Thruster

What's all the fuss about Front Squats and Push Presses?

I remember the first time that I ever saw these two combined, in Mark Verstegen's brilliant Core Performance (2004). Obviously, the Crossfit guys had been waxing poetic about Fran already by that time, but I was blissfully ignorant up until this encounter from the renowned strength coach of Olympian Mia Hamm amongst others.
They performed the 'squat and push press' with a pair of dumbbells, and so did all of my clients, starting in 2005. Anyone that ever worked with me in a commercial gym setting, such as Gold's Gym (lovely experience that was), was always first introduced to the squat. Then the press. Then the push press. And then, off we went. A pair of dumbbells. 10+ feet of open space. How we must have appeared to almost anyone still satisfied with their combination of bodybuilding on machines and endless steady-state cardio, as we lunged around the room, performing single leg RDLs and 'pressing with our legs'. Cheating, as it were, until we almost puked.

It is with this in mind, that I must know, that you too know the 'Thruster'. The humble squat AND push press. Both worlds unto themselves, but when combined... otherworldly.

When people tell me they don't have time to work out, I tell them they're lying. If they somehow convince me that they indeed don't have much time, they are introduced to pukie*, by way of thruster.

So, here's some takes on a staple, not only of Crossfit, but of intuitive performance minded training the world over.
Crossfit;

Here's one from Crossfit Victoria; Featuring KBs.




I would have liked a better rack position with the KBs, but most Crossfitters tend to support the barbell, DBs or KBs in a 'press ready' position, rather than the more traditional Front Squat 'rack' which is also ideal for the jerk. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. With speed, making the transition over and over again from the rack to launch might be a little awkward. I guess it depends on what you learn first/what you are more comfortable with. I learned to jerk long before any of this other stuff came up, so for me it's 'the rack' all the way!

I hope you see, after examining their constituents in isolation, that when combining the two to create the 'thruster' you may experience an exercise greater than the sum of its parts.
With the sheer volume of work done, the metabolic and cardiovascular potential of the thruster should become obvious to anyone that attempts a moderate weight for anything more than 5 reps.
For further research, consult Catalyst Athletics' Physics Department.











*
(Pukie)

The push press

The Push Press is the middle sister on the continuum of vertical pushes...

First there's a strict press, military press, what have you. A motion that isolates the shoulder girdle and the muscles of arm extension and abduction(as much as any exercise can isolate) in their role of lifting the bar overhead.

Next you have the push press, where the hips are used to drive and create momentum on the bar that is then guided by the arms and the movement is completed by the locking out of the arms, typically against resistance, so here the role of the arms and shoulders have been reduced to say 50% of the equation.

Finally there is the jerk, where the hips drive the bar to a predetermined height, as the knees rebend to lower the body, allowing the athlete to catch the bar with the arms locked out overhead, with little or no work from the shoulders/arms. In the jerk, the load placed upon the arms should ideally be 25% or less.

Today I am pointing out some of the different ways people 'push' press, whether it be the way they teach or the implements they use.

Here's the first peice; Pat from Crossfit VA Beach teaching the dip portion-if you've been powerlifting for a while, the 'hips back' habit is hard to break!
Check it out



Here's one of the athlete's from Mike's Gym doing a barbell push press
check this out




Now, here's Valery Fedorenko of the AKC doing a few KB push presses. It's only one pood, but he completes several repetitions :)



The KB is very good for developing confidence, stability and mobility in the shoulders during lockout. The barbell is wonderful for incremental changes in load. Other common implements include dumbbells, sandbags, kegs and logs. Dumbbells are dumbbells. Sandbags vary so much in shape, density and solidity that it's difficult to generalize. Almost always, they are more difficult to press or jerk than their bar or bell equivalent. Kegs of course are like that too, but at least they have handles. They are only really heavy if they are filled (with liquid of course!) so they are all 'sloshy'. An 'odd' object overhead is almost always humbling and often as much psychological training as it is strength. In the beginning, I recommend sticking to bars, bells and the occasional Dynamax ball.