How to do it
Take a deep breath and brace your core before lifting the bar off the floor.
- 1
Begin with a barbell on the ground and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- 2
Bend at the hips and knees to grip the bar with an overhand grip.
- 3
Explosively extend your hips and knees to clean the bar up to your shoulders.
- 4
Once the bar is racked at your shoulders, perform a front squat.
- 5
As you drive up from the squat, use the momentum to press the bar overhead.
- 6
Lower the bar back to your shoulders and then to the ground to complete one repetition.
Expert tip
Keep your elbows high during the clean to ensure a secure rack position, which will make the transition to the thruster more efficient.
Common mistakes
- ✕Pressing overhead before finishing the squat
- ✕Letting the bar drift away from the body
- ✕Collapsing the knees inward during the squat