The Complete Guide to the One-Arm Dumbell Snatch

            The one-arm dumbbell snatch is an excellent excessive for developing core stability, full body explosiveness and power. It also is a great functional movement, calorie burner and even cardio exercise when done for higher numbers of repetitions.

Progression:

            The two foundational exercises for developing the dumbell snatch are the dumbell overhead squat and the dumbell high pull. The snatch as well as the high pull may be progressed through the high, low and Olympic rep ranges. The dumbell overhead squat mimics the recovery phase and is performed with a single dumbell held in full extension. The lifter lowers the body by flexing the knees and hips while maintaining full extension from the sacrum up. This lift is performed through the range of motion necessary for the lifter to drop underneath (catch) the weight at its maximum pull height.

            The high pull is performed with a single dumbell from the bottom of the squat position with the dumbell in front of the body. The lifter forcefully extends hips and knees. Once the momentum has begun to build from the extension of the knees and hips, the ankles forcefully plantar flex and a shrug is performed to further increase the momentum of the weight. Lastly the elbow ascends drawing the weight up to lower chest height while the triple extension of ankles, knees and hips is reached. 

Lift:

  Preparatory Phase

  

            The dumbell should be positioned between the feet which are set shoulder-width or slightly wider. The back should be flat and the head neutral. Hips and knees should be flexed with heels on the ground. The free hand should be placed behind the lower back so that is does not interfere with the lift. The shoulders should be relatively square and the trunk should not be excessively rotated. Remind the lifter to squeeze the shoulder blades together and “keep the

chest up”.  It is important to instruct the lifter to maintain core integrity and a flat back throughout the entire lift. It will help to remind them to lift with the legs and not the back as the legs tire during consecutive repetitions. As with all Olympic lifts timing is everything so ask the lifter to visualize explosively driving through the heels to full and extension and quickly dropping underneath the weight before they begin.

    Pull and Scoop Phases               
 

The first pull is performed by explosively driving off the heels and extending hips and knees. The scoop begins once the dumbell nears hip height, there should be no arm flexion until after the scoop. There should be triple extension at this point of the lift (ankles, knees, and hips). At the moment the shoulder should also powerfully shrug by elevating and retracting. Now the second pull is performed as the upper arm abducts and flexion occurs at the elbow joint. It is important to keep the elbow over the wrist and remind the lifter to, “lead with the elbow,” so that the biceps muscles are not excessively used. The catch phase begins once the dumbell reaches its maximum height at the lower chest level.

                    

   Catch Phase

 

 The catch is performed once the dumbell has reached its maximum height from the pull and the hips and knees are fully extended. The lifter rapidly drops into a low squat while rotating and extending the elbow, wrist and should underneath the dumbell. It is important for the dumbell to remain close to the body and the lifter to move quickly underneath the dumbell during this phase.  The back should remain erect and the heels should be on the ground once the dumbell is “caught” at the bottom of the squat. Once the shoulder and elbow are locked the lifter may begin the recovery phase as they begin to exhale.

                  

    Upward Movement or Overhead Squat and Recovery Phase

  

 The hips and knees extend in a controlled manner until the top of the movement is reached with the lifter in a fully upright position. The lift is completed once the dumbell is

stabilized with full extension of the arm, shoulder, knees and hips. The lifter should be instructed to exhale during this last phase and drive through the heels (“blow the weight up”).  The weight may be lowered while exhaling and bending at the elbow until the dumbell is shoulder height. The dumbell can then be lowered form the shoulder by rotating the elbow back above the weight and performing an eccentric squat motion while maintaining proper concentric form with a flat back. Once the weight reaches the ground the lifter ma perform additional repetitions or release the weight.

                       

Critique:

            I am the one in the pictures performing this lift several years ago so I feel a critique is appropriate. During this lift the elbow could have been brought higher and further back to keep the weight closed to the body (2).  Also, the lifter did not reach full extension before beginning the catch phase, which would have resulted in a failed lift, had the weight been heavier. In the catch phase the squat could have been lower to obtain a fuller extension of the arm extension earlier in the recovery phase. There is also some excessive lower back extension and lateral hip movement that could be eliminated by improving shoulder and hip flexibility.

Muscle Summary:

The primary muscles involved in the snatch are the extensors of the hip (gluteals, biceps femoris),  extensors of the knee (quadriceps), the trapezious, deltoid, and extensors of the back. This exercise is useful in generating explosive force production and stabilization under laterally loaded forces. It is useful in a variety of sports including football, hockey, basketball and volleyball especially in jumping and handling forces with the arms both above and below the waist. Practitioners of this lift also prevent injury by learning to absorb forces of a rapidly accelerating/decelerating mass unilaterally.

Joint	1st pull	Scoop and 2nd pull	Catch	Recovery
Shoulder	stabilization/ isometric contraction, posterior deltiod, medial deltoid, rotator cuff	abduction and flexion, trapezious, pos. & medial deltoids	superior rotation, all deltoid heads, rotator cuff	stabilization/ isometric contraction, posterior deltiod, medial deltoid, andt. Deltoid and rotator cuff
Elbow	stabilization, biceps brachii, forearm extensors/flexors	elbow flexion, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, brachialis	stabilization, biceps brachii, forearm extensors/flexors	stabilization, triceps brachii
Back	extension, quadratus lumborum, spinal erectors	extension, quadratus lumborum, spinal erectors, rhomboids	Isometric contraction of spinal extensors	Isometric contraction of spinal extensors
Core	stabilization, rectus and transverse abdominis, internal/ external obliques	stabilization, rectus and transverse abdominis, internal/ external obliques	stabilization, rectus and transverse abdominis, internal/ external obliques	stabilization, rectus and transverse abdominis, internal/ external obliques
Hips	gluteal extension, maximus, minimus, medius, stabilization of adductor triangle	gluteal extension, maximus, minimus, medius, stabilization of adductor triangle	eccentric gluteal contraction, maximus, minimus, medius, stabilization of adductor triangle	gluteal extension, maximus, minimus, medius, stabilization of adductor triangle
Knee	extension, quadraceps femoris	extension, quadraceps femoris	eccentric contraction of quadraceps femoris and concentric contaction of biceps femoris	Quadraceps, Biceps Femoris
Ankle	stabilization	plantarflexion, gastrocnemius/ Soleus	dorsiflexion, anterior tibialis, eccentric contraction of gastrocs and soleus	stabilization
Concentric/eccentric	Concentric	Concentric	Eccentric	Concentric