The kettlebell snatch is a unilateral counterpart of the Olympic weightlifting barbell snatch. This movement requires a combination of great technique, power, speed, strength, and flexibility. The kettlebell snatch is a valuable tool in any fitness program and is also a great option when minimal equipment is available. Read further to learn everything you need to know about the kettlebell snatch.
- What Is the kettlebell snatch?
- Kettlebell Snatch Benefits
- Muscle Groups Worked
- How To Prepare for the Kettlebell Snatch
- Equipment Needed for the Kettlebell Snatch
- How To Warm Up for the Kettlebell Snatch
- How To Perform the Kettlebell Snatch
- Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Kettlebell Snatch Modifications
- Kettlebell Snatch Variations
- Common Kettlebell Snatch Workouts
- Get Started Today!
What Is the Kettlebell Snatch?
The kettlebell snatch requires the athlete to lift a kettlebell from a hang position to overhead in one motion.
To accomplish this, the athlete pushes their hips back and bends slightly at the knees to initiate the backswing of the kettlebell through the legs. The athlete then aggressively extends their hips and legs to impart speed and upward momentum on the kettlebell. With the kettlebell moving vertically, the athlete shrugs and pulls with their arm to continue elevating the dumbbell while keeping it close to the body.
As the kettlebell approaches head height, the athlete relaxes their grip on the kettlebell handle while punching their hand through the handle opening to receive the bell in a locked-out position overhead. As the arm extends overhead, the kettlebell should turn over and land gently on the back of the athlete’s forearm. In the top position, the arm is locked out with an active shoulder, and the legs and hips are fully extended.
Kettlebell Snatch Benefits
The kettlebell snatch is a valuable training tool. When used with light-to-moderate loads for a significant volume of reps, it can aid in developing cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina. This movement can be done with heavy loads for low reps, which will aid the development of strength, power, speed, and agility. In all cases, the complexity of the movement will develop the neurological adaptations necessary for athletic performance.
Cardiorespiratory Endurance and Stamina
The kettlebell snatch is typically performed for a significant volume of reps as a component of conditioning workouts to deliver a substantial dose of cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina. Workouts may include sets of upwards of 30-50 reps that can be performed safely and effectively with light to moderate loads. In these sets, stamina, or local muscular endurance, is developed in the forearms, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and shoulders.
Strength
Although not a pure strength-building movement compared to movements like heavy deadlifts, squats, presses, and classic Olympic lifting variations, the kettlebell snatch can still enhance strength development when used for challenging loads in the 3-to 5-rep range. Athletes must apply significant force to the ground while aggressively extending the hips and legs to launch the kettlebell overhead. The arm pull and receiving of the kettlebell overhead also develop strength and stability throughout the shoulder girdle. The kettlebell snatch develops core strength as the body must absorb the impact and load of receiving the kettlebell overhead. The unilateral nature of the movement challenges the core with demands that vary from traditional barbell movements.
Power, Speed, and Agility
The kettlebell power snatch allows athletes to move a significant load through a large range of motion at a high rate of speed. This is a necessary attribute for speed and power development. Kettlebell snatches teach the ability to forcefully and fully extend the hips as the kettlebell is launched from the hang position to the overhead position. This powerful hip extension carries over to other athletic movements like jumping, squatting, punching, and throwing.
Neurological Components (Skill)
The technical complexity of a well-executed kettlebell snatch develops neurological aspects of fitness, such as coordination, accuracy, and balance. The kettlebell snatch requires the coordination of every joint and transfers well to other complex motor patterns. The kettlebell snatch develops balance by resisting the tendency to be pulled forward out of position when lifting the load from the hang and when receiving the kettlebell overhead.
Coordination is developed by ensuring the athlete follows core-to-extremity principles. In this instance, the athlete fully extends the hips and legs before using their arm to pull on the kettlebell. This coordination is necessary to maximize the efficiency of the movement.
Athletes must be accurate in all phases of the movement. They must have an accurate backswing to initiate the lift, direct the dumbbell in a vertical travel path, and accurately receive the dumbbell overhead with hips and legs extended and arm locked out.
With high-rep workouts, athletes can practice sound technique and develop neurological adaptations while fatigued, which mimics requirements found in sports, as well as many endeavors enjoyed outside of the gym.
Muscle Groups Worked
The kettlebell snatch is a full-body movement that works many major muscle groups.
Lower Body
The muscles of the legs, especially the hips, quads, glutes, and hamstrings, are prime movers in the kettlebell snatch. These muscles are engaged in all phases of the lift — when launching the weight from the hang by aggressively extending the hips and legs to elevate the dumbbell overhead, and in receiving the kettlebell with hips and legs extended in the finish position.
Core and Upper Body
The core, shoulder girdle, and back muscles are engaged throughout the kettlebell snatch.
Core: These muscles contract isometrically to allow for the efficient transfer of forces from the ground, through the midline and shoulder, and into the kettlebell. As the lifter initiates the backswing, these muscles keep the torso stable and the torso angle consistent while locking in the lumbar curve. When the athlete launches the kettlebell overhead, these muscles keep the midline stable, so the force produced from the rapid hip and leg extension will pass through the midline into the kettlebell. Once the kettlebell is overhead, these muscle groups keep the midline stable to provide a strong platform for supporting the load overhead in the receiving position.
Upper Body: The muscles throughout the upper back and shoulders contract isometrically to maintain an active shoulder throughout the initial backswing portion of the movement. After the hips and legs extend, the upper back musculature, traps, and shoulders continue elevating the kettlebell into the overhead position. When the kettlebell is in the overhead position, the shoulder, upper back/traps, and triceps keep the shoulder region stable and the arm locked out.
