How to do the Snatch, step by step
- Get into your starting position with a wide grip and the bar over midfoot.
- Lift the bar with a neutral back until it passes your knees.
- Explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles.
- Pull yourself under the bar fast into a full squat.
- Catch the bar over midfoot with locked arms.
- Stand up out of the overhead squat.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Hesitating under the baractively pull yourself down and lock out right away
- Bar falls behind or in frontkeep the bar over midfoot
- Torso tips in the catchpractice overhead squats and mobility
How to scale the Snatch
If you can't do the movement cleanly yet or the workout is too heavy, use one of these variations:
- Power Snatch plus Overhead Squat
- Hang Squat Snatch
- Squat Snatch with a PVC pipe
What's a good Snatch?
A rough reference for your 1RM relative to body weight. At 80 kg body weight, "1.25 ×" means 100 kg.
| Level | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Elite | from 1.25 × | from 0.95 × |
| Advanced | from 1 × | from 0.75 × |
| Intermediate | from 0.75 × | from 0.55 × |
| Beginner | from 0.5 × | from 0.35 × |
Compare all strength standards
Also known as
Squat snatch · Full snatch · Sq snatch
Benchmarks with Snatch
- Amanda9-7-5 Muscle-ups, Squat Snatch 60 kg
- Open 17.3By 8:00: 3 rounds of 6 C2B + 6 Squat Snatches 42.5 kg, then 3 rounds of 7 C2B + 5 × 60 kg; each time +4 min for 3 rounds of 8 C2B + 4 × 85 kg, 9 C2B + 3 × 102.5 kg, 10 C2B + 2 × 110 kg, 11 C2B + 1 × 120 kg (max 24 min). Score: reps
These descriptions are general guidance and don't replace a coach. Have someone at your box show you new movements, and stop if anything hurts.