Hamstrings · Compound movement

Snatch Deadlift

A compound exercise that targets the hamstrings with secondary work in glutes, back, quads, traps, forearms. Performed with barbell.

Primary muscle

Hamstrings

Secondary muscles

Glutes, Back, Quads, Traps, Forearms

Equipment

Barbell

Difficulty

Advanced

How to perform the Snatch Deadlift

Set up exactly as for the snatch: wide grip, bar over the balls of the feet, hips higher than the knees, chest up, lats tight and the back flat.
Break the bar from the floor by pushing the legs down into the platform, keeping the shoulders slightly in front of the bar and the bar hugging the legs.
Maintain the back angle to the knee, then open the hips to finish standing tall — this is a strength lift, so control the speed rather than exploding into a shrug.
Lower the bar under control along the same path back to the floor, resetting the position before every rep to reinforce the pull.

Suggested working range: 3–5 reps. Default progression: percentage.

•Ripping the bar off the floor so fast that the hips shoot up and the back angle collapses.
•Letting the shoulders fall behind the bar early, turning it into a stiff-legged pull off the floor.
•Rounding the lower back instead of holding a flat, braced position throughout the pull.
•Letting the bar drift away from the legs rather than dragging it up close to the body.