What's the Difference: Snatch vs Hang Snatch vs Power Snatch | FAST & EASY

Snatch, hang snatch, power snatch, hang power snatch . . . all in less than 3 minutes! What are the differences between these lifts, and how can we easily remember each one?

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 08/12/23)

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Correct Grip for Snatch, Clean, and Jerk

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/22/23)

When gripping the bar for the Olympic lifts (i.e., the snatch and the clean-and-jerk), there are a few special considerations to bear in mind, so let’s address these.

This is the third and final article in our series on the correct grip for each lift. In the first article, we discussed the compression grip, which is useful for pressing movements such as the press and bench press, and in the second article, we covered the tension grip, which is useful for pulling movements such as deadlifts, cleans, and rows.

#1: Chalk
Use it.

Hopefully, all of this goes without saying, but sadly, that is often not the case. Chalk is useful for all of the lifts (both pushing movements and pulling movements), but it is especially useful for pulling movements like the deadlift and - in this case - the snatch and the clean. Specifically, chalk is useful for friction, so it contributes mightily to your ability to securely grip the bar.

If you’re training efficiently, you go through more chalk in a weightlifting (AKA Olympic lifting) session than you do in a strength training session (deadlifts, squats, presses, etc.). When training the Olympic lifts, you perform a lot of singles, doubles, and triples, so there is quite a bit of gripping and re-gripping of the barbell, and as a result, you go through a healthy dose of chalk. It doesn’t need to be caked on your hands, but chalk up on a regular basis.

#2: Hook Grip
For every single snatch and clean you perform for the rest of your life, use the hook grip (this doesn’t apply to the jerk).

Figure 1: The hook grip

Don’t use a double overhand grip, don’t use an alternate grip (AKA mixed grip or switch grip). Use the hook grip, i.e., the grip wherein your thumbs go on the bar first, and your fingers go over your thumbs (Figure 1).

The hook grip video included below goes more in-depth on how and why we hook grip, but suffice to say we use it because, although the Olympic lifts are not as heavy as a deadlift (which certainly requires a modified grip such as a hook or alternate grip), they must be pulled quickly. Because they have to be accelerated, your grip will be compromised if you don’t modify your grip.

With this in mind, get used to the hook grip right away. Start hook gripping your snatches and your cleans immediately at the outset of your training.

#3: Hook Grip and the Snatch
As discussed, you hook grip when you snatch, but when you rack the bar overhead, you may or may not keep the hook grip.

Some lifters may need to let the thumb slip out of the hook grip, and to determine whether or not this applies to you, keep the hook grip (when racking the bar) at first, and you’ll know pretty quickly if you need to make a change. If you experience discomfort when racking the bar overhead, or if keeping the hook grip is slowing down your turnover, then you’ll need to let the thumb slip out of the hook grip on the turnover (i.e., transition).

Note that when letting the thumb slip out from the hook, you don’t actually release the grip. Admittedly, this process is often referred to as “releasing the hook grip,” but all you simply do is allow the thumb to slip out of the hook grip while maintaining a solid purchase on the bar (refer to the video below to see how this is done).

To recap, try keeping the hook grip at first, and if that doesn’t work, let the thumb slip out of the hook as you rack the bar.

#4: Hook Grip and the Clean
Unlike the situation with the snatch, you always “release the hook grip” when performing the clean. Specifically, let the thumb slide out of the hook during the turnover (AKA transition), i.e., as your elbows rotate forward and up and as you rack the bar on your shoulders (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Maddie has released the hook grip (incidentally, she has also let her pinky slip off the bar, which is unimportant).

Attempting to keep the hook grip when racking the bar results in a slower turnover that is very often uncomfortable or even painful on the elbows and wrists. Because of these issues, keeping the hook results in a greater likelihood of missed lifts, so with this in mind, be sure to release the hook on your cleans.

#5: Hook Grip and the Jerk
It doesn’t make any sense to use the hook grip on the jerk, so don’t do it (Figure 3).

When you prepare for the jerk, the bar is sitting on your shoulders since you just cleaned it, and since you read tip #4 above, you’ve already released your hook grip. Additionally, the hook grip is useful for pulling movements (e.g., deadlifts, snatches, and cleans) and completely useless for pushing movements like the jerk, so attempting to regain the hook grip before performing the jerk is pointless and - even worse - a waste of time and energy.

figure 3: brianne wisely avoids the hook grip when jerking.

