Featured Exercise

The One Armed Snatch

This specialty exercise, the one armed snatch,  is an excellent example of a functional, multi-muscle group exercise  (i.e. an exercise which duplicates normal human movement).This exercise  is performed with an appropriately weighted dumbbell, one arm at a time.  As with all complex exercises it is important to learn and practice the  technique with lower resistances.


The  weight should be taken down to the floor or as close to it as possible  without breaking form keeping the weight between the feet. The weight is  then pulled up the centre line, close to the body, as high as possible  with the elbow away from the torso.

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To begin, the exerciser stands tall with feet shoulder width apart holding a dumbbell at their side.

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The exerciser then drops, with hips back and torso bent forward at waist approximately 45 degrees. 

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Once the weight is at shoulder height the exerciser should drop under the weight, the catch.

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This is a similar movement to the initial drop of this exercise and extends the arm overhead.

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The movement is completed with the exerciser returning to the upright position with the weight overhead.

Common  mistakes made with this exercise are: failure to get hips back to  initiate the pull, pulling the weight in front of the body instead of  keeping the weight close to the body as one pulls, pressing the weight  overhead instead of snatching the weight up and dropping underneath it,  and not getting the hips back on the catch (i.e. moving the knees  forward instead of the hips back).