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Snatch Grip Deadlift: Good or evil?

post #1 of 11
5/24/08 at 7:37pm
Thread Starter 
Before today I had only done deadlifts with dumbells or a trap bar. This afternoon I tried snatch grip deadlifts for the first time because they're part of a program I'm doing. Yikes! It seems to me that there's no way to do them without putting great strain on one's lower back.

With a snatch grip, it seemed as if the only way to get the bar to clear my knees was to swing it out a few inches before standing all the way up. Another way to describe it is that it became a two-part move instead of the one-part move I'm accustomed to when using a trap bar. First I straightened my legs while only bringing the bar a short way up from the floor; then the rest of the lift was done by straightening out my back, kind of like doing a back extension. It didn't feel much like a deadlift. And it didn't feel very safe.

Is there something fundamentally flawed about snatch grip deadlifts, or am I just doing them wrong?
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post #2 of 11
5/24/08 at 7:47pm
If you are swinging it out, then, yes, you are doing it wrong. Have you ever done normal deadlifts (i.e., with a normal barbell and conventional-width grip)?
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post #3 of 11
5/24/08 at 9:10pm
You should be pulling the bar into yourself. Squat down more.
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post #4 of 11
5/24/08 at 9:24pm
Not sure of your program, but unless you're into Olympic lifting (clean & jerk & snatch), there is no advantage to you doing snatch grip deadlifts. If you find them troublesome, consider switching to regular deadlifts or even sumo deadlifts.

Deadlifts are an awesome exercise and should be a cornerstone of any weighlifting plan.
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post #5 of 11
5/24/08 at 9:41pm
I'm an Oly lifter and from my perspective, they are not that useful to do with a snatch grip, not even for improving your snatch (insert joke here) which I'm guessing you don't do. Alternatively, use low weights until you're flexible enough to do it properly without straining your back. I train only in the Oly lifts and do not ever, except very rarely on max attempts, feel any back strain.
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post #6 of 11
5/24/08 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Threadbearer View Post

With a snatch grip, it seemed as if the only way to get the bar to clear my knees was to swing it out a few inches before standing all the way up. Another way to describe it is that it became a two-part move instead of the one-part move I'm accustomed to when using a trap bar. First I straightened my legs while only bringing the bar a short way up from the floor; then the rest of the lift was done by straightening out my back, kind of like doing a back extension. It didn't feel much like a deadlift. And it didn't feel very safe.


yea you're not doing deadlifts right. by straightening your legs first, you're essentially doing a stiff leg deadlift. you should do some reading regarding deadlift techniques, and practice with a normal grip. although i pull sumo, i'll give you some basic tips.

1. like Why said, drop the butt lower.
2. start with the bar close to shins
3. use alternating grip or hook grip to handle more weight
4. keep a flat back
5. keep arms and upper body tight and locked
6. push through the floor or try to split the floor apart when lifting the weight

try not to lock out the legs first, but come up in one motion. your best bet is to read up on it, and practice. but in the end, techniques vary among individuals.
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post #7 of 11
5/25/08 at 5:20pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the observations, gentlemen. No doubt, there must be something wrong with my form. That said, however, I still can't see how any type of barbell deadlift -- snatch grip, clean grip, or sumo -- can be done without encountering the same biomechanical difficulty, which is getting the bar past your knees without leaning dangerously far forward. (Dangerous to one's lower back, that is.)

In the correct start position, one's knees protrude over the bar, yes? As one begins to stand up, the bar bumps into the shins, gets dragged up and over the knees, and then swings in toward the body again.

Crouching down lower makes the problem even worse by pushing the knees farther out over the bar. Sitting back a bit in the start position doesn't help, either, because while it has the advantage of pulling the knees back, it has the disadvantage of pulling back the shoulders as well, and that's the pulley from which the barbell hangs. Pulling the shoulders back makes the bar even more likely to swing back toward the body -- and into the knees.

Here's a video of a women doing the snatch grip deadlift: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ6t5lW6ev0

To do the lift her way, I think I would want to be wearing a pair of shin guards. It looks like she is indeed dragging the bar up her shins and over her knees. Ouch!
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post #8 of 11
5/25/08 at 6:06pm
Yes, the bar will sort of drag along your shins. Usually, I wear long socks when I deadlift to avoid getting bloody shins.
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post #9 of 11
5/25/08 at 7:01pm
When I deadlift, the barbell occasionally grazes my shin but I've never had it contact my knees. The barbell shouldn't be swinging during the lift, it should move up in a straight line. You definitely need to work on your form.
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post #10 of 11
5/25/08 at 9:40pm
Watch lots of Youtube videos of the pros doing it. Watch World's Strongest Man or some of the Euro strongmen. Then go to the gym and get in a corner with lots of mirrors. Keep the weight low and check your form. Even a better idea: get a trainer to help you out. Specific comments: 1. Be careful with how much you lower your butt. You're doing a DL, not a squat. If your thighs are anywhere near parallel, you're too far down. 2. As mention by Nil, the bar should go up in a straight line. No swinging involved. 3. Unless you're going for a 1 rep max, I see no reason to scrape the bar against your shins or smack your knees. 4. The bar never goes into your body... your hips go forward and meet the bar. Even more general, your body moves around the bar, not the bar moving around your body.
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post #11 of 11
5/25/08 at 10:19pm
It sounds like you may lack the glute/hamstring/hip flexibility to deadlift properly. I thought I had pretty flexible legs until I started lifting lower body and realized that if any of these muscles are too short, you cannot possibly do the lifts with good form. Even after incorporating tons of stretching into my warmup/cooldown, my hips and glutes are still lacking the length that they need. I think that most people probably share this problem, even if they don't know it.
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