Barbell Snatch
The full Olympic snatch — the bar goes from the floor to overhead in one pull, caught in a deep overhead squat.
How to do it
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the bar over midfoot, then take a wide snatch grip with a flat back.
- Take the slack out of the bar, brace your core, and take a deep breath into your belly.
- Drive through the floor and explosively accelerate the bar up along your body as your hips extend.
- Pull yourself under the bar quickly and catch it overhead with straight arms in a deep overhead squat.
- Stand up out of the squat, keeping the bar tight overhead and your core fully braced.
- Lower the bar to the front of your thighs and to the floor under control before the next rep.
Key technique cue
Bar close to the body; get under it fast and catch on locked arms.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Pulling early with the arms instead of letting the legs and hips drive the pull.
- ✕ Catching the bar with soft elbows, which collapses the lockout and risks shoulder injury.
- ✕ Letting the bar drift forward, which forces a missed lift or a hard save with the lower back.
- ✕ Skipping squat depth and catching too high, which turns the snatch into a power snatch.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds explosive power through the back, glutes, and hamstrings.
- ✓ Trains overhead mobility and stability at top speed.
- ✓ Develops timing and coordination that no other exercise teaches.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 4 You are here - Barbell Snatch
About the exercise
The Barbell Snatch is the most technical lift in weightlifting. The athlete explosively pulls the bar from the floor and catches it locked out overhead while dropping into a deep overhead squat, all in one continuous motion. It trains the lower back, glutes, and shoulders together at top speed and is the purest test of full-body power, mobility, and timing in the gym. Together with the clean and jerk, it's the pinnacle of the Olympic lifts and the core of technique lessons and athlete programs.
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