Tall Snatch: How To, Benefits & Alternatives

Tall snatch just sounds intriguing, right? Right off the bat, you know you’re in for something different and fun.

It’s a very dynamic exercise that can boost your speed and coordination and you’ll get a unique kind of challenge with it. It’s an exercise that can spice up your routine and it’s not just for lifters; you’ll see everyone can benefit from it.

Grab a bar and let’s learn everything there is to know about the tall snatch!

What Is the Tall Snatch?

Since you probably just want to get familiar with it, we’ll keep this part short and sweet. 

The tall snatch is a lifting exercise that’s meant to improve the speed and aggressiveness of your turnover during snatch movements. You start with the bar at hip crease, using only the explosive power of your ankles and a quick arm pull to drive the bar overhead. 

Unlike the traditional snatch that starts from a lower position and can involve heavier weights, the tall snatch focuses on perfecting technique with lighter loads, typically around 30% of your maximum.

It’s ideal for Olympic weightlifters and cross-training athletes who want to refine their snatch technique, but it may not be as beneficial for general fitness enthusiasts because of its specificity. 

How to Do the Tall Snatch?

1. Setup

Your feet should be hip-width apart with the weight distributed evenly across your feet. Use a wide grip on a barbell and place the barbell in your hip crease and be sure you don’t hit your pubic bone. Your arms should be totally extended with elbows pointing out. 

2. Power Position and Turnover 

The bar should be in the power position, resting in your hip crease. Engage your core, toughen your back and lift the bar slightly. Keep it close to your body throughout the movement.

Drive the lift by explosively extending your ankles, rising onto the balls of your feet. Quickly shrug your shoulders to add upward pull to add some momentum and focus on a fast, aggressive turnover, and pull yourself under the bar into a squat. It’s all about that fast and aggressive drop.

3. Catch

Once you’ve dropped under the bar and into a squat, immediately extend your arms overhead to stabilize and secure the bar. 

4. Recovery 

Make sure your feet are firmly planted on the ground and your body is stable in a squat. Keep the bar balanced over your midline, directly above your shoulders and hips. 

Drive through your feet and stand up from the squat. Keep your arms locked and the barbell steady overhead as you get up. 

An Easy-to-Follow Tall Snatch Program

Beginner

• Reps: 3
• Sets: 3 per session
• Frequency: 1-2 times per week
• Progression: Your focus is not on lifting heavy weights. Instead, you’ll use either an empty barbell or only a stick to get the form down. After that, you can start adding weights in 5-10 lbs increments. 

Intermediate

• Reps: 1-3 
• Sets: 3-5 per session
• Frequency: 2-3 times per week
• Progression: Add more weights gradually and focus on explosiveness and speed during the lift. 

Advanced

• Reps: 1-3
• Sets: 1–5 per session
• Frequency: as many as needed 
• Progression: Increase the weight gradually, but make sure it doesn’t exceed approximately 35% of your snatch 1RM unless you do it perfectly. Also, think about incorporating the tall snatch into various Olympic lifting complexes to develop coordination and technique even further.  

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3 Common Tall Snatch Mistakes

❌ Improper Starting Position

This goes back to the importance of form we discussed previously; if you start off with a bar too low or too high, you’ll throw the whole lift off. Plus, it won’t be as efficient if your form is not good. 

The bar should be in the exact position as with your normal snatch power position. If it’s just an inch too low, you’ll hit your pubic bone and that’s going to be super painful. 

❌ Lack of Aggressiveness

You need quick, powerful hip extension to be able to do the tall snatch. If that doesn’t happen, the lift will be sluggish and blah.

❌ Inconsistent Bar Path

The bar needs to move in a straight, vertical path. Don’t have it swinging in front and don’t pull it too close to your body or you’ll disrupt the lift. 

3 Benefits of Tall Snatch

✅ Better Drop Speed and Technique

The tall snatch primarily benefits drop speed and technique because of its focus on the rapid drop under the bar combined with an active arm pull. 

This exercise focuses on the speed of the turnover and the precision of catching the bar in the overhead position, which helps improve your ability to stabilize the bar quickly and efficiently during the snatch. 

Tips From the Champ

In my experience, the tall snatch is one of the best drills for refining turnover speed & quality. Focus on pulling yourself under the bar quickly – this drill will make your full snatch smoother and more precise.

Oleksiy Torokhtiy

Olympic Weightlifting Champion

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✅ Improved Coordination

Several of your muscle groups need to be coordinated to make the tall snatch happen, so over time, this exercise will improve neuromuscular coordination. 

