Thruster (Dumbbell)
Front squat with dumbbells at the shoulders and use the drive out of the bottom to press them overhead.
- Pattern
- Press overhead
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Works
- Quads, glutes, front delt, triceps
- Loads
- Shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, lower back
If something hurts
Not medical advice. Sharp pain, numbness or swelling needs someone qualified to look at it.
Each swap below spares one joint.
Shoulder Squat (Barbell)
The squat alone: the shoulder, elbow and wrist stay out of it.
Elbow Squat (Barbell)
The squat alone: the shoulder, elbow and wrist stay out of it.
Wrist Squat (Barbell)
The squat alone: the shoulder, elbow and wrist stay out of it.
Lower back Belt Squat
Hip-driven, held at the hips; the back stays out of it.
Hip Sissy Squat
Knee-only movement; the hip barely moves.
When it stalls, these usually help
Direct work for your glutes, which this lift also depends on.
Direct work for your front delts, which this lift also depends on.
How Swolver coaches it
This lift is read from your own sessions. When it goes flat for four weeks, Swolver names the likely cause in plain words, such as weekly sets that dropped, and the one change to make. The rules are all on the method page.