How to Perform the Snatch: Form and Technique Guide
Master the snatch with our expert guide. Learn proper barbell technique, common mistakes to avoid, and how to build explosive shoulder power.
How to Perform
- Approach the barbell with a wide overhand grip and your shins touching the bar, keeping your back flat and chest upright.
- Initiate the pull by driving through your heels, keeping the bar close to your shins while maintaining a constant back angle.
- Once the bar passes your knees, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles to propel the weight upward.
- Perform a shrug with your shoulders and pull your body under the bar as it reaches peak height.
- Catch the barbell overhead with locked arms while dropping into a deep squat position.
- Drive upward from the squat to a standing position while keeping the weight stabilized directly over your midfoot.
- Lower the barbell in a controlled manner back to the floor or drop it if using bumper plates on a lifting platform.
Common Mistakes
- Rounding the lower back during the initial pull from the floor.
- Allowing the barbell to drift too far forward away from the body.
- Bending the arms too early before the hips have reached full extension.
- Failing to fully lock out the elbows when catching the bar overhead.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Shoulders
Stabilizers
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Lower Back
- Trapezius
Related Guides
- Arm Raises (T/Y/I) — Shoulders
- Arnold Press — Shoulders
- Australian pull-ups — Shoulders
Shoulders · Shoulders