✅ Improved Elements of the Snatch

The tall snatch can refine specific elements of your snatch technique. With the focus on the quick transition from extension to receiving the bar, it will improve your technique, timing and coordination, which is important for a smooth, efficient snatch. 

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Tall Snatch Variation

Tall Muscle Snatch

It’s the same as the tall snatch, except you lift the bar without dropping into a squat. This variation focuses on upper body and shoulder movement . 

8 Tall Snatch Alternatives

1. Snatch Balance

In the snatch balance, you lift the barbell from your shoulders to overhead using a slight dip and drive from the legs. Your legs should be hip-wide apart (regular stance). The barbell should be rested on your back (behind your neck/head). 

Do an overhead squat grip on the bar. Your torso dips straight down during the movement, and your hips and legs should extend rapidly. Press under so that the bar does not move up significantly, while your feet move to a shoulder-width stance. The barbell will be received at the bottom of an overhead squat. 

You complete the move at full hip/knee/arm extension. Go back to the standing position while keeping the barbell overhead the entire time. Snatch balance focuses on shoulder and upper body strength, but it also incorporates some lower body power. 

2. Dumbbell Snatch

If you’re dealing with muscle imbalances, then this exercise will be great because it can address them. Muscle imbalances can cause injuries, so make sure to handle them promptly. 

3. Hang Power Snatch

This one combines elements of the hang snatch and power snatch. It starts from the hang position and catches the bar in a partial squat. It focuses on explosive power and the ability to quickly get under the bar. 

4. Hang Snatch High Pull

Start with the bar at knee level and maintain strong posture as you explosively extend your hips and knees. As the bar goes up, lead with your elbows to pull it to chest height.

Hang Snatch High Pull is an excellent way to improve your pull strength and the transition phase of the snatch.

5. Upright Row

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip. Lift it straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows, and keep it close to your body. 

Upright rows will improve the stability in your shoulders and build muscles that are involved in the pulling phase of the snatch.

6. Tall Clean and Press

This is a functional exercise that helps develop power and coordination throughout the entire body.

Start with the bar at your hips, do a slight upward shrug, and then quickly drop under the bar. Catch it on your shoulders in  a partial squat. Stand up and finish by pressing it overhead. 

Who Should Do the Tall Snatch?

1. Weightlifters

If you’re a weightlifter who’s looking to improve their snatch technique or just lifting performance in general, give the tall snatch a go. It will refine the turnover phase . 

2. Fitness Competitors

Those that are preparing for fitness competitions that include components of Olympic lifting should practice the tall snatch to perfect their technique and build speed.

Muscles Worked by the Tall Snatch

It involves your entire body, but it specifically improves speed, coordination, and mobility. The main focus is on the controlled drop under the bar, with your arms actively pulling and your legs preparing to receive the bar in the drop. 

The core keeps you stable throughout the entire movement, the back plays a big role in supporting and stabilizing your torso, and your forearms help control the barbell. 

Conclusion

Well, we’ve covered everything – how to do it, what mistakes to be wary of, how to keep progressing, some variations and alternatives… There’s nothing left to say about the tall snatch, you have it all!

Regardless of your fitness level, keep pushing through the discomfort and frustrations that come (especially at the beginning) because in the end, you’ll get some incredible benefits out of it. Be consistent, but allow yourself a day or two to just chill on the couch because your muscles need that downtime to recover. 

What’s your take on this? We’d love to hear anything you have to add! Have you tried the tall snatch or any of the variations, what are some challenges you’ve had to overcome and how do you stay motivated? Have we missed any of the important points?

Let’s keep talking in the comment section!

References:

1. Becks Shepherd “Why are rest days important?” LiveScience, https://www.livescience.com/why-are-rest-days-important (accessed June 20th, 2024)
2. Mayo Clinic Staff, “Weight training: Do’s and don’ts of proper technique,” Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/weight-training/art-20045842 (accessed June 20th, 2024)
3. Stephan Geisler, Tim Havers, Eduard Isenmann, Jonas Schulze, Leonie K. Lourens, Jannik Nowak, Steffen Held, G. Gregory Haff, “Effects of Expertise on Muscle Activity during the Hang Power Clean and Hang Power Snatch Compared to Snatch and Clean Pulls – An Explorative Analysis,” Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 22 (2023): 778-789.
4. Venkat S. R. “What Are Muscle Imbalances?” WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-are-muscle-imbalances (accessed June 20th, 2024)
5. Photos by Torokhtiy Media Team.