How to do a Dumbbell Thruster
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand racked at your shoulders, palms facing in.
- Keep your chest up and core tight, elbows pointing forward.
- Squat down until your thighs reach about parallel.
- Drive powerfully through your heels to stand.
- Use that momentum to press both dumbbells straight overhead, then lower them back to your shoulders.
Keep in mind
- Squat to depth first, then let the press ride the drive out of the bottom.
- Keep the weights resting on the shoulders through the squat.
- Press to full lockout with the ribs down.
- Make it one movement, not a squat followed by a press.
Common mistakes
- Pressing only after standing up fully — the two halves should flow together.
- Leaning back at the top to finish the press — go lighter and stay stacked.
- The elbows dropping in the squat so the weights slide forward — keep them up.
Breathing
Breathe in at the top, out as you drive up and press.
Take care
One of the most demanding moves here and it raises the heart rate fast — pick a weight you can control on the last rep, not the first.
Easier and harder
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