Why Do the Snatch?

Posted on Apr 28, 2008 - 7:39am by MarkFu in Olympic Lifts

My Thursday lifting buddy and I practice the snatch and even have gotten coaching by a high school kid who does it far better than we do. But why? In part, it is because we think it would be “cool” to snatch a “wheel”, that is, a 45 lb plate on each side of the bar for a 135 lb lift. For me, another reason is that for a lift that takes less than a second to complete, it takes a few years to learn correctly. It’s a challenge. Because the lift is so “technique-centric”, it is an impressive lift going up.

Here’s what it looks like when two Olympians set world records with the lift. (Did the first lifter yell out Fred Flintstone’s signature “yabba dabba doo”?)

Charles Staley has a very enthusiastic treatise on the snatch that is great reading if you are doing or thinking about learning the snatch. I like that he mentions it is a fun lift, and I agree. He also caters to mine and my buddy’s interest in the “coolness factor”.

“ The snatch will completely freak out everyone at your local health club, and I KNOW this is an attractive idea for most of you.”

The barbell snatch is an elegant, fast and explosive lift and there is an excellent chance there is a high school athlete doing it better than you or I ever will, but, that won’t spoil my fun and don’t let it spoil yours. You can still look cool in the gym!

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