Exercise - Thrusters Rock !

Thrusters are a compound movement - they involve and activate big muscle groups such as quads and chest plus smaller groups such as shoulders and glutes. A great warm up with lighter weights or another exercise as part of a chest / legs day gym routine.

Doing it right - as always, form matters so much for both safety and effective strength gains. This move begins with knees bent and slightly flared outward, feet wide, core engaged. We start the movement using legs only. Much like a squat, you will be driving your pelvis forward to get the load heading upward. Once you reach the top of the leg drive, it’s time for your upper body to kick in and do it’s part. Using your chest and shoulders, drive the load all the way to the top. Once there, you should lower the weight all the way back down slowly and under control, bending your legs a bit at the bottom of the cycle.

Doing this on a machine as shown is safest but you can do it with dumbbells instead - either way it can really get your body warmed up and ready for more specific exercises such as leg press, shoulder and chest press too. As with all gym moves, start with light weights, focus on form and build up over time.