Santos is a fan of the thruster because it combines squatting and vertical pushing, using nearly every muscle to perform it correctly. "The squat alone involves every lower-body muscle from the low back to the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and even the calves," she says. "Adding in the overhead press utilizes a bunch of upper-body muscles with a focus on the shoulders and the core."
- Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip-distance apart, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair.
- Press into feet to straighten your legs and return to standing, using the momentum to press the dumbbells overhead, weights directly above shoulders. That's one rep.
- Do three sets of 15 reps.
