Snatch

How to do the Snatch

1. Place your feet at a shoulder width stance with the barbell resting right above the connection between the toes and the rest of the foot.
2. With a palms facing down grip, bend at the knees and keeping the back flat grab the bar using a wider than shoulder width grip. Bring the hips down and make sure that your body drops as if you were going to sit on a chair. This will be your starting position.
3. Start pushing the floor as if it were a moving platform with your feet and simultaneously start lifting the barbell keeping it close to your legs.
4. As the bar reaches the middle of your thighs, push the floor with your legs and lift your body to a complete extension in an explosive motion.
5. Lift your shoulders back in a shrugging movement as you bring the bar up while lifting your elbows out to the side and keeping them above the bar for as long as possible.
6. Now in a very quick but powerful motion, you have to get your body under the barbell when it has reached a high enough point where it can be controlled and drop while locking your arms and holding the barbell overhead as you assume a squat position.
7. Finalize the movement by rising up out of the squat position to finish the lift. At the end of the lift both feet should be on line and the arms fully extended holding the barbell overhead.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	quads
Secondary	biceps, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders, traps, triceps
Equipment	barbell
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No barbell? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Mountain Climbers Bodyweight Iron Crosses (stretch) Bodyweight Star Jump Bodyweight Squats - With Bands Resistance Bands Alternate Leg Diagonal Bound Bodyweight Bench Jump Bodyweight

Easier than the Snatch

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Sandbag Load beginner · Other Equipment Backward Drag beginner · Other Equipment Cable Deadlifts beginner · Cable Machine

Harder than the Snatch

One-Arm Side Deadlift expert · Barbell Snatch from Blocks expert · Barbell

Common questions

What muscles does the Snatch work?

The Snatch primarily works the quads, with the biceps, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders, traps, and triceps as secondary movers. Power Snatch from Blocks, Snatch from Blocks, and Hang Clean train the same muscle, across 9 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Snatch?

A Barbell. Without a barbell, Mountain Climbers, Iron Crosses (stretch), and Star Jump train the same muscle, and 27 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Snatch suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Sandbag Load, Backward Drag, and Cable Deadlifts and work up.

Where should the Snatch go in a workout?

Early — the Snatch is compound, working 8 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh.

Similar exercises

Power Snatch from Blocks Barbell Snatch from Blocks Barbell Hang Clean Barbell Hang Clean - Below the Knees Barbell Split Clean Barbell Clean Pull Barbell