No hook grip on jerks.

As always, we hope these tips helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Fix Your Early Arm Bend on Your Cleans and Snatches!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/03/21)

Bent arms on a clean or snatch are a problem, so we’re going to try to solve this.

Figure 1: Becky reaches the top of the clean with straight arms, which is what we want.

In Figure 1, Becky demonstrates a clean with straight arms - which is what we want at this point in the lift.

In Figure 2, Becky demonstrates what we don’t want to see, which is a clean with an early arm pull (or “early arm bend”). In other words, we see her bend her arms before they are supposed to bend (for a real time view of this, watch the included video below).

Figure 2: Becky demonstrates an early arm pull (notice the bent elbows), which we don’t want.

The problem with bent arms is that they are deformable, i.e., they can change shape. If you’re Babe Ruth, and you want to hit a baseball, you want to do so with a bat - a rigid, non-deformable object. You don’t want to hit a baseball with a pool noodle because, no matter how strong or fast you are, you can’t effectively transfer that power into the baseball through a squishy pool noodle.

Likewise, during a clean (or snatch) you are trying to take all the power generated in your legs and hips and transfer it through your (hopefully) rigid spine and then down through your long, straight arms into the barbell. If your back isn’t rigid or if the arms aren’t straight, then those structures are deformable, which means they can absorb some of the power you’re trying to transmit to the bar. We don’t want this, so let’s cover some cues to solve this problem.

Cue #1: Long arms (or “straight arms”)
The first cue we’re going to use is the simplest approach. Just cue yourself “long arms” or “straight arms” (or even “straight elbows”). If this works, don’t make it any more complicated. The goal was long, straight arms, so we cued exactly that.

Cue #2: Flex your triceps (or “tight triceps”)
The job of the triceps is to extend (i.e., straighten) the elbow, so if you cue yourself to flex your triceps or tighten your triceps, then your elbows will be nice and straight, which is exactly what we’re looking for.

Cue #3: Shrug
If the first two cues don’t work, try cueing yourself to shrug at the top of the pull (i.e., the top part of the clean where your knees and hips are straight and you’re up on your toes - the top of the “jump”). A shrug is inherent to the movement anyway, but reminding yourself to aggressively shrug at the top of the clean will often solve a bent arm situation (very few people shrug with bent arms).

Cue #4: Leave it on the floor
This one requires some explanation before you actually try it out. The idea here is that you are endeavoring to have such long arms, straight arms that - even though you’re moving upward as you pull the bar off the floor - you are simultaneously trying to leave the bar on the floor. You’re trying to actively stretch your arms out so that, even while standing up, you’re trying to keep the bar down on the floor. It’s obviously an exaggerated mental picture - kind of a “go, go, Gadget-arms!” type of situation - but the cue itself shortens up to “leave it on the floor,” and it tends to work quite well.

We hope these cues help, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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You Should Be Unloading Your Barbell Like This | EASY and FAST (plus BONUS tip)

How do you unload your bar after deadlifting, cleaning, rowing, etc. in a fast and easy manner? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates and also provides a bonus tip.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 07/08/23)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Use This Grip for a BIGGER Deadlift! (Tension Grip)

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/08/23)

What is a tension grip, and why should you use it for pulling movements like the deadlift, row, and clean? This is the second article in our short series on the correct grip for each lift. In the first article, we discussed the compression grip, which is useful for pressing movements such as the bench press, press, close grip bench press, etc., and you can read that article by clicking here.

Today’s Topic: Pulling Movements
The grip we are covering today is the type of grip you would take for pulling movements such as the deadlift, the row, the clean, etc. This grip is commonly referred to as a tension grip (watch the included video for a demonstration).

Whether you execute a pulling lift (e.g., deadlift) or a pressing movement (e.g., bench press), the same principle is true - gravity wants the bar to go down, so your grip should put the bar in the lowest stable position possible. In this way, the bar cannot accidentally reach a lower position than that which it’s already occupying.

