The thruster is CrossFit's signature movement: a front squat that flows directly into a push press in one continuous drive. No single exercise demands more from more muscle at once - legs, hips, trunk, shoulders and lungs all pay full price. It's the engine of Fran, Jackie, Kalsu and half the Open workouts ever programmed. Light thrusters are a conditioning nightmare; heavy thrusters are a full-body strength test. Both hurt.
| Level (x Bodyweight) | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| beginner | 0.35x | 0.22x |
| novice | 0.55x | 0.38x |
| intermediate | 0.8x | 0.55x |
| advanced | 1.1x | 0.8x |
| elite | 1.4x | 1x |
1RM as a multiple of bodyweight.
One motion, not two: the bar should accelerate continuously from the bottom of the squat to overhead lockout - any pause at the shoulders wastes the leg drive. Breathe at the top, every rep. Keep elbows high in the front rack and let the bar rest on the shoulders, not the wrists. In workouts, smooth medium sets with short breaks beat huge sets to failure; thruster fatigue arrives suddenly and doesn't leave. Cycle reps by lowering the bar directly into the next squat.
Progression: goblet thruster with a kettlebell, then dumbbell thrusters, then the empty bar. The standard scaling in workouts is simply less weight - the movement itself is infinitely scalable.
Enter your 1RM above to see your training percentages.
Log every result, see your progress over time, and know exactly where you stand.