Quads exercise
Dumbbell ThrusterHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Quads, Front delts
- Also works
- Glutes, Triceps, Cardio
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Thruster?
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell at each shoulder, palms facing in.
- Brace your stomach, push your hips back and squat until your thighs are about level with the floor.
- Drive up through your feet and, as you stand, press both dumbbells straight overhead in one movement.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders with control and go straight into the next squat.
Cues
- Chest up, elbows up in the squat.
- Use your legs to drive the press.
- Finish with arms straight by your ears.
Common mistakes
- Squatting then pressing as two moves: let the push from your legs carry the dumbbells up.
- Knees falling in: push your knees out over your toes as you rise.
- Arching your back at the top: squeeze your stomach and buttocks as the arms lock out.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Two dumbbells held at the shoulders, palms facing each other; a front squat to about parallel, then one continuous drive up into an overhead press. This is ACE's dumbbell thruster; the squat part follows NASM's dumbbell front squat.
Starting position
Standing, feet hip to shoulder width apart (about 25–35 cm between the heels), toes turned out 10–15°. A dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other, one end of each resting on the front of the shoulder, elbows pointing forward and slightly down. Chest up, core braced, weight over mid-foot.
The movement
Push the hips back and bend the knees to lower into a front squat, keeping the chest up and the dumbbells resting on the shoulders. At the bottom, drive through the whole foot; as the hips and knees straighten, carry that speed straight into pressing both dumbbells overhead in one smooth movement. Finish standing tall with straight arms, dumbbells over the shoulders and mid-foot. Lower the dumbbells back to the shoulders under control, then start the next squat. The dumbbells travel in a near-vertical line.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace before the squat; breathe out through the drive and press.
Tempo
One rep, about 3.2 s: squat down 1.2 s, drive up and press 0.8 s, pause at the top 0.4 s, lower the dumbbells to the shoulders 0.8 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Torso 20–30° forward of vertical at the bottom; knees track over the second and third toes.
- Heels stay flat; weight over mid-foot.
- Press top: elbows straight, upper arms by the ears, shoulder elevation about 170–180°; arms angle out slightly, elbows at about 11 and 1 o'clock (ACE).
- Dumbbells finish 5–10 cm apart above the head, palms still facing each other.
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 Dumbbell 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
