One of the more advantageous auxiliary exercises I have been utilizing over the past couple weeks is the muscle snatch. There are many reasons that I love the muscle snatch and many reasons it should be performed on a regular basis. Below are some of the top reasons I use the muscle snatch and why it is beneficial to be added into your program. There’s also a demo video explaining the muscle snatch and walking you through how to complete it properly
The main reason I use the muscle snatch is to help lifters complete their second pull. Far too often weightlifters will become too dependent upon their speed to the bottom and in doing so not complete the top end of the second pull. The muscle snatch, because it does not allow for a re-bend in the knee, eliminates the speed factor. It effectively eliminates the third pull. I use the muscle snatch for lifters who I know are extremely fast but often will rely too heavily on their speed to the detriment of their power.
Another reason I use the muscle snatch is to help lifters understand how close the bar about needs to be to the body and allow them to practice keeping the barbell really close. One of the major parts of the muscle snatch is that it forces the lifter to engage the lats and keep the bar as close to the body as possible. If the barbell gets away from the body, often the lifter will miss the lift. The nature of the muscle snatch helps lifters to understand how close they can have the bar to their body and how it helps their efficiency doing the snatch.
The last major reason I use the muscle snatch is to help a lifter understand and develop a connectedness to the barbell. Far too often, lifters will be connected and engaging the barbell in their pull off of the floor and then stop engaging or applying pressure to the bar after it leaves their hips. I called this “floating”through the second and third pull. The beauty of the muscle snatch is that it forces they lifter to constantly apply pressure to the bar throughout the second pull to move any amount of weight overhead. If the lifter disengages after the bar leave the hips, the bar will simply not move about their head and will die halfway up the body. For lifters that really struggle to stay connected to the bar, the muscle snatch can be the answer to their problem.
And added dimension to the muscle such that you can add often is to take away the hook grip. Sometimes taking away the hook grip can amplify the impact of these three specific goals stated above. Try adding the muscle snatch to your program and see if it helps. Check out the demo video below.