Maybe you laugh when you think about Olympic Lifts — the snatch, the clean & jerk — because, well, the names sound dirty.
For years, you’ve seen men and women doing them in the Olympics; a snatch is one of the most complicated movements that can be done with a barbell.
People have dedicated their entire lives to training and understanding it.
There are thousands of videos on YouTube of six and 10-year-olds in Asia and Europe learning and executing the movement perfectly; I’ve had actual dreams of being able to snatch like they do. Starting young develops motor patterns that are increasingly harder to learn you become an adult.
Now, these kids on YouTube are being trained to compete competitively, while you’re more than likely going to the gym to look and feel awesome.
So, this begs the question: if it takes years of training to develop proficiency, why should you even bother with it?
And that’s a valid point, but bear with me.
If you’ve ever taken a basic physics class, you remember that Power = (Force x Distance)/Time.
This is the basic measure of work output. The more work we can accomplish in a shorter amount of time, the more power is generated.
If you finish a mile run in 10 minutes and a few weeks later are able to finish it in eight minutes, you’re generating more power. If it used to take you two minutes to walk up the stairs in your office, but now it takes one minute, you’re generating more power.
Similarly, snatches, by design, are meant to develop power. They specifically create power beginning in your feet and extending to your fingertips, efficiently and quickly.
Does that mean you should drop everything, load the plates on, and start snatching now?
Absolutely not.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the undisputed king of power’s benefits with these three bad-ass (non-barbell) variations.
How to do it:
Why use it:
Will it help me burn fat?: Hell YEAH.
Even a moderate weight adds up to a significant workload very quickly. If you did ten snatches every minute for 10 minutes with a 24kg bell, that adds up to 2400 kg of load overhead in ten minutes.
There are not many activities you can do that will allow you to work this hard and put your body in the fat burning zone.
The American Council on Exercise, a non-profit fitness watchdog group, tested the effectiveness of the kettlebell snatch and found that participants, on average, burned over 20 calories per minute.
To put that in perspective, that is the same calorie burn as running roughly a six-minute mile.
A dumbbell snatch and kettlebell snatch are designed to do the same thing. Dumbbells are typically more available, cheaper, and easier to grip.
How to do it:
Why use it:
Will it help me burn fat?: Absolutely.
Like the kettlebell snatch, even a moderate weight adds up to a significant workload very quickly. Being that a dumbbell is readily accessible and common, it is easy to perform anywhere from an Equinox to your living room.
Multiple sets of 10 reps or more at moderate weights are ideal for fat burning.
The Sandbag snatch can be a less intimidating version for people that fear holding so much heavy iron over their heads. It’s also a great option for people who are bashing their forearms with the kettlebell or having wrist issues with the dumbbell.
Note: the bag must have handles for this to be effective.
How to do it:
Why use it:
Will it help me burn fat?: Fuck yeah.
Like the kettlebell and dumbbell snatch, even a moderate weight adds up to a significant workload very quickly. The sandbag is great for outdoor workouts on a track or in your backyard. They are typically very durable and easy to transport.
Multiple sets of 10 reps or more at moderate weights are ideal for fat burning.
Snatching is no longer just for the Olympians.
You can absolutely reap the same benefits without a barbell. These variations will help you build lean muscle while giving you a killer workout that you don’t have to spend months, years, or even decades learning how to do.
Comments for This Entry
Lo Martinez
Tried snatches the other day, my flexibility is fuckin' horrible. Definitely wanna up my "snatch game" hahaNovember 3, 2016 at 3:41 pm
3 Snatch Variations That Will Get You Strong AF - Health Services Online
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