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

How to do a Snatch Pull

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

About this exercise

Sets Logged
16,340
Popularity Rank
1141st
Difficulty
Advanced
Hamstrings Strength
86 mSCORE 36th
Equipment Required

Workouts with Snatch Pull

    Target muscles worked

    Primary Muscles
    Hamstrings
    Secondary Muscles
    Trapezius, Quads, Lower Back, Glutes, Calves

    Instructions for Proper Form

    Snatch Pull is a variation, or more accurately, a piece of the more standard Snatch. Like other Snatch variations, this exercise is a compound, explosive movement. While this exercise is most often used to help improve your Snatch, it’s a perfectly valid exercise, even if you aren’t looking to train with the full movement.

    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 with a double overhand wide grip.
    3. Maintain a straight and rigid 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 to your lower ribcage by be slightly flexing your elbows and shrugging your shoulders.
    5. Drop the barbell back to waist height before lowering back to the starting position.

    Common Form Mistakes

    • Rounded Back

      Rounding your back as you pull the weight off the floor is going to increase your risk of injury, and make this exercise less effective. Prior to beginning the lift, pull your shoulders back, and brace your lower back. Pull up on the weight, without lifting it off the ground. Once you’ve confirmed that you’re in a good position, start your lift.

    • Not Close Enough

      The bar should be right up against your shins or just an inch or so away. Having the bar further away is going to place more tension on your lower back, and make it much easier for your back to round as you lift the weight off the floor.

    Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

    Average Snatch Pull 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
      50
      lbs
      1 Rep Max
      65
      lbs
    • intermediate
      8
      reps
      65
      lbs
      80
      lbs
    • advanced
      8
      reps
      80
      lbs
      100
      lbs

    Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

    How is this calculated?

    Alternatives & Variations to Snatch Pull

    Filter By

    1. 1. Snatch Deadlift

      Photo of Snatch Deadlift being performed
      48.9 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMES

      The Snatch Deadlift is a variation of the traditional deadlift, tailored specifically to improve the pulling phase of the snatch lift. It employs a wider grip, mimicking the snatch setup, which emphasizes the engagement of the posterior chain muscles—hamstrings, glutes, and lower back—while also strengthening the upper back, traps, and grip. This exercise enhances the lifter's ability to generate power from the ground, crucial for successful snatch execution. Ideal for weightlifters looking to improve their snatch technique, the Snatch Deadlift also offers benefits in terms of overall strength, stability, and postural control.

    2. 2. Seated Leg Curl

      Photo of Seated Leg Curl being performed
      98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 7 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.

    3. 3. Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Romanian Deadlift being performed
      98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 6 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.

    4. 4. Sumo Deadlift

      Photo of Sumo Deadlift being performed
      88.9 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMES

      Sumo Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. Like other Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and especially hamstrings and glutes. While this exercise receives some criticism, it’s a perfectly valid choice for building strength, and a great addition to your leg days.

    5. 5. Snatch High Pull

      Photo of Snatch High Pull being performed
      79 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMES

      Snatch High Pull is a variation, or more accurately, a piece of the more standard Snatch. Like other Olympic lifts, this exercise is a compound, explosive exercise that targets a wide range of muscle groups. While this exercise is most often used to help improve your Snatch, it’s a perfectly valid exercise, even if you aren’t looking to train with the full movement.

    6. 6. Kettlebell Swing

      Photo of Kettlebell Swing being performed
      87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 4 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.

    7. 7. Deadlift

      Photo of Deadlift being performed
      98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 4 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.

    8. 8. Lying Hamstrings Curl

      Photo of Lying Hamstrings Curl being performed
      95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 4 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.

    9. 9. Dumbbell Clean

      Photo of Dumbbell Clean being performed
      88.6 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMES

      Dumbbell Clean is a variation on the more standard Clean. Like other Clean variations, this is a compound, explosive movement that targets a wide range of muscle groups. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise much more accessible to anyone unfamiliar with Cleans in general as you can use lighter weight. In addition dumbbells can help more advanced lifters build stability, as well as identify and address imbalances between sides.

    10. 10. Clean

      Photo of Clean being performed
      83.3 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMES

      Clean is a compound, explosive exercise that targets a wide range of muscle groups including the legs, back, and shoulders. It involves lifting a barbell from the ground to your shoulders in one fluid motion. This exercise improves power, strength, and coordination, and is often used to develop overall athleticism and prepare for more complex Olympic lifts.