How wide should a snatch grip be?

Wide enough that the bar sits in the crease of your hips when you stand tall with straight arms. If the bar rests on your thighs at lockout, widen the grip; if your hands are out at the collars, it is probably too wide.

Is the snatch-grip deadlift the same as a deficit deadlift?

Not quite, although the effect is similar. Both start the hips lower and make the bar travel farther than a conventional deadlift, but a deficit does it by raising the feet on a platform, while the wide grip does it by shortening the reach of the arms, so the bar also finishes higher, at the hip crease.

How much weight should I use compared with my regular deadlift?

Noticeably less. Many coaches start lifters at around 50 to 70 percent of their conventional deadlift max and add weight as the deeper start position and the wide grip get stronger.

Should I use straps or a hook grip?

Weightlifters usually use a hook grip, as they would in the snatch, and train without straps to build the grip. If the goal is back and leg strength rather than grip, lifting straps let you load the lift without the wide grip ending the set early.

Do I need to be a weightlifter to do this lift?

No. Powerlifters and general strength trainees use it to build strength off the floor and in the upper back with lighter loads than a conventional deadlift. Build a solid Barbell Deadlift first, since the deeper start asks more of your hip mobility and back position.

Barbell Deadlift (Snatch Grip)

What Is the Barbell Deadlift (Snatch Grip)?

Barbell Deadlift (Snatch Grip) is a compound exercise that primarily targets the lower back and glutes, with heavy work from the hamstrings and quads, and also engages the upper back, lats and forearms. It is an advanced-level movement that takes the conventional Barbell Deadlift and widens the grip to the width used in the snatch, with the hands far outside the legs.

The wide grip effectively shortens the arms. To reach a bar on the floor, the hips have to start lower than in a conventional deadlift, and at lockout the bar finishes higher, near the crease of the hips. The bar therefore travels farther, which has a similar effect to pulling from a deficit without standing on a platform: the extra range comes from the shorter reach of the arms rather than from raising the feet. The wide hands also pull the shoulders forward, so the upper back has to work harder to hold the chest up and the back flat, and the grip is tested more than with hands at shoulder width.

In Olympic weightlifting, a version done with the exact positions of the snatch, often called a snatch deadlift, is a basic strength builder for the pull of the Barbell Snatch, usually loaded around the lifter's best snatch so the starting position, balance and back angle can be practiced under load. Powerlifters and general strength trainees use it as an accessory to the conventional deadlift, building strength off the floor and in the upper back with lighter weights. It usually comes after the main lift of the session, or replaces the conventional deadlift on a lighter pulling day.

It suits lifters who already deadlift with a flat back and want a longer pull, more upper back work or weightlifting-specific strength. It asks for more hip and hamstring mobility and more grip strength than the conventional lift, so anyone who cannot hold a neutral spine in the lower start position should keep building with the Barbell Deadlift and the Barbell Romanian Deadlift first, and expect to use noticeably less weight once they make the switch.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Erector Spinae: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Biceps Femoris: High
Semimembranosus: High
Semitendinosus: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Vastus Lateralis: High
Vastus Medialis: High
Adductor Magnus: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Medium
Rectus Femoris: Medium
Rhomboid Major: Medium
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Low

Instructions

Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, heels about hip-width apart and toes turned slightly out.
Take an overhand grip far outside your legs, wide enough that the bar would rest in the crease of your hips when standing tall.
Bend your knees and lower your hips until your shins touch the bar, with the hips about level with or just above the knees.
Lift your chest, straighten your arms, pull your shoulder blades down and back and brace your trunk, with your eyes looking forward.
Push the floor away through your whole foot, keeping your back angle steady and the bar close to your shins as it rises past the knees.
Once the bar passes the knees, drive your hips forward and stand tall, finishing with straight arms and the bar near the crease of your hips.
Stand straight at the top without leaning back or shrugging.
Lower the bar by pushing your hips back, bend your knees once it passes them, and set it down under control in the same start position before the next rep.

Common Mistakes

Grip too narrow
With the hands only slightly outside the legs, the bar finishes on the thighs instead of the hip crease and the lift loses the longer pull it is meant to train.
Grip too wide
Taking the hands out to the collars weakens the hold, lets the bar slip and makes the upper back even harder to keep in position.
Hips rising first
Letting the hips shoot up before the bar leaves the floor turns the deep start into a stiff-leg pull and shifts the strain onto the lower back.
Chest dropping
The wide grip pulls the shoulders forward, and letting the chest drop rounds the upper back and soon the lower back with it.
Bar drifting forward
Letting the bar swing away from the shins and thighs moves the load in front of the feet and puts extra stress on the lower back.
Using conventional deadlift loads
Loading the bar like a regular deadlift before the deeper start position is solid leads to a rounded back and missed reps.

Injuries

Barbell Deadlift (Snatch Grip) is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back takes the most strain, because the wide grip forces a deeper start than a conventional deadlift, and a lifter with limited hip or hamstring mobility may round the lower back to reach the bar. The upper back and grip are also tested harder, and when the upper back gives out first, the shoulders round forward and the lower back follows.

Set the hips only as low as you can hold a flat back, keep the bar against the legs, and start well below your conventional deadlift loads. A hook grip or lifting straps keep the wide grip from slipping, so a set ends when the back position breaks rather than when the hands open. Warm up the hips and hamstrings before heavy sets.

If the bottom position rounds your back, pull from blocks or pins set just below the knee, as in a Barbell Rack Pull, or keep building with the conventional Barbell Deadlift or the Trap Bar Deadlift. Once the lift is solid, progress with a pause just below the knee or by pulling while standing on a low platform.

Stop the set if your lower back rounds, if you feel sharp pain in the lower back or down a leg, or if the bar starts slipping in your hands. Back pain that lingers after pulling is a reason to see a qualified professional before loading the lift again.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back, glutes, quads, and hamstrings
Equipment: Barbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How wide should a snatch grip be?: Wide enough that the bar sits in the crease of your hips when you stand tall with straight arms. If the bar rests on your thighs at lockout, widen the grip; if your hands are out at the collars, it is probably too wide.
Q: Is the snatch-grip deadlift the same as a deficit deadlift?: Not quite, although the effect is similar. Both start the hips lower and make the bar travel farther than a conventional deadlift, but a deficit does it by raising the feet on a platform, while the wide grip does it by shortening the reach of the arms, so the bar also finishes higher, at the hip crease.
Q: How much weight should I use compared with my regular deadlift?: Noticeably less. Many coaches start lifters at around 50 to 70 percent of their conventional deadlift max and add weight as the deeper start position and the wide grip get stronger.
Q: Should I use straps or a hook grip?: Weightlifters usually use a hook grip, as they would in the snatch, and train without straps to build the grip. If the goal is back and leg strength rather than grip, lifting straps let you load the lift without the wide grip ending the set early.
Q: Do I need to be a weightlifter to do this lift?: No. Powerlifters and general strength trainees use it to build strength off the floor and in the upper back with lighter loads than a conventional deadlift. Build a solid Barbell Deadlift first, since the deeper start asks more of your hip mobility and back position.