Quads exercise
Barbell ThrusterHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Quads, Glutes, Front delts
- Also works
- Triceps, Abs
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Thruster?
- Hold the bar on the front of your shoulders, hands just outside them, elbows forward.
- Squat until your hips are just below your knees.
- Drive up hard, and as your hips straighten, press the bar straight overhead.
- Lock your arms with the bar over the middle of your feet.
- Bring the bar back to your shoulders and go straight into the next squat.
Cues
- Elbows up in the squat.
- Hips first, then arms: one smooth move.
- Head back, then through.
Common mistakes
- Stopping at the top of the squat and pressing with the arms only.
- Letting the elbows drop so the bar pulls you forward.
- Finishing with the bar in front of your head.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
The CrossFit thruster: a front squat that flows straight into a push press in one movement.
Starting position
Bar in the front rack, resting on the front of the shoulders, full grip just outside the shoulders (hand to hand about 1.35 × shoulder width), elbows forward of the bar. Feet about shoulder-width, toes out about 15°. Stand tall with the weight over mid-foot.
The movement
Squat with the hips back and knees forward over the toes, chest up and elbows forward, until the hip crease is just below the top of the knee. Drive up hard; as the hips reach full extension the bar leaves the shoulders and the arms press it straight up. The head moves back to let the bar pass the face, then comes through under the bar at lockout. Lock the elbows with the bar over mid-foot and the biceps by the ears. Bring the bar back to the shoulders, soften the knees a little to take it, and go straight into the next squat.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace at the top before the squat; breathe out through the press; breathe in again as the bar returns to the shoulders.
Tempo
1.2 s down, about 0.65 s up, the press 0.6 s (it starts as the hips straighten), 0.2 s at lockout, 0.65 s back to the shoulders.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip, hand to hand | 1.35 × shoulder width (just outside the shoulders) | 1.2–1.5 × | |
| Stance | about shoulder-width, toes out 15° | 0.9–1.2 × shoulder width | |
| Depth: hip crease vs top of the knee | 4–5 cm below | at least level (CrossFit standard: below) | |
| Knee flexion at the bottom | 130° | 115–135° | |
| Trunk from vertical at the bottom | 28–32° | 20–35° | |
| Bar at lockout | over mid-foot (4 cm ahead of the ankle), elbows 176° | elbows ≥ 170° | |
| Bar clearance past the face | ≥ 5 cm | never touching | |
| Heel lift | 0 cm | 0 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Barbell Thruster is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- CrossFit, "The Thruster" (front squat into push press without pause, hips fully open before the press, lockout over the middle of the foot), CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide, movement standards (read 16 Oct 2026)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15
- ExRx.net, "Barbell Thruster" (front squat then press overhead as the legs straighten)
