Hang Snatch Below the Knees

How to do it

1. Stand holding a barbell at arm's length with a wide overhand grip.
2. Push the hips back and bend the knees until the bar is below your kneecaps, back flat.
3. Hold that position briefly before starting.
4. Drive the hips forward and extend the legs explosively, keeping the bar close.
5. Pull yourself under it, turning the hands over, and catch it overhead with straight arms.
6. Stand up, then lower it back below the knees under control.

Common mistakes

• Letting the bar swing away below the knee. A wide grip puts the bar lower and further from the hips at the start, so keeping it against the legs takes more work than it does from mid-thigh.
• Rounding the back to reach the start. The starting height is where the flat back ends; if that is above the knee today, that is where the set starts.
• Expecting your hang snatch weight. A longer pull from a slower start means less bar speed at the top, and the catch is unforgiving about that.
• Practising it tired. This is a highly technical position, and it is the least suited to being done at the end of a session.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Hamstrings

Secondary

• Abs
• Calves
• Forearm Flexors
• Forearm Extensors
• Glutes
• Spinal Erectors
• Quads
• Shoulders
• Traps