What NOT To Do
In a pressing movement - as discussed in the compression grip article - you place the bar at the base of the palm. However, since the hand will be pointing downward in a pulling movement, putting the base of the palm against the bar puts the bar in an unstable position. The compression grip is very strong for pushing and pretty terrible for pulling.

Figure 1: compression grip (shown in reverse for viewing purposes): good for pushing - terrible for pulling

Placing the base of the palm against the bar - this will look like you’re pushing down on the bar (Figure 1) - compromises the grip, and this will show up in several ways. First, if you can even break the bar off the floor, it may result in a soft lockout at the top of the lift (e.g., knees that are still bent) or the complete inability to finish the lift at all. Second, when your grip is compromised, everything else starts to compensate - your back starts to round, the weight feels heavier, and it will actually be harder to pull the bar off the floor.

Figure 2: tension grip (shown in reverse for viewing purposes): good for pulling

The Answer
Take a grip that permits the bar to sit a little lower in the hand - down by the fingers a bit more (Figure 2).

(As a side note, don’t take a monkey grip - you shouldn’t have a visible air gap between your hands and the bar.)

Put simply, it should look like you’re pulling up on the bar and not pushing down on the bar. Note the differences between a compression grip (bad for pulling) and a tension grip (good for pulling) in the photos below.

Whether you use a double overhand grip, a hook grip, or an alternate grip, make sure the bar is carried down by the fingers and not positioned up by the base of the palm. When in doubt, put some upward tension on the bar, and voilà - your wrists will straighten out, and the bar will be positioned correctly.

As always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

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• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

99% of Lifters Don't Know Which SNATCH to Perform: POWER vs SQUAT vs SPLIT

You have three options for performing the snatch – power snatch, squat snatch, and split snatch. Let’s cover the advantages of each so you can decide which one you should be performing, and as a bonus, we’ll also cover what adding the word “hang” (e.g., “hang power snatch”) means for these three lifts.

#1 Power Snatch
The power snatch starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then receives the bar overhead, locking it out in a partial depth overhead squat position.

becky demonstrates a power snatch.

When you read or hear “power,” think “partial squat” – both begin with the letter P, so it's a rather handy way to remember the receiving position.

The advantage of a power snatch is that it's the simplest of the three receiving positions (i.e., landing positions) – you don't need to learn to do a full overhead squat as you do in a squat snatch, and your feet don't travel very far as they do in a split snatch. For these reasons, the power snatch is usually the first version of the snatch that we teach, and for general strength trainees or athletes who wish to incorporate snatches into their training, the power snatch is what we typically recommend.

Note: If you’d like to see these snatches demonstrated, watch the short video below.

#2 Split Snatch
The split snatch starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then receives the bar overhead, locking it out with the feet in a split position – one foot positioned in front of the torso and one foot positioned behind the torso.

dave demonstrates a split snatch.

The advantages of a split snatch are twofold – first, depending on the length of the split, you can receive the bar at a lower position than that of a power snatch, which helps in terms of lifting heavier loads since you don't have to get the bar as high before racking it

Second, you don't have to execute a full depth overhead squat as you do in a squat snatch, and with this in mind, while the split snatch can be a solid option for lifters of all ages, it is an exceptionally great option for Master's lifters (i.e., older lifters).

#3 Squat Snatch
The squat snatch – also known as a “full snatch” and mostly commonly as simply a “snatch” – starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then receives the bar overhead, locking it out in a full depth overhead squat position.

chris demonstrates a squat snatch.

The advantage of a squat snatch is that it has the lowest receiving position of the three snatches, so you don't have to get the bar as high before racking it when compared to a power snatch or split snatch.

As a result, it is the version of the snatch that is capable of lifting the most weight, and because of this, if you attend a weightlifting meet (AKA Olympic weightlifting meet), the squat snatch is the most common type of snatch that you'll typically see.

Bonus Tip
Power, split, and squat are all receiving (i.e., landing) positions, but the word hang refers to a starting position. Specifically, it means that the lift starts with the bar hanging in the hands instead of with the bar resting on the floor.

As a result, a hang power snatch, hang split snatch, and hang squat snatch all look very similar to the versions covered earlier in this article, but the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands instead of resting on the floor.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?