Heaving Snatch Balance

How to do it

1. Take a wide snatch grip on a bar racked behind the neck, resting on the upper back as for a back squat.
2. Step back and set the feet where you would catch a snatch, a little wider than for a squat.
3. Dip a few inches by bending the knees, keeping the torso upright.
4. Drive up with the legs to send the bar a short distance off the shoulders.
5. As the bar rises, push yourself straight down under it and punch the arms to lock, catching in a full overhead squat.
6. Stand up with the bar overhead, then lower it back to the shoulders and reset.

Common mistakes

• Pressing the bar up instead of pushing yourself down. The bar barely rises; the body drops beneath it, and if the arms feel like they are pressing, the drop was too slow.
• Moving the feet. The feet are already set in the catch position and stay planted; this is what separates it from a snatch balance with a foot jump.
• Dipping forward. The dip is straight down with an upright torso; a lean forward sends the bar forward and the catch follows it.
• Catching with soft arms. The elbows are locked the instant the bar stops moving up.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Quads

Secondary

• Abs
• Forearm Flexors
• Forearm Extensors
• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Shoulders
• Triceps