How to do a Kettlebell Thruster
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Kettlebell Thruster
Workouts with Kettlebell Thruster
Instructions for Proper Form
This exercise is a variation on the more common Thruster. This exercise primarily targets your shoulders, triceps, and quads. By using a kettlebell in each hand, you ensure that you aren’t compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides. This is a great exercise for improving strength and power.
- Position a pair kettlebells outside your legs with your feet shoulder-width apart angled out slightly.
- Clean the kettlebells into a racked position at shoulder height keeping your forearms and wrists vertical to the ground and elbows tucked into your side, palms facing in.
- Begin to descend by reaching your hips slightly back.
- Your knees should track outward over your second toe and slightly forward as you descend while keeping your core braced to keep an upright torso as you sit between your legs.
- Squat until you can no longer maintain a neutral spine before explosively extending back upright carrying the momentum through your arms to extend the kettlebells overhead.
- Lower the kettlebells back to the starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Kettlebell Thruster
1. Kettlebell Overhead Press
46.2 mSCORESWAPPED 143 TIMESKettlebell Overhead Press is a variation on the more standard Shoulder Press. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. By performing the exercise one hand at a time, you add some instability to the movement, and will need to recruit your core for stability.
- Intermediate
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells
2. Kettlebell Upright Row
75.4 mSCORESWAPPED 72 TIMESKettlebell Upright Row is a variation on the more standard Upright Row. This compound exercise primarily targets your shoulders. The benefit to using a Kettlebell is the ability to pull the handle in opposite directions at the top of the movement. This can help improve muscle activation compared to other variations.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells
3. Kettlebell Halo
26.5 mSCORESWAPPED 48 TIMESKettlebell Halo is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders. The exercise involves raising a kettlebell, and circling your head with it. This is a great exercise for improving shoulder mobility in both the short and long term, and can be a great warm up exercise for anything that requires a lot of shoulder mobility. Because the kettlebell isn’t always inline with your center of mass, it requires some core stabilization.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells
4. Single Arm Bottoms-up Kettlebell Press
46 mSCORESWAPPED 45 TIMESThis exercise is a unilateral variation on the standard shoulder press. By using a single kettlebell you can more easily identify and address imbalances between sides. In addition, by holding the kettlebell in a bottoms-up position, you add instability to the movement which can improve muscle activation.
- Intermediate
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells
5. Dumbbell Thruster
62.6 mSCORESWAPPED 39 TIMESAdapts the traditional Thruster to use dumbbells, offering greater range of motion and requiring more stabilization. This variation targets the legs, shoulders, and core, improving overall strength, balance, and mobility. Suitable for individuals at all fitness levels, the Dumbbell Thruster is perfect for home workouts or when seeking to add variety to full-body training.
6. Kettlebell Jerk
46.8 mSCORESWAPPED 35 TIMESThis explosive compound exercise is a variation on the more common Jerk. Holding the weight in one hand makes it easier to identify and address any imbalances between sides. It’s a great exercise for developing strength and power, as well as improving your Jerk specifically.
- Intermediate
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells
7. Dumbbell Front Raise
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 31 TIMESDumbbell Front Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise, and can work well to isolate the shoulders to build strength and muscle mass. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
8. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 31 TIMESKettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
9. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
99.5 mSCORESWAPPED 26 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for slightly more instability than with equipment like barbells. This can help you recruit and develop stabilizing muscles around the shoulders. In addition, by using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
10. Standing Arnold Press
42.4 mSCORESWAPPED 23 TIMESSimilar to the seated version, the Standing Arnold Press is a compound movement that primarily targets the shoulders. By performing this exercise while standing, you engage additional stabilizing muscles in the core and legs. This makes it a more functional exercise, improving balance and coordination while building strength and muscle mass in the shoulders.