Barbell thruster question

Rich Krauss · 05-26-2006, 02:56 AM

when I do a barbell thruster, I am pausing between the front squat and press to adjust my wrists and grip, esp. on the way down; is there a more efficient method to transition between the front squat and press?

Larry Lindenman · 05-26-2006, 04:21 AM

Rich, the more you do the better you will become with the transition. The bar should come down in a good front squat position (almost choking you), your elbows raise to keep the bar in position. When rising from the hole, the hands take a stronger grip and the elbows drop for the push. Good thing about CF, you'll see these a lot!

Rene Renteria · 05-26-2006, 10:44 AM

I do these differently than Larry describes, keeping my fingertip rack grip until the bar has left my shoulders. This is due to the facts that I'm not that strong and have poor flexibility such that I can't keep the bar in contact with my shoulders (for the drive up) and have a palm-grip around the bar.

So I'm altering my grip after the bar has left my shoulders, when it's still "weightless" and moving up from the leg drive/push.

After a thruster, I re-rack the bar and go back to my rack grip, which takes a pause. But I don't pause at the end of the front squat because the end of a thruster is a push-press, not a strict press, using the last part of the FS as the push.

Here's a thread about it:
http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/22/14015.html

Best,
Rene'

(Message edited by rrenteri on May 26, 2006)

Keith Wittenstein · 05-26-2006, 12:17 PM

Short answer: dumbbells.

Long answer: experiment with different grips. I say try slightly wider with the thumbs just wider than the shoulders. Take a lightly loaded barbell and practice rolling your elbows up and down from the racked position to the drive position. You should be able to find a way to roll the bar off the palms onto the fingertips and shoulders when you lift the elbows then lower the elbows and allow the bar to roll back to the palms.

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05-26-2006, 02:56 AM	#1
Rich Krauss Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Roslyn NY Posts: 96	when I do a barbell thruster, I am pausing between the front squat and press to adjust my wrists and grip, esp. on the way down; is there a more efficient method to transition between the front squat and press?

05-26-2006, 04:21 AM	#2
Larry Lindenman Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 2,769	Rich, the more you do the better you will become with the transition. The bar should come down in a good front squat position (almost choking you), your elbows raise to keep the bar in position. When rising from the hole, the hands take a stronger grip and the elbows drop for the push. Good thing about CF, you'll see these a lot!

05-26-2006, 10:44 AM	#3
Rene Renteria Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Francisco CA Posts: 364	I do these differently than Larry describes, keeping my fingertip rack grip until the bar has left my shoulders. This is due to the facts that I'm not that strong and have poor flexibility such that I can't keep the bar in contact with my shoulders (for the drive up) and have a palm-grip around the bar. So I'm altering my grip after the bar has left my shoulders, when it's still "weightless" and moving up from the leg drive/push. After a thruster, I re-rack the bar and go back to my rack grip, which takes a pause. But I don't pause at the end of the front squat because the end of a thruster is a push-press, not a strict press, using the last part of the FS as the push. Here's a thread about it: http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/22/14015.html Best, Rene' (Message edited by rrenteri on May 26, 2006)

05-26-2006, 12:17 PM	#4
Keith Wittenstein Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: New York New York Posts: 945	Short answer: dumbbells. Long answer: experiment with different grips. I say try slightly wider with the thumbs just wider than the shoulders. Take a lightly loaded barbell and practice rolling your elbows up and down from the racked position to the drive position. You should be able to find a way to roll the bar off the palms onto the fingertips and shoulders when you lift the elbows then lower the elbows and allow the bar to roll back to the palms.