Barbell Muscle snatch and Dumbbell muscle snatch is one and the same.
In this article you will know the exact reason why Dumbbell Muscle snatch plays such an important role in weight loss process.
Practicing daily physical fitness is important for maintaining muscle strength and keeping with good health. If you’re looking to establish a major weight lifting routine, there are a variety of tools at your disposal.
You can build strength and develop your muscles in no time at all. Whether you’re a seasoned gym veteran or just starting out on the bench, there is a great weight lifting option that will improve your muscular strength and help you reach the peak of fitness performance.
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to lose weight and get fit – but you can exercise like one with the barbell muscle snatch.
What exactly is the barbell muscle snatch?
This is a versatile exercise that’s built for pure strength.
If you want to be a powerhouse who packs a major pair of guns, the muscle snatch will bring your body to professional levels.
Ready to be an Olympic weightlifter?
The information below will give you the ins and outs about this powerful muscular exercise.
An explanation of the barbell muscle snatch, as well as a review of its benefits will teach you what this strength routine is really about. Then, a step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to set up and perform the perfect muscle snatch exercise.
Not only will you learn how to do it, but you’ll learn how to do it well.
What is Barbell Muscle Snatch?
A barbell muscle snatch is also known as the dumbbell muscle snatch, or, more simply, the muscle snatch.
If you’ve done any kind of Olympic strength training in the past, you may be familiar with another kind of “snatch” exercise.
A snatch movement describes a type of exercise in which you lift weights in a fluid, non-stop motion. Typically, this involves moving weights from the floor to a position above your body in one movement. Weights can also be lifted from blocks, an overhang, or the bench and moved to an overhead position.
So, what differentiates the barbell muscle snatch from the regular snatch movement?
A Dumbbell muscle snatch can be performed in fewer movements than the regular snatch movement. This is why the muscle snatch is often seen as a variant of a more traditional exercise, one that can benefit upper body strength and arm movement.
The traditional snatch exercise uses a first, second, and third pull to complete the exercise routine. A barbell muscle snatch only utilizes two of those three pulls.
It’s meant to give you a faster way to lift your bar while helping you to pump maximum strength.
If you’ve observed Olympic weightlifters during a workout routine, you may notice that they first pull the weight from the floor (Step 1), pull it above their thighs (Step 2), and then move under the bar once it’s overhead (Step 3). With a barbell muscle snatch, you press yourself underneath the bar as part of the Step 2 movement. Instead of taking the time to pull the bar above you, you use your muscles to let the bar go where it naturally wants to go. This eliminates the need for Step 3 and keeps your movements fluid and continuous.
Often, you will see a muscle snatch being used as a preparatory exercise. It can easily be worked into a daily weight lifting routine. If you are using a coach or personal trainer, they may suggest using the muscle snatch as a primer for regular snatching movements. Since the muscle snatch is a variant of a more traditional move, it is great for adding to the mechanics and muscle growth benefits of the entire snatch exercise.
And speaking of benefits, there are several major benefits of the muscle snatch that encourage improved strength and new growth on a daily basis.
What Are the Benefits of the Barbell Muscle Snatch?
There are 10 major benefits to the dumbbell muscle snatch that can provide you with endless results. It’s a great way to not only stay healthy, but grow in strength and size. Check out these top 10 reasons why the barbell muscle snatch is great for any kind of Olympic weight lifting routine:
- It is the best warm-up for those who are still building muscles. You can use the muscle snatch as a way to prepare your arm muscles for some of the more intensive pushes and pulls that come with a traditional snatch. That way, your upper body won’t face any kind of shock or unhealthy strain once you transition into the major weight lifting movements.
- It’s great for beginners. If you are just starting out on the bench, the muscle snatch is a great exercise for you. You can learn how to lift weights for strength, building up stamina as you prepare to let your muscles grow
- The barbell muscle snatch can improve balance and trajectory. Let’s face it, a lot of athletes and gym-goers injure themselves when trying to take on larger weights. With a muscle training variant like the muscle snatch, you can learn to balance yourself and stay connected to the weights at all times. There is never a moment where you must rely on the reflexes of your hips or knees to stay in control of the weights.
- It develops both strength and power. The dumbbell muscle snatch will not only encourage upper body strength, but it will also grant you the power needed to push through the more serious exercises. The nature of the muscle snatch exercise requires you to move the bar from ground to overhead as quickly as possible, in a fluid motion that keeps muscles growing.
- It’s a great exercise for someone with physical limitations or injuries. It can be frustrating to try and work out when you are recovering from a sprain or injury of some sort. It is also hard to find an exercise that accommodates a limitation or handicap you may have. The barbell muscle snatch is perfect for those who need less strain on the upper body. It minimizes the need for heavy turnovers and stressful loading, which takes a lot of stress away from the body. It’s perfect for someone with weak wrists, knees, or hips.
- It can improve technical skill. When it comes to muscle exercises, it’s all about patterns. The muscle snatch will train the upper body to adapt to the pulling, load abruption, and technical pushing requirements of a traditional Olympic workout without blowing out the muscles or causing too much physical stress.
