Want to amp up your workout? Meet the dumbbell thruster. A combination strength training-cardio exercise, it'll get you stronger and increase your muscular endurance. A frequent move used in circuit training, as well as CrossFit workouts, it's a challenging exercise that'll spike your heart rate quickly.
Interestingly, a dumbbell thruster links two movements in one: the front squat and the overhead press. 'It’s a compound exercise, meaning multiple muscles and joints are used in one move,’ says Gede Foster, head of fitness at FiiT.
So, whether you're bored of squat variations or your pre-workout supplement has given you an unbridled amount of energy, here's everything you need to know about the thruster exercise.
What muscles do dumbbell thrusters work?
Thrusters work both the upper and lower body, including your:
- Quads
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Back
- Triceps
- Shoulders
- Core
7 benefits of dumbbell thrusters
- Uses multiple major muscle groups
- Targets your lower and upper body, as well as your core
- Builds muscle
- Improves cardiovascular ability
- A great finisher exercise
- Requires minimal home gym equipment
- Doesn't need much space
The dumbbell thruster is great for building strength and muscle, particularly in the legs, Foster says. ‘It’s super effective as part of a leg giant set [a superset of upwards of four moves] or in a finisher.’
And it’s not just for the legs – you’ll feel an upper-body burn and your core will be working hard, too, says personal trainer Samantha McGowan. While high-rep, light-weight sets will bring your heart rate up; heavy, low-rep sets will build muscle and some serious power.
They're also a pretty versatile move. They can be performed with a barbell and kettlebells too, to a similar effect.
How to do dumbbell thrusters
a) Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and engage your core.
b) Now stack the weights on your shoulders. ‘Squat by hingeing at the hips and imagine screwing your ankles, knees and thighs down and outwards as you lower,’ McGowan says.
‘This will ensure you’re creating tension in the muscles you’re trying to target, making sure they’re working as hard as they can.’
c) Once you’ve gone as low as your mobility will allow (ideally, your thighs will be parallel to the floor), drive through the heels to return to standing. As you come up, push the weights overhead, keeping your knees soft – then lower them back to your shoulders and repeat.
‘The key is creating a powerful drive upwards in one movement from your deep squat,’ says Foster. As far as DOMS go, expect to be hearing from your quads, glutes and hamstrings tomorrow morning. You’ve been warned.
If you're brand-new to resistance training, it's a good idea to get professional guidance before performing this move. If you have a lumbar spine injury, avoid it.
Signs you're doing dumbbell thrusters wrong
Your movement isn't fluid
Try not the think about the moves in terms of a separate squat and press, and stop moving between the two. If you're a beginner and need to practise a couple of times in this way, have at it – but make the steady, fluid motion something to work towards.
Your shoulders are doing all the work
Yes, they should be working, but it's the upward push of your legs that should be the driving force behind that overhead press.
Hex Dumbbell 10kg
SONGMICS Hex Dumbbells Set
Anchor's Adjustable 20kg Dumbbells
Umi Neoprene 1kg Dumbbells
Make it a workout
Try the giant set below. Don’t rest between moves, just go straight on from one to the next, resting for 1 to 2 mins at the end of the circuit. Repeat three times.
- 10 dumbbell deadlifts
- 10 bent-over rows
- 10 cleans
- 10 front squats
- 10 thrusters
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Kirsti is a health and fitness journalist, a personal trainer and tech junkie. She’s a South African journalist who followed her passion for health and fitness all the way to the UK, where she now spends her days sweating it up and perfecting her form in gyms all over London.
