Quote:
Originally Posted by
Philosoph 
If you avoid them completely, you will never become a trained lifter.
^+1 to the above. Learning snatches with an unloaded bar is in no way dangerous. And even if you have weight on, if you really run into trouble you can always just dump it. It's a lot safer than many of the idiotic things that people insist on doing in gyms every day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
smw356 I wouldn't say avoid snatches. Its definitely something you need to learn with an unloaded bar, but they really aren't hard or dangerous once you get the motion down.
plus they are actually a beneficial lift unlike direct traps training which is fucking stupid.
To be clear, I do not suggest avoiding snatches completely. I advise avoiding if one is not trained. Of course, one can work with an experienced, knowledgeable lifter and become trained. My concern, from several decades of lifting and being around too many folk who do not get form correct is the risk of injury to the shoulders and other joints with certain exercises. For example, I see people roll their shoulders all the time on shrugs, squat with awful form, and do upright rows with very narrow grips.
My sole concern is that several prior posters were suggesting an exercise that requires more knowledge than some others to perform correctly without the necessary cautionary advise. I agree snatches can be useful if learned correctly. But, i do not agree that simply lifting light is sufficient; working with someone knowledge who can check form is much more important. So, if the advise were to learn with a mentor and not just lift with the bar alone, we would agree.
