Barbell Thruster

HamstringsTricepsDeltoidsAbdominalsCalvesQuadricepsGlutesForearmsBarbellBeginner
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with an overhand grip, placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Step 2: Bring the barbell up to shoulder height, resting it on the front of your shoulders with your elbows pointing forward. Step 3: Begin the movement by squatting down, keeping your chest up and your core engaged. Step 4: As you reach the bottom of the squat, push explosively through your heels to stand back up, simultaneously pressing the barbell overhead. Step 5: Fully extend your arms overhead, ensuring that the barbell is in line with your body. Step 6: Reverse the movement by bringing the barbell back down to shoulder height as you squat back down for the next repetition. Step 7: Repeat the exercise for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Barbell Thruster

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Thruster using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your hamstrings.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your hamstrings rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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