Dumbbell Thruster

Also known as: DB Thruster, Dumbbell Squat to Press

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Body Part: Legs

Description

A compound exercise that links a dumbbell front squat and an overhead press into one movement. You squat with a dumbbell at each shoulder, then use the drive from your legs to press both weights overhead as you stand. It works the quads, glutes and shoulders and is often used for conditioning.

How to Perform

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes turned slightly out. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders, palms facing each other and elbows pointing forward.
Brace your abs, lift your chest and look straight ahead.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down, keeping your heels on the floor and the dumbbells at your shoulders.
Lower yourself until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, with your back flat and your knees in line with your toes.
Drive through your whole foot and stand up powerfully, straightening your hips and knees.
As your legs straighten, carry that drive into the press and push both dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight and the weights are over your shoulders.
Lower the dumbbells under control to your shoulders and move straight into the next squat.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

In the squat, rest one end of each dumbbell on the front of your shoulders and keep your elbows forward, so the weights stay put and your chest stays up.
Take a breath and brace your abs before each squat, then breathe out as you press the dumbbells overhead.
Press the dumbbells straight up past your face and finish with your arms by your ears and the weights over your shoulders.
Look straight ahead throughout the rep. Looking down pulls your chest forward and looking up arches your back.
Choose the weight by your overhead press, not your squat, because the press is the weaker part of the movement.
Learn the timing with light dumbbells first and add load once the squat and press flow into one movement.

Common Mistakes

Letting the knees cave in during the squat.
Lifting the heels and shifting the weight onto the toes.
Cutting the squat short, well above parallel.
Rounding the lower back or letting the chest drop forward at the bottom.
Pausing at the top of the squat and pressing with the arms alone, which wastes the leg drive.
Leaning back and arching the lower back as the dumbbells go overhead.
Finishing the press with bent elbows.
Dropping into the squat or letting the dumbbells crash onto the shoulders.