How To Prepare for the Kettlebell Snatch
Preparing to perform the kettlebell snatch requires a single kettlebell and performing a general and specific warm-up to get the body ready to move through the range-of-motion demands of the movement.
Equipment Needed
All that is needed is a single kettlebell of appropriate weight to meet the intent of the workout, along with adequate floor space. This is an excellent movement for those who need to exercise while having little equipment available.
How To Warm Up for the Kettlebell Snatch
To warm up for the kettlebell snatch, the athlete should perform general movements that work every joint through their full range of motion and may target the muscles of the core (anterior and posterior), upper back, and hips more directly. Banded good mornings, GHD hip extensions, bar hangs, pass-throughs, banded pull-aparts, goblet squats, and hollow holds are good choices for the general warm-up.
For the specific warm-up, a variety of teaching progressions exist. Consider the following:
Step 1: Kettlebell deadlifts
Step 2: Kettlebell swings
Step 3: Kettlebell clean and press
Step 4: Kettlebell snatch
*Perform an equal number of reps of each progression step with each arm.
How To Do the Kettlebell Snatch
The kettlebell snatch is a complex movement that can be broken down into a backswing phase, the launch phase, and the lockout phase.
The Backswing
With the arm holding the kettlebell remaining long and loose, the athlete hinges at the hips by sending the hips back, bending the knees slightly, and allowing the torso to lean forward with the chest up and lumbar curve maintained. This hinge sends the kettlebell into the backswing between the athlete’s legs, and the kettlebell travels back behind the athlete until the forearm makes contact with the inner thigh. At this point, the athlete is in a powerful “loaded” position, with tension built up in the hamstring and glutes, ready to begin the launch phase
The Launch
In the launch phase, the athlete explosively extends the hips and legs by flexing the quads and squeezing the glutes. This powerful hip and leg extension generates the upward momentum to launch the kettlebell overhead. Once the hips and legs have extended, the shoulder shrugs, and the arm bends to pull and guide the kettlebell close to the body and overhead.
As the kettlebell reaches head height, the athlete relaxes their grip on the kettlebell handle, and punches their hand upward and through the handle opening to allow the kettlebell to flip over and land gently on the athlete’s forearm as the arm locks out.
The Lockout
As the kettlebell rotates in the athlete’s hand to land gently on the forearm, the athlete keeps extending the arm to lockout. The rep is completed when the kettlebell is secured directly overhead with the arm locked out and the hips and legs fully extended.
Common Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
There are several common kettlebell snatch mistakes athletes should be aware of and avoid. The following list contains major elements to consider and does not contain all of the nuanced minor faults that may exist.
Shrugging or Pulling Early
The working arm should remain straight, and the shoulder should not shrug until the hips and knees have fully extended. It is common for athletes to bend their arm early. When this occurs, power output and efficiency are reduced, the kettlebell may move away from the body, and the arm will fatigue prematurely. To improve this fault, athletes can focus on keeping their arm straight until the hips have extended and incorporate a timing drill, such as performing two kettlebell swings followed immediately by one kettlebell snatch.
Incomplete Hip and Knee Extension
After the backswing phase of the movement, the athlete’s legs and hips must reach full extension in the launch phase. However, it is a common fault for athletes to cut this extension short by not fully extending the hips and/or legs in a rush to pull the kettlebell overhead. This limits the power transferred into the kettlebell, diminishes the kettlebell’s upward travel, and does not maximize speed. Athletes should focus on extending the legs and hips hard before they pull with the arm. Performing one-arm kettlebell swings can be a helpful drill to improve this fault.
Swinging the Kettlebell
While kettlebell swings are a useful tool for teaching the athlete how to fully extend the legs and hips with a straight arm and how to avoid pulling early with the arm, the athlete must not develop the habit of letting the kettlebell swing away from the body during the kettlebell snatch. Performing slow kettlebell “muscle” snatches with a very light kettlebell can help ingrain the proper path for the kettlebell.
Improper Receiving Position
Several faults may present themselves when receiving the kettlebell in the overhead position. First, if the kettlebell is moving too slowly as it reaches head height or the timing of the “punch” is off, the athlete may receive the kettlebell with a bent arm, and the kettlebell may slam into the forearm as it rolls over. Another fault is the athlete having the knees and legs bent when the kettlebell locks out overhead. Here again, slow kettlebell “muscle” snatches with a very light kettlebell can help remedy these timing and positional issues.
Kettlebell Snatch Modifications
For those struggling to get the kettlebell overhead or lacking the shoulder mobility to receive the kettlebell directly overhead, the load of the kettlebell can be reduced to just a few pounds to allow the athlete to practice the movement and develop mobility.
Common Kettlebell Snatch Workouts
Hall: 5 rounds for time of: 3 cleans (155/225 lb) / 200-meter sprint / 20 kettlebell snatches (35/53 lb) / Rest 2 minutes
Regional Nate: 10 rounds for time of: 4 strict muscle-ups / 7 strict handstand push-ups / 12 kettlebell snatches (53/70 lb)
Garbo: On a 21-minute clock: 400-meter run / Then, AMRAP in the remaining time of: 10 hand-release push-ups / 4 strict pull-ups / 20 kettlebell swings (35/53 lb) / 4 single-arm kettlebell snatches (35/53 lb) / 10 kettlebell goblet squats (35/53 lb)