentadilla frontal con un press por encima de la cabeza en un solo impulso fluido.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Hold a barbell in a front rack position with elbows high.",
    "Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.",
    "Squat down to parallel while keeping your torso upright.",
    "Drive up out of the squat and press the bar overhead in one motion.",
    "Lock out your arms at the top with the bar overhead.",
    "Lower the bar back to the front rack and repeat."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Halte die Langhantel im vorderen Rack mit hohen Ellbogen.",
    "Stehe schulterbreit.",
    "Gehe parallel in die Kniebeuge, Oberkörper aufrecht.",
    "Strecke explosiv aus der Kniebeuge heraus und drücke die Stange in einer Bewegung über den Kopf.",
    "Sperre die Arme oben durch, Stange über dem Kopf.",
    "Führe die Stange ins vordere Rack zurück und wiederhole."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Sostén una barra en posición de rack frontal con los codos altos.",
    "Párate con los pies al ancho de los hombros.",
    "Baja en sentadilla hasta paralelo manteniendo el torso erguido.",
    "Impúlsate saliendo de la sentadilla y empuja la barra por encima de la cabeza en un solo movimiento.",
    "Bloquea los brazos en la parte superior con la barra sobre la cabeza.",
    "Baja la barra al rack frontal y repite."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Use the momentum from the squat drive to launch the press.",
    "Keep your elbows high so the bar rests on your shoulders, not your wrists.",
    "Finish each rep with the bar locked out over your ears."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Nutze den Schwung aus der Kniebeuge, um das Drücken einzuleiten.",
    "Halte die Ellbogen hoch, damit die Stange auf den Schultern liegt, nicht auf den Handgelenken.",
    "Beende jede Wiederholung mit der Stange über den Ohren ausgestreckt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Aprovecha el impulso de la sentadilla para lanzar el press.",
    "Mantén los codos altos para que la barra descanse en los hombros, no en las muñecas.",
    "Termina cada repetición con la barra bloqueada sobre las orejas."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/thruster-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/thruster-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "thruster");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.