The Snatch and the Clean and Jerk are the two movements contested in the sport of weightlifting (also known as Olympic weightlifting or even Oly by CrossFitters). A while back we looked at the Clean and Jerk and all the associated variations and over the next few weeks, we are going to look at the other movement, the Snatch.

Before we start, we’ll look this week at a demonstration of the Burgener warm-up, by CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart. The Burgener warm-up is an Olympic Lifting warmup from the legendary Mike Burgener that has become a bit of a gold standard for weightlifting warmups in CrossFit.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Arms wide and hook grip on the bar
• Bar at the high-hang
• Dip, dive
• Dip, dive, and shrug keeping torso vertical and arms straight
• Dip, dive, shrug, and elbows pull high
• Dip, dive, shrug and then pull the bar overhead
• Feet move to shoulder-width stance
• Overhead squat
• Move feet to hip-width stance ; bar at the high-hang
• Dip, dive and pull into the bottom of the overhead squat; stand
• Snatch

Have found and included alll the individual videos for these, so don’t need to do this video, although could include it as a ‘Review the most often used movements’ week

CrossFit has defined 9 Foundational Movements, which provide a greatly rounded starting point for anybody starting out with CrossFit. These are niely combined in this video, which covers:
Air Squat
Front Squat
Overhead Squat
Shoulder Press
Push Press
Push Jerk
Deadlift
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Medicine Ball Clean

CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher demonstrates the dumbbell swing, a movement that isn’t seen very much as it is not as favoured as the kettlebell swing. The Dumbell doesn’t lend itself to the swing in quite the way the ketttlebell does, but as you can see from the demonstration, it makes a perfectly good substitute if you don’t have a kettlebell to hand.

As with the Kettlebell Swing, keeping a neutral spine and being mindful of sending the hips back in a hinge rather than a squat, is important.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with shoulder-wisth apart of wider
• Grip center of dumbbell with both hands
• Hips descend back and down, but stay higher than the knees
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Knees in line with toes
• Hips and legs extend rapidly, driving the dumbell overhead
• Heels down until hips and legs extend
• Arms remain straight, pulling the dumbbell over the middle of both feet
• Hips sit back in a partial squat as the bell descends to begin next rep

This week CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher demonstrates the Dumbell Hang Power Snatch for us. Just like with the barbell variation of this movement, you can make it simple by considering each of the individual words in this rather lengthy movement name!
1. Dumbell (not barbell)
2. Hang – starting from above the ground (usually just above the knee)
3. Power – don’t have to drop into a full squat position
4. Snatch (differentiates it from the Clean, the other Olympic Weightlifting movement)

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Grip the center of the dumbbell
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Deadlift the dumbbell to the hang position
• Extend hips and legs rapidly
• Heels down until hips and legs extend
• Shoulder shrugs, followed by a pull under with the arms
• Dumbbell is received in a partial overhead squat
• Complete at full hip, knee and arm extension with the dumbbell over the middle of both feet

The Dumbell Power Snatch is also very similar to the Dumbell Snatch – the only difference is that instead of dropping into the Dumbell Overhead Squat position, the athlete only needs to drop part way to catch the dumbells. CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher demonstrates this movement for us.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Grip the center of the dumbbell
• Dumbbells start on the ground in between both feet
• Shoulders over or slightly in front of the dumbbell at set-up
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate
• Hips extend rapidly
• Heels stay down until hips and legs extend
• Shoulder shrugs, followed by a pull under with the arms
• Dumbbell is received in a partial overhead squat
• Complete at full hip and knee extension with the dumbbell over the middle of both feet

CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart demonstrates the Dumbbell Hang Snatch, just like the Dumbell Snatch we looked at last week, except that the movement starts with the Dumbells in the ‘hang’ position i.e. off the ground.. Everything else pretty much remains the same.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Grip the center of the dumbbell
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Deadlift the dumbbell to the hang position
• Extend hips and legs rapidly
• Heels down until hips and legs extend
• Shoulder shrugs, followed by a pull under with the arms
• Dumbbell is received at the bottom of an overhead squat
• Complete at full hip, knee and arm extension with the dumbbell over the middle of both feet

Much like the barbell Snatch, the Dumbell Snatch, as demonstrated here by CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart, requires driving the hips through to move the Dumbell upwards.

As you can see, James then drops under the weight as fast as possible, while punching up as he lands in a Squat.

The Dumbell Snatch is typically performed using just one arm .The use of single arm movements helps to build rotational strength in the core as you work to resist the twist of the body to one side.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Grip the center of the dumbbell
• Dumbbells start on the ground in between both feet
• Shoulders over or slightly in front of the dumbbell at set-up
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate
• Hips extend rapidly
• Heels stay down until hips and legs extend
• Shoulder shrugs, followed by a pull under with the arms
• Dumbbell is received at the bottom of an overhead squat
• Complete at full hip, knee and arm extension with the dumbbell over the middle of both feet

CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart demonstrates the Single-Dumbbell Overhead Squat., which is a great core exercise. Using just one arm forces the athlete to resist against the tendency of the body to rotate to one side to compensate. Instead, switch your core on and work to keep the hips squared to the front in this movement.

Ensuring a strong Overhead Squat position will result in a stronger Dumbell Snatch, which we will look at next week.

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with shoulder-width apart
• Shoulder pushes up into the dumbbell
• Armpit of overhead arm faces forward
• Hips descend back and down, lower than the knees
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Knees in line with toes
• Heels down
• Dumbbell stays over the middle of both feet
• Complete at full hip and knee extension

This week CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher demonstrates the Dumbell Hang Power Clean for us. Just like with the barbell variation of this movement, you can make it simple by considering each of the individual words in this rather lengthy movement name!
1. Dumbell (not barbell)
2. Hang – starting from above the ground (usually just above the knee)
3. Power – don’t have to drop into a full squat position
4. Clean (differentiates it from the Snatch, the other Olympic Weightlifting movement)

Points Of Performance

• Stand on feet with hip-width apart
• Grip the center of the dumbbells
• Dumbbells start on the ground at the outer sides of both feet
• Shoulders over or slightly in front of the dumbbells at set-up
• Lumbar curve maintained
• Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate
• Hips extend rapidly
• Heels down until hips and legs extend
• Shoulders shrug, followed by a pull under with the arms
• Dumbbells are received in a partial squat position
• Complete at full hip and knee extension with the dumbells on the shoulders