These AMRAP Thrusters Workouts for CrossFit Athletes are the perfect way to significantly develop your mental and physical fitness.
AMRAP means “as many reps as possible” and is a perfect format for building intensity, conditioning, endurance and mental toughness into your workouts.
The acronym AMRAP sounds weird at first, but it’s a simple concept and adds a new dimension to your usual training routine. Besides “as many reps as possible”, it can also mean “as many rounds as possible”.
An AMRAP workout works like this: You have a certain number of reps of each exercises to complete in every set before moving onto the next. Once you have completed all the sets you go back to the start and begin again. That counts as one round.
THE THRUSTER
The Thruster, in which you move a weight or implement (e.g. barbell, dumbbell(s), or kettlebell(s)) from the bottom of a front squat to the standing overhead position, is one of the most draining exercises in functional fitness.
The long line of action required in the thruster makes this movement brutally difficult—and effective. It works your lower body, upper body, core, balance, endurance, flexibility, coordination, strength, stamina, and power.
Set-Up: Start with your feet at a shoulder-width stance. Clean the bar from the ground into the front rack position. Place your hands just outside your shoulders. Get a full grip on the bar with your elbows in front of the bar. Brace your core.
Execution: Descend your hips back and down. At the bottom, your hips should be lower than your knees. Maintain your lumbar curve. Your knees should track your toes throughout the movement. Keep your elbows off of your knees. Extend your hips and legs rapidly, then press the bar overhead. Keep your heels down until your hips and legs extend. The bar moves over the middle of your feet. Stand tall at the top of the movement to reach full hip, knee and arm extension.
Points of Performance: To get a “good rep,” ensure the following:
– Your hip crease drops below your knee crease at the bottom of the squat
– Your elbows stay in front of the bar
– You reach full hip, knee and arm extension at the top
Pro-Tip: It’s easy to get lured into doing big sets of fast thrusters, especially if they’re light. But thrusters are a taxing movement that empty your tank and the last thing you want in a WOD is to crawl breathlessly to your next movement. Find a rhythm by matching your breath to the movement: inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. (Use this same rhythm when you perform wall ball shots, as wall balls and thrusters have very similar movement patterns.)
TECHNIQUE TIPS: PACING
Think about your pacing. For longer AMRAPS, this is especially important. Be smart about how long the workout is, should your pace be the same for a 3 minute AMRAP and a 30 minute one? No, probably not. Work slightly harder than you think you can, and you will be surprised at what you are able to achieve.
AMRAP THUSTER WORKOUTS
1 RAHOI
AMRAP in 12 minutes
12 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
6 Thrusters (95/65 lb)
6 Bar Facing Burpees
On a 12-minute clock, perform as many rounds and repetitions as possible (AMRAP) of the prescribed work in the order written.
Score is the total number of rounds and repetitions completed before the 12-minute clock stops.
2 HOPE
3 Rounds For Total Reps in 17 minutes
1 minute Burpees
1 minute Power Snatches (75/55 lb)
1 minute Box Jumps (24/20 in)
1 minute Thrusters (75/55 lb)
1 minute Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
1 minute Rest
Athlete moves from among five stations after a minute each. After the five-minute round a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the athlete moves to next station immediately. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point. See: “Hope” workout scorecard.
Good Scores for “Hope” (source)
– Beginner: 8 Burpees + 4 Snatches + 12 Box Jumps + 6 Thrusters + 4 C2B
– Intermediate: 10 Burpees + 6 Snatches + 14 Box Jumps + 8 Thrusters + 6 C2B
– Advanced: 15 Burpees + 10 Snatches + 18 Box Jumps + 12 Thrusters + 12 C2B
– Elite: 20 Burpees + 21 Snatches + 26 Box Jumps + 19 Thrusters + 21 C2B
3 QUARTER GONE BAD
5 Rounds For Total Reps in 15 minutes
15 seconds Thrusters (135/95 lb)
45 seconds Rest
15 seconds Weighted Pull-Ups (50/30 lb)
45 seconds Rest
15 seconds Burpees
45 seconds Rest
Each round is 3 minutes. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. Move from each of three stations after 15 seconds of work and 45 seconds of rest. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep completed within each 15-second work window.
4 AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – VIOLA
AMRAP in 25 minutes
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, etc. Reps of:
Thrusters (95/65 lb)
Pull-Ups
Over-the-Bar Burpees
Start a 25-minute clock and perform 3 reps of thrusters, pull-ups, and over-the-bar burpees, then perform 6 reps of each movement, then 9 of each, etc. increasing rep count for each movement by 3 until time is up.
Score is the total number of repetitions completed. Rep counts for the end of the first 7 rounds:
Round of 3: 9 reps
Round of 6: 27 reps
Round of 9: 54 reps
Round of 12: 90 reps
Round of 15: 135 reps
Round of 18: 189 reps
Round of 21: 252 reps
etc.
