The snatch is one of the most technical lifts we do. It’s also one of the most satisfying — because when it clicks, it really clicks.
We’ve been putting a lot of work into our Olympic lifting lately, and this session is all about your positions. Not chasing a heavy number, but getting the shapes right so the weight can follow later.
Here’s what we ran, and what we want you thinking about.
The complex
Every 2 minutes 30 for 8 rounds:
1 power snatch
1 hang squat snatch
2 overhead squats
Eight rounds on a two-and-a-half-minute clock gives you a genuine reset between efforts. That’s deliberate. This isn’t a conditioning piece — it’s quality work, and every rep deserves your full attention.
If you enjoy this style of session, you’ll like the way we break down a heavy barbell complex too.
The power snatch
Start at mid-shin with your shoulders back and down.
Spread your weight through your whole foot — not sitting back on your heels, not rolling forward onto your toes. That balanced base is what lets you drive properly.
From there, push the ground away with your legs, hit full extension, catch the bar in a quarter squat, and stand it up.
The hang squat snatch
Once you’ve stood up your power snatch, bring the bar back down and hold it in your hip crease. That’s your hang position, and that’s where the next rep starts.
From there it’s a hang squat snatch — receiving the bar in a full squat rather than catching high.
Two overhead squats
Straight out of the hang squat snatch, you’ve already got the bar overhead. So stay there and knock out your two overhead squats before you put it down.
The overhead squat is where tight shoulders and ankles tend to show up. If your positions feel like they’re fighting you, our mobility guide for Olympic lifting is a good place to start.
The two cues we’re chasing
Everything in this session comes back to two things:
Load up those quads. Feel the tension build in your legs before the bar leaves the ground.
Push the ground away with your whole foot. Full-foot contact, driving down so the bar goes up.
The most common habit we see is people trying to pull the barbell up towards their face
with their arms. Your arms aren’t the engine here — they’re just the connection. The power comes from your legs.
Get the leg drive right and the bar will go exactly where it needs to.
Why we program it this way
Positions before load, every time. A complex like this forces you to hold good shapes under fatigue, and it exposes anywhere you’ve been getting away with something.
Nail these fundamentals and the heavier lifts stop feeling like a battle. The same principles carry across all of our strength work — you can read more in our key strength tips.
Give it a go
Whether you’ve been lifting for years or you’re still learning the movement, there’s a version of this session for you. That’s the whole point — we scale it to suit whoever’s in the room.