A snatch high pull was first used by Olympic weightlifters to build power for the snatch. This exercise requires you to pull the bar over a great distance -- quickly -- using your legs, hips and upper back. Any sort of high pull allows you to work your upper back heavily through multiple planes of motion, working your trapezius -- the large muscle that covers your upper back -- from more than one angle. The pull on the snatch can be used to teach power production, and generates more power than nearly any other lift ever recorded, according to a study published in 1980 in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise." Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.
Step 1
Determine your grip width. Stand with your arms straight out to your sides. Bend your arms at the elbows so they point straight down, while your upper arms are parallel to the floor. The points where your hands hang are where you grip the barbell.
Step 2
Stand with your feet just under your hips. Grip the bar using your determined grip-width. Bend at the knees and hips, keeping your back flat. Your shoulders should be just over or slightly in front of the bar. Your shins should angle forward slightly and just touch the bar. Grip the bar with an overhand grip.
Step 3
Pull the bar from the ground smoothly. Do not bend your arms or jerk the weight from the ground. Start to straighten your knees first, then your hips. Your back should stay flat throughout the pull.
Step 4
Accelerate the bar as it clears your knees. Your hips and knees should straighten quickly, while your arms remain straight. As your hips straighten, continue to accelerate your body -- and the bar along with it -- as if you were trying to jump. This is referred to as triple extension.
Step 5
Shrug powerfully with your upper back. As your body finishes straightening, provide as much power as you can with your trapezius, but the shrug must occur quickly. As you finish shrugging, allow your elbows to relax to pull the bar higher with your upper back. The power from this portion of the pull does not come from your arms -- it comes from the power generated by your legs and back, your arms just maintain control of the bar. You should be able to pull the bar to at least mid-chest level.
Step 6
Lower the bar under control, but do not lean forward to control it. This is why bumper plates are used -- the rubberized plates allow you to set the bar down without the crash of iron hitting the floor.
Tips and Warnings
- Unlike conventional bodybuilding exercises, your goal is to accelerate the bar on the way up, increasing speed as you go. Once your elbows bend, you have put as much force into the bar as you can. As noted in "The Weightlifting Encyclopedia," there is a phrase amongst Olympic lifters -- "When the arm bends, the power ends." If you compare the size of your biceps to the size of your legs, hips and back it should tell you exactly which muscles have more ability to generate power.
- Never allow your back to round. Never attempt to pull the bar with your hips high. Never lose control of the bar at the top.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Bumper plates
References
- "The Weightlifting Encyclopedia"; Arthur Drechsler; 1998
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise." Power Production by Olympic Weightlifters; John Garhammer; Spring 1980
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