5 AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – FOO
AMRAP in 20 minutes
7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
77 Double-Unders
2 Squat Clean Thrusters (170/125 lb)
28 Sit-Ups
Buy-In:
13 Bench Presses (170/125 lb)
Start the workout by completing 13 Bench Presses, not for time. Then immediately start the 20-minute clock and the AMRAP portion of the workout. Each round is 114 repetitions.
Score is the total number of rounds and repetitions completed (excluding the bench press) before the 20-minute clock stops.
6 “CYRUS, ELI, JANIE, LIAM AND MARY”
Five 5-minute AMRAPs in 25 minutes
From 0:00-5:00
16 calorie Row
16 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
From 5:00-10:00
16 Thrusters (75/53 lb)
16 Pull-Ups
From 10:00-15:00
16 Burpees
16 Dumbbell Snatches (45/25 lb)
From 15:00-20:00
16 Mountain Climbers
16 Kettlebell Swings (53/35 lb)
From 20:00-25:00
16 Push-Ups
16 Sit-Ups
With a running clock, perform as many repetitions as possible (AMRAP) of each section, during the time allotted. Score is total number of repetitions (1 calorie on the rower = 1 rep).
CrossFit Waterbury of Vermont created this WOD in memory of five local high school students who were killed when their car was struck by a wrong-way driver. They were all in their junior year.
From CrossFit Waterbury “On 10/9/2016 our community suffered a huge loss, when 5 young teens were taken from us much too soon. We will do this WOD every year, on the Saturday following 10/9, in honor of Cyrus Zschau, Eli Brookens, Janie Cozzi, Liam Hale, and Mary Harris, all 16 years old.”
7 ASSAULT ROAD BLOCK
AMRAP in 21 minutes
3 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
6 Bar Over Burpees
9 Pull-Ups
12 Hand Release Push-Ups
15 calorie Assault Air Bike
8 AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – ASSAULT BREAKDOWN
AMRAP in 21 minutes
3 Squat Cleans (135/95 lb)
6 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
9 Bent Over Rows (135/95 lb)
15 Push-Ups
18 Russian Twists (25/15 lb)
21 calorie Assault Air Bike
9 AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – FOUR LEAF CLOVER
AMRAP in 28 minutes
2 mins of Burpee Box Jumps (24/20 in)
2 mins of Thrusters (65/45 lb)
2 mins of Sit-Ups
2 mins of Kettlebell Swings (35/26 lb)
2 mins of Rest
Perform max reps of each movement for 2 minutes before moving immediately to the next movement. Rest for 2 minutes after every round.
10 THIRTY ONE HEROES (PARTNER)
AMRAP (with a Partner) in 31 minutes
Partner A performs AMRAP of:
8 Thrusters (155/105 lb)
6 Rope Climbs (15 ft)
11 Box Jumps (30/24 in)
While Partner B performs:
400 meter Sandbag Run (45/25 lb)
Partners switch after each Run.
Partner A performs as many rounds and repetitions as possible (AMRAP) of the Thrusters, Rope Climbs, and Box Jumps while Partner B performs a 400 meter Run with a Sandbag. When Partner B returns from the Run, that Partner picks up on the AMRAP where Partner A left off. Partner A starts the Run. Partners switch after each Run. Mark a round after each set of 11 Box Jumps.
Score is the total number of rounds and repetitions completed before the 31-minute clock stops.
AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – Tips & Strategy
Understanding that this is 31 minutes of continuous movement for both partners with heavier weights, odd objects, and challenging movements, it is all about just finding a way to keep moving forward. It is not about going fast, rather trying to not stop moving for the entirety of the workout. Finding one of the four movements to become the “mental rest” will better allow teams to keep going. For many athletes, this will be the box jumps, as this is the only time that they are not holding onto something under tension. For some, it may be the runs. A slower run means that the buddy with the sandbag can catch their breath a bit as the partner inside gets a little more work done. Find a pace and break-up strategy and put it on cruise control.
AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – Scaling Options
The workout is on the longer side, the Box is on the higher side and the weight of the Thruster is on the heavier side. Legs will fatigue from the Run and Thrusters, so consider using a shorter Box if you’re not confident with the higher box. Load the Barbell with a weight you could complete 8+ unbroken repetitions when fresh. If high volume Rope Climbs aren’t in your wheelhouse yet, substitute for Strict Pull-Ups or Ring Rows or another Rope Climb scaling option (see: Rope Climb Scaling Options).
AMRAP Thrusters Workouts – Intermediate
AMRAP (with a Partner) in 31 minutes
Partner A performs AMRAP of:
8 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
6 Strict Pull-Ups
11 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
While Partner B performs:
400 meter Sandbag Run (20/15 lb)
Partners switch after each Run.
