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Muscle Snatch being performed with proper form
Muscle Snatch demonstration video — proper form for the full movement.

How to do a Muscle Snatch

Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About this exercise

Sets Logged
45,694
Popularity Rank
1058th
Difficulty
Intermediate
Hamstrings Strength
92 mSCORE 18th
Equipment Required

Workouts with Muscle Snatch

    Target muscles worked

    Primary Muscles
    Hamstrings
    Secondary Muscles
    Triceps, Shoulders, Quads, Lower Back, Glutes

    Instructions for Proper Form

    Muscle Snatch is a variation on the more common Snatch. Like other Snatch variations, this is a compound exercise, however this variation is not nearly as explosive as others by design. By slowing down the movement, this is a great exercise for learning form, and developing the strength needed to perform a Snatch. While this exercise is usually used as a way to practice and improve your Snatch, it’s a perfectly valid exercise to include even if you don’t plan on training for Olympic lifts.

    1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly angled out with a loaded barbell on the ground next to your shins.
    2. Hinge at the hips and flex the knees to allow you to grab ahold of the barbell in a wide overhand grip.
    3. Maintain a neutral spine as your press through your heels to pull the barbell off the ground in a vertical path next to your body by extending your hips and knees.
    4. Once the barbell passes over your mid thigh, explode your hips, knees, and ankles into extension to pull the barbell up overhead.
    5. Catch the barbell overhead by snapping your elbows underneath the bar, palms facing up, while keeping your legs extended.
    6. Lower the barbell to the starting position.

    Common Form Mistakes

    • Bar Drift

      Although the weight is light enough for you to perform the movement even if the bar drifts away from you, this can lead to bad habits when it comes to performing other variations. Make sure you’re keeping the bar in close to your torso.

    Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

    Average Muscle Snatch standards by male, female, weight, age and height

    Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.

    • beginner
      8
      reps
      45
      lbs
      1 Rep Max
      55
      lbs
    • intermediate
      8
      reps
      50
      lbs
      65
      lbs
    • advanced
      8
      reps
      65
      lbs
      80
      lbs

    Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

    How is this calculated?

    Alternatives & Variations to Muscle Snatch

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    1. 1. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Single Leg Romanian Deadlift being performed
      80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 22 TIMES

      Single Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.

    2. 2. Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Romanian Deadlift being performed
      98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 22 TIMES

      Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.

    3. 3. Deadlift

      Photo of Deadlift being performed
      98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 19 TIMES

      Deadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.

    4. 4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift being performed
      97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 18 TIMES

      This exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.

    5. 5. Seated Leg Curl

      Photo of Seated Leg Curl being performed
      98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 16 TIMES

      Seated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.

    6. 6. Good Morning

      Photo of Good Morning being performed
      90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 15 TIMES

      Good Morning’s are a compound exercise that primarily target muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), but especially the hamstrings, and lower back. While this can be an effective exercise, there is some risk to performing this exercise with a loaded barbell on your back. If you’re unfamiliar with this exercise, try starting with a dumbbell variation as you learn the movement.

    7. 7. Lying Hamstrings Curl

      Photo of Lying Hamstrings Curl being performed
      95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 14 TIMES

      Lying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.

    8. 8. Kettlebell Swing

      Photo of Kettlebell Swing being performed
      87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 12 TIMES

      Kettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.

    9. 9. Hang Snatch

      Photo of Hang Snatch being performed
      76.5 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMES

      Targets explosive power and coordination by lifting the barbell from the hang position directly overhead in one fluid motion. This exercise develops functional strength and improves Olympic lifting skills.

    10. 10. Stability Ball Leg Curl

      Photo of Stability Ball Leg Curl being performed
      27.2 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMES

      Focusing on the hamstrings and glutes, the Stability Ball Leg Curl involves pulling the ball towards the body with the legs. This exercise enhances lower body strength and stability, providing a challenging alternative to machine leg curls.