How to do a Muscle Snatch
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Muscle Snatch
Workouts with Muscle Snatch
Target muscles worked
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.
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly angled out with a loaded barbell on the ground next to your shins.
- Hinge at the hips and flex the knees to allow you to grab ahold of the barbell in a wide overhand grip.
- 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.
- Once the barbell passes over your mid thigh, explode your hips, knees, and ankles into extension to pull the barbell up overhead.
- Catch the barbell overhead by snapping your elbows underneath the bar, palms facing up, while keeping your legs extended.
- Lower the barbell to the starting position.
Fitbod workout plans
Take the guesswork out of training.
Follow a personalized plan that adapts as you get stronger.
Generate My PlanCommon 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.
- beginner8reps45lbs1 Rep Max55lbs
- intermediate8reps50lbs65lbs
- advanced8reps65lbs80lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Muscle Snatch
1. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 23 TIMESRomanian 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
2. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 20 TIMESSingle 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
3. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 18 TIMESDeadlift 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 16 TIMESThis 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
5. Good Morning
90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 15 TIMESGood 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
- Squat Rack
6. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 14 TIMESSeated 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
7. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESLying 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
8. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESKettlebell 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
9. Stability Ball Leg Curl
27.2 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMESFocusing 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Stability (Swiss) Ball
10. Hang Snatch
76.5 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMESTargets 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells