Barbell Snatch

How to do it

Setup

1. Stand over the loaded barbell with feet hip-width apart and the bar over the balls of the feet.
2. Grip the bar with a wide snatch grip using a hook grip, keeping arms long and relaxed.
3. Lower the hips, lift the chest, pull the shoulders slightly ahead of the bar, and flatten the spine to build full-body tension.

Movement

1. Initiate the first pull by pushing through the full foot to elevate the bar smoothly past the knees while maintaining the back angle.
2. Once the bar clears the knees, transition into the second pull by violently extending the hips, knees, and ankles while bringing the bar close to the hip crease.
3. Shrug the shoulders and pull the body downward rapidly under the rising bar.
4. Turn over the wrists and punch aggressively against the bar into a full overhead squat with arms locked.
5. Stabilize the bottom position, then stand erect to full hip and knee extension with the barbell locked overhead.
6. Lower or drop the barbell forward under control onto a lifting surface.

Breathing

Take a deep breath and brace the core tightly before initiating the pull from the floor; exhale forcefully once standing fully erect at the completion of the lift.

Cues

• Push the floor away
• Keep the bar close
• Violent hip extension
• Punch up fast into the catch

Common faults

Swinging the barbell outward away from the body in an arc.

Keep the lats engaged and elbows high and outside during the pull to keep the bar traveling vertically close to the torso.

Bending the arms prematurely before complete hip extension.

Keep arms long like ropes until the hips and knees reach full extension in the second pull.

Catching with soft elbows and pressing out the bar overhead.

Pull under the bar aggressively and punch into a crisp, immediate lockout before catching the load.

Safety

• Use bumper plates on a designated lifting platform with ample clearance.
• Practice dumping and bailing the barbell forward and backward safely before handling heavy loads.

Muscles

• Gluteus maximus prime mover
• Quadriceps prime mover
• Hamstrings prime mover
• Trapezius synergist
• Erector spinae synergist
• Gastrocnemius synergist
• Deltoid stabilizer
• Triceps brachii stabilizer
• Rectus abdominis stabilizer

Joints

• Hip: Extension, Flexion
• Knee: Extension, Flexion
• Ankle: Plantarflexion, Dorsiflexion
• Shoulder blade: Elevation, Upward rotation
• Shoulder: Flexion, Abduction, Isometric stabilization
• Elbow: Extension, Isometric stabilization
• Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement

Olympic lift, Hip hinge, Squat, Vertical pull

Modality

Olympic weightlifting, Power, Strength

Mechanics

compound

Force

pull

Laterality

bilateral

Kinetic chain

closed

Level

advanced

Equipment

Barbell; Weight plate

Record

Repetitions and Load

Load

external, total

Related

• progression of Barbell Overhead Squat
• progression of Dumbbell Snatch

Sources

• wger: Snatch, by Mens Fitness (CC0-1.0)
• wger: Snatch OL, by M9 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

barbell-snatch.json