How to perfect every type of snatch you'll do in CrossFit

How to perfect every type of snatch you'll do in CrossFit

Athletes trotting across the floor on their hands, performing single-leg pistol squats and flinging their bodies gracefully over pull-up bars. There's no shortage of people doing badass exercises in a CrossFit box at any time. But perhaps the most epic of all is the Snatch.

The snatch—which can be performed with a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell—projects the weight upward from the floor in a fluid motion.

The snatch is arguably the most technical movement in CrossFit and requires a bit of finesse to pull off (pun absolutely intended!). But physical therapist Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault, says you shouldn't let that stop you from incorporating this sick-looking, super-Instagramable move into your exercise routine.

“Anyone willing to put in the work to learn to snatch can reap the mobility and strength benefits of the moment,” he says. While the snatch is one of the main exercises in Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit, he says, "You don't have to be a CrossFit Games athlete, CrossFitter or Olympic weightlifter to do it."

Want to learn? Scroll down for your snatch cripping sheet. Below, learn the benefits of the exercise—and how to perform each snatch variation featured in CrossFit WODs.

Benefits of snatching

The snatch is essentially the exact opposite of moves like the hamstring curl and the bicep curl, which only work one muscle group at a time. “The snatch is a complex and dynamic movement that uses almost every muscle group in the body,” says American weightlifter, kettlebell trainer and personal trainer Rebecca Rouse. Yes, throwing a weight from the floor up over your head engages your hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, traps, shoulders, triceps, forearms, biceps, and entire core.

And the snatch doesn't just work your midline muscles a teeny tiny bit — it works them A LOT, says Wickham. "The movement requires a lot of stability, which means your core needs to be working at full speed to keep you balanced and controlled as you move the weight." Beyond just sculpting six-pack abs, a strong core is essential for good posture and balance as you age, helping you lift, throw, kick, push, and punch far and powerfully.

Rouse adds: Because snatching can build muscle mass just like other resistance exercises, regularly incorporating the exercise into your routine can actually speed up your metabolism. And a fast metabolism? This means more calories are burned in and out of the gym.

“The snatch can also help build strength, explosiveness, speed, body awareness and coordination,” says Rouse. You've heard of plyometric exercises, right? Welp, this move is one of the best. As Wickham says, "Just think about how strong your legs have to be and how fast you have to move to get a heavy barbell over your head."

While the snatch requires some flexibility as a prerequisite, practicing the snatch (even with a PVC pipe or broomstick) can improve mobility in the ankles, thoracic spine, shoulders and hips, according to Wickham. “You need to push your muscle through its end ranges of motion (or as far as the joint is capable) with a barbell snatch, which is good for improving mobility,” he says. (See also: Why You Should Care About Thoracic Spine Mobility).

How to perform every type of snatch in CrossFit

Considering that CrossFit's schtick is "constantly varied functional movement," it shouldn't surprise you that there isn't just one type of snatch that's regularly performed in CrossFit. There are many. But don't worry: "Although there are many different variations of the snatch, the skills transfer from one to the other," says Tony Milgram CF-L1, coach at ICE NYC in New York. Phew.

If you plan on attending a CrossFit box, the trainers there can teach you how to do them all! And if you don't plan on joining a box, Rouse highly recommends hiring a trainer to help you master the move. “A qualified trainer will know how to teach, guide and correct the imperfections of each movement.”

The barbell snatch

The snatch variation you'll see most often in CrossFit? The barbell snatch. “You can do power snatch or squat snatch with a barbell,” says Milgram. But a strength is generally considered "easier" for people new to lifting and those with limited mobility because it doesn't require squats. It only requires quarter squats.

Below, Milgram and Rouse explain step by step how to do a power snatch in CrossFit.

A) Start with the loaded barbell on the floor with the bar over your feet. The feet should be about hip-width apart, with the toes turned slightly outwards.

B) Squat down and position your hands in a snatch grip (wide enough for the bar to sit in the crook of your hips when standing upright with your arms extended). Ideally use a hook grip (thumb around the bar).

C) Get into the starting position: screw the little fingers into the bar to tense the lats. Raise your hips so they are slightly higher than your knees and push your knees outward.

D) Straighten your legs as you pull the barbell up alongside your body with your arms straight.

E) As the barbell brushes against the middle of the thighs, drive the hips forward (letting the feet leave the floor). Pull your elbows up to raise the barbell overhead.

F) Land in a quarter squat (feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out) as you quickly move into an overhead squat position under the bar.

G) Once the overhead bar is stable, stand up to complete the lift before lowering the bar back to the floor.

Once you've mastered the power snatch broken down above, you can try the barbell squat snatch. In the squat snatch, instead of catching the barbell overhead with your legs in a quarter squat, you catch it at the bottom of your squat and then press the bar overhead as you stand up.

"The squat snatch is a challenging movement that requires a lot of required ankle, hip, shoulder and thoracic spine mobility, but the movement allows advanced lifters to lift more weight than they otherwise could," says Wickham. And more weight = more gains.

LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Ba9mnn_n8/

OR https://www.instagram.com/p/B50FDGHH3Mu/

The dumbbell snatch

If you're not comfortable with a barbell or don't have access to one, you can try performing a one-arm snatch with a dumbbell or kettlebell. Using a dumbbell or kettlebell not only requires less equipment, but it also improves your unilateral strength. (Related: What Is Unilateral Training and Why It's Important).

Wickham explains, "Most people have a strong side and a weak side. One-arm exercises can help make the weaker side as strong as the stronger side." In bilateral movements like the barbell snatch, the stronger side can compensate for the less strong side, which actually prevents the weaker arm from getting stronger, he says. Unilateral movements promote muscle symmetry, which in the long term prevents problems such as overuse injuries.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9520DJiFmvE

If you have a choice between dumbbell or kettlebell snatch, Rouse recommends starting with a dumbbell. “The one-arm dumbbell snatch is the simplest of the snatch,” she says. Here's how:

A) Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell horizontal on the floor between them.

B) Squat down and grab the middle of the dumbbell with one hand.

C) Straighten your legs as you lift the dumbbell off the floor next to your body.

D) As the dumbbell passes at hip height, extend your hips explosively while pulling your shoulders up toward your ear. This will help drive the weight up.

E) When the bell passes chest height, drop under the weight to land in a quarter squat, elbows fully extended.

F) Finish the movement by fully extending your knees and hips before beginning another repetition.

Once you feel confident with the movement, try this 15-minute CrossFit partner workout that involves dumbbell snatching.

The kettlebell snatch

The kettlebell snatch requires more skill than the dumbbell snatch. Why? Because of the position of the handle, when you hit the weight toward the sky, you have to do it ~just so~ to avoid the bell falling on your wrist. According to Wickham, it may take a little trial and error to figure out the timing.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQccQg4kDf8

A) Stand feet hip-width apart, kettlebell between feet, lined up with shoelaces.

B) Extend your right arm straight down, fold your hips back and bend your knees into a squat.

C) Grab the bell with an overhand grip, then push your hips up toward the ceiling so your chest is above the weight. (If you've ever seen a rugby or football player in the hike position, this will look familiar).

D) At the same time, pull the bell straight up next to your body as you explosively open your hips and knees to stand.

E) When the bell passes chest level and your right elbow is pointing straight toward the ceiling, rotate the hand so that the palm/inner wrist faces forward and slam the weight toward the ceiling. Catch the bell so that it rests on the right forearm.

F) Continue pressing the weight upward until the arm is completely straight and extended over the right shoulder.

E) Stand up before bringing the weight back to standing.

Note: For both the dumbbell and kettlebell snatch, it *is* possible to squat the weight. But be warned: this shit is hard! “One-arm squat snatches require even more core and shoulder stability than barbell squat snatches,” says Wickham. “Even with a moderate weight, it’s a real challenge.”

What is a Hang Snatch vs. a Full Snatch in CrossFit?

Aside from just switching up the type of weight you use and where you "reach" the weight (power snatch = quarter squat vs. squat snatch = full squat), CrossFit also lets you change the start of the rep - that's where the terms "hang snatch" and "full snatch" come in.

Milgram explains, “In the hang snatch, you start a rep with the weight somewhere between your knees and hips.” Whereas in a full snatch the bar starts from the ground. The barbell power snatch described above is a full power snatch. However, if you start this movement at mid-thigh (and not the floor!) and “catch” the weight in a quarter squat, this would be a hang power snatch.

The difference? “In the hang snatch, you have less time to accelerate the bar before bringing it overhead, which means you really have to focus on hip explosiveness,” says Milgram. It also means the movement is faster. "In CrossFit, hang snatches often occur in a light weight workout, allowing you to move the bar quickly and get your heart rate up," he says.

Full snatches, on the other hand, give you more room to accelerate the bar. For this reason, "most people can lift more weight with a full snatch," says Milgram. "In CrossFit, full snatches are typically the type of snatch that is programmed during the weightlifting portion of class when the goal is to lift heavy," he says.

What about split snatches?

"Split snatches involve lifting weight with your legs in a split or lunge position, as opposed to a partial or full squat," explains Milgram.

While the one-arm dumbbell hillside split snatch made an appearance at the 2019 CrossFit Games, Milgram says it's not an exercise you'll often see programmed into your typical CrossFit class. "You have to be an excellent clean and jerk-er and snatcher to pull off this move, so it's really not for beginners," he says.

If you're a master snatcher and ready to try the split snatch, check out this CrossFit split snatch video.

How to incorporate the snatch into your training

Take an empty barbell (or PVC pipe) and practice lifting very little weight with good form. And be patient with yourself! “It's such a technical movement that you can spend your whole life getting a little better at it day after day, week after week, year after year, and still have something to improve on,” Wickham says. “It’s hard, sure, but that’s part of what makes it so rewarding.”