- Muscle snatches are great exercises to use on light or restful training days. Need a break? It’s natural for weightlifters to have a couple of lighter workout days. It’s a good opportunity to help the body recover from the more intense pulling requirements of Olympic workouts, while still training the body for strength and power. Muscle snatches still allow you to build muscle and maintain technical skill while simultaneously allowing for recovery time.
- It allows for greater turnover and pulling power. This is the ultimate upper body strength building tool. The muscle snatch will help you maintain control over the weight as you lift overhead. The nature of the exercise allows for more time to stand and get yourself under the bar without needing to be too terribly aggressive. Your upper body strength will essentially finish the lift for you as you learn how to transition into more fluid turnovers.
- The muscle snatch can fix a broken technique. If your only weight lifting experience is with the traditional snatch exercise, then you may be feeling it in your hips or shoulders. A common issue with full snatch exercises is that many weightlifters will not complete their hip extensions as they move into the second pull. This makes it more difficult to get under the bar once it’s overhead. Working a muscle snatch in with your regular snatch routine can retrain the muscles to lift fully and powerfully, saving you from an incomplete workout.
- It’s easy to combine the muscle snatch with other exercises. You can get creative with your daily routine and work towards other movements like squats, power snatches, and balancing exercises during your muscle snatch workout. Work your upper and lower body together to best prepare yourself for the heavier snatches.
How Do You Perform Dumbbell Muscle Snatch?
Again, if you’ve had any experience with regular snatches, you may be familiar with the general dumbbell muscle snatch process. But since this is a great exercise for beginners as well, this step-by-step guide will explain everything from preparation to performance, as well as some strength-enhancing tips.
Below, you’ll find sections that detail the instructions for a successful muscle snatch routine. Each section is broken down into easy-to-follow bullet points that will highlight the specific ways to perform a muscle snatch.
Preparing Your Stance for the Muscle Snatch:
- Stand with your feet between the hips and shoulders. This width is typically known as a jumping stance.
- Give your back a slight arch, utilizing a healthy lumbar curve.
- Rest the weight bar on the gym floor.
- Keep the weight bar 2” from your shins.
- Put the majority of your weight on your heels as you stand.
- Make sure your shoulders are in front of the bar that’s resting on the ground.
- Put your arms and hands out wide, locking them in a tensed position.
Performing the Muscle Snatch:
- Extend your legs outward, moving your hips and shoulders at the same time, in one fluid movement.
- Use a full hip and leg extension while using your heels to accelerate yourself forward.
- Grab the bar and bring it to your hips.
- Use your hip’s pop to bring the bar further up your body.
- Keeping your arms straight, make a shrugging motion with your shoulders.
- Fully extend your legs, hips, and shoulders to the best of your ability.
- Once extended, start pulling your arms upward.
- Use your upper body strength to propel the bar overhead. Make sure to not bend the knees.
- Stop all movements once the bar is above your head.
- Quickly return to the preparatory phase.
- Repeat.
Programming the Muscle Snatch:
- It’s recommended to perform a barbell muscle snatch exercises with just a few reps and sets, using lighter loads during warm-up.
- Perform a few reps of the muscle snatch before diving into regular snatch exercises.
- Try doing one or two repetitions of the muscle snatch between 40% and 60% of full snatch RM to build turnover strength.
- Build up to three repetitions with a load intensity of 60% RM if you are looking to improve your technical skill or speed.
- Eventually, you will want to incorporate muscle snatches every day, using them as warmups with 40% – 50% full snatch RM (especially if you are throwing in other exercises as well, such as presses and squats).
Ultimate Barbell Muscle Snatch Strength tips
Dumbbell Muscle snatch is made for strong people. That being said, it’s an excellent tool for beginning weight lifters as well.
You don’t need to be ripped and giant to get the most out of a muscle snatch routine.
As a hybrid that encourages both strength and power, this exercise will encourage more aggression and raw energy.
If you’ve struggled to keep up with the stamina of your normal muscle-building routine, try incorporating the barbell muscle snatch while working on your specific needs.
Essentially, the muscle snatch is a powerhouse primer for four specific things:
- Power.
- Strength.
- Aggression.
- Technique.
Many individuals suffer weaknesses in one or more of these categories, which is what makes the muscle snatch such a useful and versatile tool.
Using it as a primer to strengthen these needs can help you sustain better full-snatching workouts in the future.
Not to mention, by adding additional exercises like overhead squats, you are enhancing these missing skills even further.
Use a dumbbell muscle snatch to prime your upper body muscles for the rest of your workout routine, even on resting days.
There’s nothing wrong with getting a lighter workout, and the muscle snatch is a good compromise because it serves as both an intense muscle-building exercise and a strengthening tool that doesn’t cause too much stress or strain on the body.
Keep lifting, snatching, and pulling, you’re well on your way to becoming an Olympic weightlifter!