Kettlebell Thruster
A thruster with a kettlebell in each hand: squat with the bells in the front rack, then drive up and press both overhead in one motion. It trains the quads, glutes and shoulders and asks for a solid rack. Log the weight of one bell.
Updated
Primary muscles: Front Delts, Quadriceps. Supporting muscles: Triceps, Glutes, Core. Equipment: Kettlebell.
Muscles worked
Primary
Equipment
How to do it
- Clean two kettlebells to the front rack, handles diagonal in the palms and bells resting on the outside of the forearms.
- Set your feet shoulder width and pin the elbows close to the ribs.
- Squat to just below parallel with the chest tall and the heels down.
- Drive up through the whole foot and extend the hips hard.
- Use the drive to press both bells overhead until the elbows lock with the wrists stacked over the shoulders.
- Lower the bells back to the rack under control before the next squat.
Watch for
- Wrists bending back under the bells in the press.
- Elbows flaring wide in the rack.
- Heels lifting at the bottom of the squat.
Breathing
Inhale and brace before you squat, hold it through the bottom and the drive, exhale as the bells pass your face.
Tip
If the bells slide off the forearms in the squat, clean them again rather than grabbing them with bent wrists.
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