Dumbbell Hang Snatch
What Is the Dumbbell Hang Snatch?
Dumbbell Hang Snatch is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, quads, upper back and shoulders, and also engages the lower back, calves, triceps and core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you hold a dumbbell in each hand, start from a hang just above the knees, and drive both dumbbells from your thighs to locked arms overhead in one fast pull, catching them in a partial squat before standing up.
The lift is a dumbbell version of the hang snatch from Olympic weightlifting, and it is used in athletic strength programs and group training to build lower-body power: a fast, forceful extension of the hips, knees and ankles. Starting from the hang skips the slower pull from the floor and puts the work on that explosive extension, which also makes it quicker to learn than a snatch from the floor. Like other weightlifting derivatives, it usually sits early in a session, while you are fresh, and is done for low reps. In a six-week study of female college volleyball and softball players, athletes who added barbell hang snatches, started at mid-thigh and caught in a quarter squat, improved their vertical jump, back squat and 40-yard sprint by about the same amount as teammates who added hang cleans.
The glutes, hamstrings and quads produce the drive, the trapezius shrugs the dumbbells upward, the deltoids guide them overhead, and the triceps, serratus anterior and upper back lock and hold them there. Compared with the Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch, loading both hands keeps the pull symmetrical, but each arm has to control its own dumbbell and both must lock out at the same moment. Compared with the Barbell Hang Snatch, the dumbbells need no wide snatch grip and move far less weight, but nothing ties them together, so the overhead position asks more of shoulder mobility and stability. Starting lower, just below the knee, lengthens the pull, and catching in a full overhead squat instead of a partial squat turns it into a squat snatch that needs more mobility.
The lift suits athletes and experienced gym-goers who want power training with modest equipment, and it fits well in circuits and conditioning work at lighter loads. Before trying it, you should be able to hinge with a flat back, as in the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, and hold dumbbells locked overhead without arching your lower back. The Dumbbell High Pull teaches the pull, and the Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch teaches the full pattern with one dumbbell before you add the second.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Upper Trapezius
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Erector Spinae
- High
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Soleus
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and a dumbbell on the floor just in front of each foot.
- Hinge at the hips with a flat back, bend your knees and grab both dumbbells with an overhand grip.
- Brace your core and stand up tall, keeping the dumbbells close, so they hang at the front of your thighs with straight arms.
- Push your hips back and slide the dumbbells down your thighs to just above your knees, keeping your back flat, your shoulders over the dumbbells and your arms long.
- Drive hard through your feet, extending your hips, knees and ankles, and shrug as your hips open.
- Pull your elbows high and out to keep the dumbbells close to your body.
- Punch both arms straight up as you drop into a partial squat, letting your feet land slightly wider if needed.
- Catch the dumbbells with your elbows locked, palms facing forward, the weights over your shoulders, feet flat and thighs above parallel.
- Stand up fully with the dumbbells locked overhead and hold for a moment.
- Lower the dumbbells under control to your shoulders, then to your thighs, and reset in the hang for the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Pulling with the arms early
Bending the elbows before the hips and knees finish extending turns the lift into an arm pull and takes away the leg drive that should move the dumbbells.
Cutting the extension short
Dropping under the dumbbells before the hips are fully open leaves them too low to catch with straight arms.
Letting the dumbbells swing out
Letting the dumbbells drift forward away from the thighs sends them on a looping path and pulls you off balance in the catch.
Rounding the back in the hang
Losing a flat back as you lower the dumbbells toward the knees puts the lower back in a weak position right before the drive.
Pressing out the catch
Catching on bent arms and pushing the dumbbells up to lockout shifts the load onto the shoulders and elbows instead of meeting it with locked arms.
Uneven dumbbells overhead
Catching one dumbbell higher, further forward or later than the other twists the torso and makes the overhead position unstable.
Injuries
Dumbbell Hang Snatch is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back takes strain when it rounds as you lower the dumbbells to the hang or when you lean back to heave them up. The shoulders, elbows and wrists take strain in the catch, especially when the dumbbells land on bent arms, drift behind your head, or arrive at different heights, and a hard landing in the partial squat loads the knees.
Hinge with a flat back and a braced core, keep the dumbbells close to your body all the way up, and punch your arms to lockout as you drop under them so the weights land stacked over your shoulders. Use a weight you can lock out on every rep without pressing, keep power sets short, and end the set when the dumbbells slow down or the catch starts to wander. Lower the dumbbells in stages, to your shoulders and then to your thighs, rather than letting them fall from overhead. If a rep goes wrong overhead, guide the dumbbells forward and away from your body and step back, never behind you.
If you cannot reach a full overhead position without arching your lower back, build it with lighter overhead work such as the Dumbbell Overhead Squat before snatching. To regress, go back to the Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch or the Dumbbell High Pull; to progress, add load slowly or start from a lower hang. Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, wrist, elbow or lower back.
Other Names for the Dumbbell Hang Snatch
The Dumbbell Hang Snatch is also known as:
- Double Dumbbell Hang Snatch
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Where should the dumbbells start in a hang snatch?
Lift the dumbbells off the floor to a tall stance first, then hinge to lower them to just above your knees, which is the usual hang. A higher start at mid-thigh shortens the pull, and a start just below the knee lengthens it.
- Q: How is it different from the Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch?
Both arms work at once, so the pull stays symmetrical, but you have to steer two dumbbells and lock both out together, which usually means a lighter weight in each hand. Most people learn the Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch first and then add the second dumbbell.
- Q: Do I have to catch in a full squat?
No. This version is caught in a partial squat with the thighs above parallel, and catching in a full overhead squat is a squat snatch that needs more ankle, hip and shoulder mobility. The Dumbbell Overhead Squat builds that bottom position if you want to go deeper.
- Q: How heavy should I go, and for how many reps?
Pick a weight you can lock out overhead on every rep without pressing it, and keep power sets to about 3 to 5 reps. Lighter, longer sets are common in conditioning workouts, but end the set as soon as the dumbbells slow down or the catch gets sloppy.
- Q: What is the difference between a dumbbell hang snatch and a dumbbell hang clean?
The Dumbbell Hang Clean catches the dumbbells on the shoulders, while the snatch takes them all the way overhead in one pull. The snatch needs more height on the pull and a stable overhead position, so it is usually done with lighter dumbbells.