How to Do the Dumbbell Snatch the Right Way
Power and explosiveness are more valuable qualities than you might expect. You might not be a pro athlete leaping for dunks or launching yourself into a tackle, but everyday guys can benefit from more dedicated training in these departments. You'll move better, and be better equipped for the inevitable physical decline that comes with ageing, too. For most people, moves like the dumbbell snatch will be a great option to add this to your workouts.
While the dumbbell snatch is less demanding than similar movements that use loaded barbells to create power and explosiveness, it is a very technical manoeuvre. You're moving the weight from the floor to over your head, and there are a few key moments that can easily go wrong if you're not on top of your form.
Before you start swinging a dumbbell up and down, take a moment to learn the proper approach from Men's Health US fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and senior editor Brett Williams, C.S.C.S. Let's break down everything you need to know.
How to Do the Dumbbell Snatch
Start with a dumbbell on the ground between your legs, standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Sit back and lower yourself down, like a deadlift rep, then grab the weight's handle with an overhand grip. Hold your off arm out to the side.
Stand up as powerfully and quickly as you can, pulling the dumbbell off the floor and using the power from your legs—if you've generated enough force, you'll raise your heels off the floor into triple extension. Keep the weight close to your torso.
As you continue to pull the dumbbell up, explode through your hips to help power it up to shoulder height. Think of pulling the dumbbell toward your chest like you're zipping up a coat.
Once the weight is at shoulder height, turn your elbow and punch the dumbbell over head. As the arm is extended, slide your weight beneath your extended arm. Stand straight up, squeezing your glutes.
Lower the dumbbell down to your shoulder, then to the ground.
Dumbbell Snatch Training Tips
Take these high-level tips from Samuel to dive deeper into the cues you'll need to master the exercise.
It's All in the Hips
Eb says: This is meant to be an explosive move and a showcase for triple extension (extension and straightening at the hip, knee, and ankle). So don't let this become a deadlift to a biceps curl to a shoulder press.
Your arm during the dumbbell snatch is only assisting in the lift. What you're really doing, from start of snatch to beginning, is using lower-body explosion to propel the dumbbell overhead. So it starts with that first pull.
Keep the Weight Close
Eb says: Don't let the dumbbell swing out wide in front of your body after that initial deadlift hip pop. That's a waste of energy (not to mention a lot of stress on your shoulder).
Keep the momentum going vertically as aggressively as possible by starting to pull the dumbbell upwards. Keep it close to your body as if zipping up a coat. Think of pulling it close to your body the whole time, then, once it nears shoulder height, think of pulling it toward your chest.
Punch Up
Eb says: Once you've pulled it toward your chest, quickly think of punching the dumbbell upwards. Again, don't make this a shoulder motion, though. Think of sliding your torso underneath the dumbbell, then driving up with your legs. You should never feel the dumbbell snatch (or any snatch) intensely in your shoulders. This is a lower-body power move.
Tight Core
Eb says: You also shouldn't feel snatches in your lower back. Especially as you get heavy, you may feel your lower back start to arch. Battle that tendency. Think of keeping a strict, tall core and flexing your abs hard. This is especially important when the dumbbell is at its height.
Stay Light
Eb says: Don't fall into the trap of training insanely heavy for high reps when doing dumbbell snatches. Yes, this can easily be programmed as a move in some sort of metabolic conditioning routine. But as you fatigue your form is destined to fail, and there are so many moving parts that the failure won't be pretty.
So cap the weight to protect yourself. A smart start is keeping it to a weight that you can shoulder press, that way, when you start to rely on your shoulders more, they're ready to handle the load.
Benefits of the Dumbbell Snatch
The dumbbell snatch is all about power. You'll generate it when you explode off the floor into triple extension and whip the weight into position overhead—and that will do wonders for your athleticism, balance, and longevity.
This exercise also gives you a great opportunity to train explosive movement without as much risk to your shoulders. Other overhead power movements that use barbells (snatch and clean and jerk) can be tough on your shoulders, because of the positions you wind up in thanks to the fixed hand placement on the bar. Using a dumbbell allows you to generate power against a load without putting your shoulders in a risky position.
Muscles Worked By the Dumbbell Snatch
The dumbbell snatch is a total-body move, with particular emphasis on the big muscles of your posterior chain. You'll depend on your legs (particularly your glutes) as you generate power to drive the weight upwards and your hips into extension. You'll need the big muscles of the back and shoulders as you pull the weight upwards, then into the top position.
Common Dumbbell Snatch Mistakes
Even though we break up the dumbbell snatch cues into separate sections, this should be one fluid movement. This shouldn't be a clean to press—so work to avoid stopping before the weight is overhead. Also remember the cue to keep the weight close to your body: 'Zip up the coat' Make sure to avoid swinging the weight out in front of your torso.
Best Dumbbell Snatch Workouts
Use the dumbbell snatch to build power and explosiveness in full-body workouts or for metabolic conditioning. Start with 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps for the first scenario, or 3 sets of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. You can also include some of MH's own dumbbell workouts in your programme:
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