Snatch (from floor)
Bodyweight Strength - The Snatch is one of the exercises performed in Weightlifting in the Olympics and it is a fantastic indicator and developer of functional strength, speed, explosiveness, power, flexibility, and rapid coordination of all of the muscles in the body at once. If you can perform a proper Snatch, you have reached a very high level of mastery over your body and have developed its many parts to cooperate very well together at a very high degree of efficiency. This can take years to develop. Before even attempting the full Snatch, it is important that you have already mastered the:
None of these prerequisite exercises are low level exercises either and they will each take time to master as well.
When you are finally ready to perform the full Snatch the technique will be as follows:
You will need bumper plates and an Olympic Lifting platform for this exercise. If your gym does not have these things then you either need to find another gym or not perform this exercise.
Step up to the loaded barbell on the floor and grip it with a Snatch Grip (very wide grip...the same grip that you use for an Overhead Squat). The particular with of your grip will be a matter of personal preference and it is something you will probably want to experiment with in order to determine what your preferred width is.
The first portion of the lift will be performed exactly like a Snatch Grip Deadlift but after the bar clears your knees and lower thighs you will accelerate your lifting speed rapidly and literally hit your hips with the bar as it comes towards your body (at what would be the top of the Deadlift motion) and as your hips thrust forwards and upwards into the bar. The instant the bar hits your hips and "bounces" up off of them, you will shrug your shoulders upwards rapidly and explosively with all the power you have in your body to continue (and accelerate) the bar's upward momentum.
The moment after your shrug, you will immediately drop down into the Overhead Squat position and "catch' the bar directly overhead, leaving you in the bottom position of the Overhead Squat. It is important to be patient and focused at this moment because you must stabilize the bar perfectly overhead here before you stand back up.
Once you are certain that you are stable, you will stand back up with the bar still overhead (exactly like you would when performing an Overhead Squat).
Once you have reached the full upright standing position you will simply drop the bar bar onto the ground from overhead. Be sure not to drop it on yourself of course. Drop it to your front and step backward so that you are out of the way when it lands and bounces.
If at any time during this lift, you lose control, it is important that you drop the bar on the ground (not on yourself) and jump out of the way immediately. Again, as mentioned above, gyms with an Olympic Lifting platform will not mind you doing this at all (as this is precisely what the rubber on the platforms is made for). However gyms without an Olympic Lifting platform may not allow you to drop weights in their gym. If this is so, you should either find another gym or not perform this exercise.
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com
None of these prerequisite exercises are low level exercises either and they will each take time to master as well.
When you are finally ready to perform the full Snatch the technique will be as follows:
You will need bumper plates and an Olympic Lifting platform for this exercise. If your gym does not have these things then you either need to find another gym or not perform this exercise.
Step up to the loaded barbell on the floor and grip it with a Snatch Grip (very wide grip...the same grip that you use for an Overhead Squat). The particular with of your grip will be a matter of personal preference and it is something you will probably want to experiment with in order to determine what your preferred width is.
The first portion of the lift will be performed exactly like a Snatch Grip Deadlift but after the bar clears your knees and lower thighs you will accelerate your lifting speed rapidly and literally hit your hips with the bar as it comes towards your body (at what would be the top of the Deadlift motion) and as your hips thrust forwards and upwards into the bar. The instant the bar hits your hips and "bounces" up off of them, you will shrug your shoulders upwards rapidly and explosively with all the power you have in your body to continue (and accelerate) the bar's upward momentum.
The moment after your shrug, you will immediately drop down into the Overhead Squat position and "catch' the bar directly overhead, leaving you in the bottom position of the Overhead Squat. It is important to be patient and focused at this moment because you must stabilize the bar perfectly overhead here before you stand back up.
Once you are certain that you are stable, you will stand back up with the bar still overhead (exactly like you would when performing an Overhead Squat).
Once you have reached the full upright standing position you will simply drop the bar bar onto the ground from overhead. Be sure not to drop it on yourself of course. Drop it to your front and step backward so that you are out of the way when it lands and bounces.
If at any time during this lift, you lose control, it is important that you drop the bar on the ground (not on yourself) and jump out of the way immediately. Again, as mentioned above, gyms with an Olympic Lifting platform will not mind you doing this at all (as this is precisely what the rubber on the platforms is made for). However gyms without an Olympic Lifting platform may not allow you to drop weights in their gym. If this is so, you should either find another gym or not perform this exercise.
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com