Jack Up Your Power and Strength

With Snatch Squats

By Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D., FACSM

Lifting heavy is not for everyone, but it does have distinct advantages. A few months of lifting heavy can really pile on some serious strength, increase your bone density and improve your overall muscle and tendon tone and density. Moving heavy weights quickly will also greatly enhance your power. The adaptations that you will make in both upper and lower body with heavy lifting will translate into the ability to challenge your muscles to greater levels when you back off the loads for a more moderate period of training.

Snatch squats are a great way to meet these goals, as this exercise will induce a lower body explosion in strength, while improving the flexibility and strength in your shoulders and arms and strength.

ANATOMY LESSON

Quadriceps

The quadriceps is made from four thigh muscles.1 The vastus lateralis muscle covers the lateral part of the femur bone of the thigh. The vastus medialis muscle is anchored to the medial part of the femur. The vastus intermedius muscle is attached to the central, anterior part of the femur. The muscle fibers from these three vasti muscles attach to the quadriceps tendon. The rectus femoris begins on the hip bones at the iliac crest and above the hip joint and not on the femur.2 Its fibers extend to the patellar tendon along with the three vastus muscles to attach to the patella (knee cap) and continues to the tibia bone of the lower leg as the patellar ligament. Together, the three vasti and the rectus femoris extend (straighten) the leg at the knee by the squat component of snatch squats.

Glutes

The gluteus maximus is the major hip extensor muscle1 and it is very active when you come up from the deep squat position. The fibers of the gluteus medius muscle run between the hip and the posterior part of the femur bone of the thigh. It abducts the femur at the hip joint by moving the femur laterally. The gluteus medius maintains balance during both up and down phases of the exercise.

Hamstrings

The hamstring muscles (long head of the biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus) attach to the posterior sides of hip and pelvic bones1 and they run down the posterior side of the femur bone to attach on the medial (semitendinosus, semimembranosus) or the lateral side (biceps femoris) of the tibia bone just below the knee. Together these muscles flex the knee, but when the foot is on the floor, the hamstrings extend (straighten) the hip joint, such as during the upward phase in snatch squats.

Shoulders

The three sections of the deltoid muscle are also activated with the weight overhead in snatch squats. The fibers from the deltoid muscle begin along the lateral part of the clavicle (anterior fibers), the middle part of the acromion of the scapula (medial fibers) and the spine of the scapula (posterior fibers) .1 The fibers in each of the three regions of the deltoid come together to attach to the humerus bone.

THE EXERCISE: SNATCH SQUAT

1. Put a bar on a squat rack and load it. Position the barbell behind the neck across the upper trapezius muscle as if you were going to do a back squat.

2. Grip the bar with a wide snatch grip. The palms should be pronated, with your hands almost to the inside collars and your elbows pointing out.4

3. Take two steps backwards to clear from the rack. Place your feet about shoulder-width apart, and turn your toes slightly outwards.

4. Tighten your back and abdominals and take a deep breath, then press the bar. With the wide snatch grip, push the bar up and slightly out or behind your head. The bar should end just behind the ears and over the head with the elbows locked out.

5. Make sure that you first have your balance, with the bar over your head and your feet flat on the floor. Squat down deeply, so that your hamstrings approach and almost touch the calves in the lowest position.4 Keep your chest and chin up and your back tight during the descent into the bottom position of the squat. You can control the weight by pushing up and out on the bar with your trapezius and arms.

6. From the lowest part of the squat, reverse the direction and drive upwards, again, keeping your chest up and back tight until standing fully upright.4

7. After standing erect and gaining control of the weight, take a few extra breaths and launch into the next repetition. Take a break after three repetitions and work up to three sets.

RX TIP

Keep the bar over your head in a line that is just behind the ears as you are squatting. If you begin to lose control of the bar, do not try to correct, as that could induce a shoulder injury, but simply step out of the way (forward) and drop the weight on the floor behind you.

Instead of racking the bar, you can perform a power snatch to lock the bar in the overhead position. This article does not have the space to fully describe this technique, so be sure that you understand the power snatch technique before attempting this.

References:

1. Moore, KL and AF Dalley. Clinically oriented Anatomy. Fourth edition. Baltimore, Lippincott Williams & Williams, 1999; 531-546.
2. Waligora AC, Johanson NA, Hirsch BE. Clinical anatomy of the quadriceps femoris and extensor apparatus of the knee. Clin.Orthop.Relat.Res. 2009; 467: 3297-3306.
3. Pacheco L, Balius R, Aliste L et al. The acute effects of different stretching exercises on jump performance. J Strength Cond Res 2011;25:2991-2998.
4. Haff G, Whitley A, Potteiger J. A Brief Review: Explosive Exercises and Sports Performance. J Strength Cond Res 2001; 23: 13-30.

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