We all know how important hitting the gym is, but it is not always that easy to work a complete workout. This is where hybrid exercises come into play, offering exceptional results in a fraction of the time. The thruster muscles that are worked extend from the head to the toe, offering a full-body workout that also increases the heart rate, providing you with cardio benefits. Traditionally part of a CrossFit workout, all skill levels can participate in this exercise. You can change the weight level as you progress, starting with the lightest amount necessary and steadily increasing as you become used to it. Additionally, there are many variations that you can incorporate into your workouts to take things up a notch for a more intense experience. Now we will focus on what a thruster exercise is and which muscles it targets. We will also discuss how to do thrusters at home, how they differ from push presses, and if they burn fat. In addition, we’ll look at some of the variations and how to perform them for maximum results. Read on for everything you need to know about thrusters and how they could benefit you.
A thruster exercise is a combination exercise that joins a squat with an overhead press. It is often a featured part of the CrossFit routine. As a hybrid exercise it combines strength training with an increased heart rate, which can be beneficial for overweight people to lose weight and reduce their risk of cardiovascular-related risk factors. Because this exercise is a hybrid between strength training and cardio, it is also extremely beneficial to anyone who wishes to add it to their workout routines (5).
Because it is a combination of a squat and an overhead press, the thrusters will work all the muscles both exercises target. A shoulder press done correctly will target the shoulders and upper chest. The specific muscles isolated are the deltoids, trapezius, serratus anterior, and triceps brachii (4).
A squat will target your lower body muscles. The primary focus is on your glutes and quadriceps; however, you will also see a considerable benefit in the obliques, calves, hamstrings, and hip muscles (3).
The barbell thrusters muscles that are worked are extensive from the top of your body to the bottom, making this an efficient exercise to hit all these muscle groups at once. If you are in a hurry, a thruster might be the ideal workout to get the most out of your time at the gym. You can even perform this exercise at home with a pair of dumbbells, making it even more convenient.
Doing a CrossFit thruster is relatively straightforward.
It is critical to perform this maneuver correctly to prevent injury. When doing squats, there is an ideal form.
Any deviation from this, especially during a thruster, can result in a critical injury. It is most important to maintain proper form throughout the exercise for all reps and sets (8).
Read More: Reap Your Back Muscles With An Inverted Bodyweight Row
A thruster and a push press look similar but are very different in terms of effects. As we mentioned, a thruster is a full squat leading into an overhead press. So, what exactly is a push press?
The steps to completing a push press are as follows:
For this exercise the power comes from the hips (6).
The main difference between the two exercises is that the thruster requires a full squat, while the push press has only a slight bend of the legs to allow the hips to snap. More muscle groups are targeted with the thruster, allowing for a more thorough workout.
Thrusters can easily be performed at home using items at hand, whether you have your own weights or substitute with household goods. The Mayo Clinic suggests replacing free weights with soup cans if you have nothing else to use during strength training. At some point, however, these will become insufficient for the weight you need during your thrusters. If you have a medicine ball or kettlebells, you can also use these in place of dumbbells or a barbell (7).
Thrusters are a form of strength training; as such, they can help boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. As you increase your calorie burn, your fat burn will also increase (7).
While you can focus on a single muscle group simultaneously, these exercises are ineffective for maximum calorie burn. Compound or hybrid exercises are ideal for targeting multiple muscle groups and improving overall fitness. These exercises benefit the three major fitness categories: flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular (1).
Cardiovascular exercise increases the heart’s ability to function like a pump. Thrusters are an excellent way to boost your cardiovascular health because of the amount of tissue involved in the exercise, requiring the heart to continuously pump blood to these muscles for optimal performance. In turn, this will also boost your fat burning as the number of calories used in the process increases with the amount of energy you expend (1).
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A hip thruster is a variation of the thruster done while lying prone with the weight across your hips. This exercise has become quite popular as the hips are one of the most vital body parts for movement. They control our mobility and the movement of our bodies’ centers of gravity. Therefore, the muscles that control the hips’ actions should be considered some of the most vital muscles in the body (10).
You can perform the hip thruster with various equipment, including barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells. The weights are placed directly across the hips, providing resistance. There are also machines available to perform this exercise that take the discomfort from the pressure of the weights on the hips out of the exercise (10).
To complete the hip thruster, follow these steps:
The hip thruster muscles that are worked include the hip extensor muscles of the gluteal complex. These muscles are the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, and gluteus medias (10).
Another variation that you can make to the thruster is the dumbbell thruster. Instead of using the traditional barbell, you will simply substitute it for a pair of dumbbells.
To complete this exercise, follow these steps:
Because you have two independent weights, you must be mindful that you are moving your hands together, keeping the weights even. This can be a bit more of a challenge than using a barbell, but it is an alternative if you do not have one available. The dumbbell thrusters muscles that are worked will be the same as the traditional thrusters.
Read More: Push Press Muscles Worked, Variations And Benefits
Landmine thrusters are also known as barbell jammers. They are an alternative thruster option that involves lifting the weight in front of you instead of directly overhead. This is an advanced move and is not recommended for beginners. In addition to a barbell you will need a way to hold it in place as you lift and lower it (2).
Once familiar with this exercise, you can increase the speed with which you perform the movement, to change it from a strength to a power-based activity. However, to do this you will need to start with lighter resistance and gradually progress with increasing weight and pace. If you do not master your technique before progressing, you could cause a critical injury to yourself (2).
The landmine thrusters muscles worked include the abs, buttocks, hip muscles, calves, thighs, shoulders, and triceps. It is an excellent full-body workout for those up to the challenge (2).
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Thrusters and their variations offer an excellent means to get a full-body workout. With all the thrusters muscles that are worked, almost none are missed from top to bottom. Additionally, this CrossFit workout boosts your cardio activity, making you burn more calories and, in turn, more fat. This means these exercises can be an excellent way to help with weight loss and build muscle strength and definition.
With the variations available, you can be sure to maximize your results when you hit the gym. You can also make some slight modifications to complete this excellent exercise in the comfort of your own home if you do not have the time to make it to the gym. Instead of taking the time to target each muscle group individually, you now know the secret to hitting them all at once.
Knowing this, when you go to the gym or set up your workouts at home, consider adding thrusters or a variation of them to your workout routine to take things up a notch and get the most out of your strength training. You will not be disappointed.
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