Images Taken from BioFitness
LONG VERSION
This is one of the two classical competitive Weightlifting exercises. The objective is to lift the barbell to a locked out overhead position in a single movement. Stand over the barbell. Position your feet underneath at hip width. The bar should cross your feet at the metatarsal toe joints, just in front of your ankles. Point your toes slightly out. Hold your head erect and tighten your spinal muscles. Rotate your shoulders forward. Now bend over while squatting down and grasp the bar with a wide grip. (To establish your initial snatch grip, it is necessary to bend forward at the waist while stretching your arms horizontally. Then bend your arms at the elbows until your upper arm and forearm make a 90 degree angle. The distance between your arms becomes your snatch grip width.) After gripping the barbell, lock out your elbows and position your body so that your arms are vertical to the bar with wrists flexed. Keeping your back muscles contracted, take a 3/4 breath. Use your legs to explode the barbell off the floor. When the barbell passes your knees, push in with your hips. Your knees will shift back down and under the bar. At the same time you bring your hips in, start to pull the barbell up with your back. This action will bring the bar into contact with your legs at top-thigh. At the moment of contact, accelerate the bar upward with legs and back until your body reaches full extension. At full extension, contract your calves and trapezius muscles simultaneously, rising up on your toes and shrugging your shoulders. This movement puts maximum momentum into the barbell, allowing it to continue up while you drop under it. Bend your elbows, pulling the bar up with your arms as you jump your feet out to the sides. Descend into a full squat as quickly as possible. With the bar moving up and your body moving down, your arms should re-lock overhead on or before you reach the bottom. Secure your balance with the bar centered in line with your ears. Use your legs to stand, keeping your arms locked and the barbell overhead.
Awesome images taken from SnoRidge Crossfit
SHORT VERSION
- Set up in a deeper squat than your deadlift, with feet right under your hips
- Grip bar at your overhead squat grip
- Utilize the hook grip to avoid pulling with your arms early and to lift more
- Grip the bar and pull down into a squat, pushing the knees out with the chest up and weight on your heels
- Take a deep breath and contract your back and ab muscles
- Lift the barbell off the floor while pushing the weight through your heels into the ground
- Keeping the bar close to the shins and ensuring that the hips and shoulders rise together
- Accelerate the bar past the knees and gently pull the bar up and back as you explosively shrug and push your hips forward
- At the top of the upward shrug simultaneously pull under the bar fast into the overhead squat position
- Keep the bar overhead in line with your shoulders, hips, and heels while in the overhead squat
- Look straight ahead and not down at the floor or ground
- Push your armpits forward while arms are locked overhead as you stand up with the bar
- Complete the rep by ensuring the hips open fully at the top before lowering the bar
Source: BioFitness
