The Thruster WOD is a workout that consists of you moving a weight such as a kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell, from the bottom of a front squat to the standing overhead position.
This movement is one of the most energy-draining exercises in CrossFit. The design of this long line of action makes the Thruster WOD an extraordinarily effective and challenging workout.
This WOD works your entire body, from your upper body and core to your lower body.
It also works your flexibility, coordination, power, stamina, strength, balance, and endurance.
How to Do Thruster WOD
- You first need to ensure both your feet are placed at shoulder width
- Clean the bar from the ground into a front rack position
- Put both hands on the bar just outside your shoulders
- Ensure you have a full grip on the barbell. Your elbows should be in front of the bar while you brace your core.
- Go low with your hips back. At the bottom, your knees should be higher than your hips. Maintain your lumbar curve. You know you are doing it right when your knees track your toes through the movement. Ensure your elbows aren’t on your knees.
- Extend your legs and hips rapidly while you press the bar overhead. Ensure your heels are down till your legs and hips are extended. At this point, the bar should be between your feet.
- Stand tall at the top o the movement to achieve full arm, knee, and hip extension.
Fran Workout
For the Fran workout, you will do 21-15-19 reps for time. It includes thrusters with 95/65 pounds and pull ups. It is a couplet of barbell thrusters.
This dumbbell thruster includes a front squat and push press combo.
The Fran workout is good for the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and shoulders. The pull ups target the lats, biceps, and forearms.
Related: 4 Squat WODs that build explosive power.
Tips for Getting a Good Rep
To achieve a good rep during your CrossFit workout, you need to do the following:
- Ensure you reach full arm, knee, and hip extension at the top of the movement
- Your elbows should remain in front of the bar
- Your hip crease should drop below your knee crease at the bottom of the squat movement
Want to make this workout even more challenging? Add a clean and turn it into a cluster!
It can be easy to become distracted by how seemingly easy this CrossFit workout is. This can cause you to do large sets of fast thrusters, mainly if the weight is light.
However, you should note that thrusters are extremely taxing, and they can tire you out.
The last thing you want when working on a WOD is to crawl to the next movement. You also need to make sure to always maintain proper form during any exercise.
To avoid this, you need to find a rhythm that matches your breath and movement during the exercise. Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down. This rhythm can help you pace yourself.
