Clean or Snatch?

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smalltown_princess
smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Which one is your favorite and why?
I'm clean all the way but I also like squat snatches
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Replies

  • aybarlow
    aybarlow Posts: 5 Member
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    If you asked me that same question 6 months ago, it would have totally been the clean......after working on the love/hate relationship with the snatch, I love it! Got a personal best on Tuesday of 205lbs!
  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    That's awesome! I'm still really light on both, mostly trying to work on form and get that down before I add too much weight
  • aybarlow
    aybarlow Posts: 5 Member
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    And that is absolutely the best thing....form before weight! Good luck with your training!
  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    I hurt my shoulder trying the snatch with a relatively light weight so definitely take your time to perfect your form.

    Olympic lifts are notoriously susceptible to failures in technique, I think.
  • GilBrennan
    GilBrennan Posts: 16
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    What is a squat snatch? Is that different from the standard olympic snatch?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Snatch all the way...my snatch is way prettier than my clean. I think this is unusual...my coach always tells me that people usually have a tougher time with the snatch, but it just feels better to me and I can just toss that bar up there like I was born to do it.

    My clean is a lot..a lot...lot...lot better than it was though.

    Also, people tend to look at you in awe when you're throwing up a nice snatch...a good clean is impressive and will definitely raise a few eye brows, but a stellar snatch is awe inspiring.
  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    Yeah I definitely agree, I'm doing my best to take it relatively easy and I already noticed a big problem with my clean form (wasn't flipping my elbows up at the end of the movement) and it was causing me to have shoulder pain! I'm gonna have to be careful
  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Snatch all the way...my snatch is way prettier than my clean. I think this is unusual...my coach always tells me that people usually have a tougher time with the snatch, but it just feels better to me and I can just toss that bar up there like I was born to do it.

    My clean is a lot..a lot...lot...lot better than it was though.

    Also, people tend to look at you in awe when you're throwing up a nice snatch...a good clean is impressive and will definitely raise a few eye brows, but a stellar snatch is awe inspiring.
    Right? That (besides those insane gains) is the main reason why olympic lifts are so attractive to me!

  • horseplaypen
    horseplaypen Posts: 442 Member
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    I find the clean much easier, but I would love to improve on the snatch. I don't know exactly what I'm missing... core stability? bottom position flexibility? even with just a bar, I tend to become unbalanced and fall on my butt when I try to land in a squat. Power snatch is ok, but not nearly as easy as the clean.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Getting past my 14 year old gutter mind...
    Cleans for me. Probably just because I did a lot of them back in college trying to improve my explosive power.
  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    Getting past my 14 year old gutter mind...
    Haha the struggle is real
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    smalltown_princess wrote: »
    Which one is your favorite and why?
    I'm clean all the way but I also like squat snatches

    There is always a subdued giggle when talking about these, even after 18 months of Crossfit :)

    I like cleans because I'm better at them. Still can't really do squat cleans because my front rack stinks so I can't get the bar in proper position (too far forward.)

    I'm a little better with snatches but not great. There I think my issue is I'm still a bit afraid to commit to the heavier weights and getting the bar over my head. I've snathed 155 in a competition but not even close to that since.

    I also recently found that my hang clean is about the same or better than my power clean. My coach said it's because the hang forces you to focus on hip drive and timing, plus you don't have to move the bar quite as far.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    smalltown_princess wrote: »
    That's awesome! I'm still really light on both, mostly trying to work on form and get that down before I add too much weight

    This is absolutely what you should be doing. It should be enough weight that you can't just muscle it up. Then just slowly add to it as your timing and drive improves.

  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    I don't know why but "snatch" just sounds dirty...snatch
    I'm in loooovvveeee with power cleans but i havent tried a hanging clean, I'll have to check that out
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    GilBrennan wrote: »
    What is a squat snatch? Is that different from the standard olympic snatch?

    No, it's what you would see in the Olympics. It's very difficult so most of us start with power or muscle snatches

  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    See, it didn't even occur to me to start with a progression so I just jumped straight in lol! I guess it's too late now
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,719 Member
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    smalltown_princess wrote: »
    I don't know why but "snatch" just sounds dirty...snatch
    I'm in loooovvveeee with power cleans but i havent tried a hanging clean, I'll have to check that out

    You know what snatch is slang for right?

  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    12by311 wrote: »
    smalltown_princess wrote: »
    I don't know why but "snatch" just sounds dirty...snatch
    I'm in loooovvveeee with power cleans but i havent tried a hanging clean, I'll have to check that out

    You know what snatch is slang for right?

    Well. I guess I do now. Awesome now I won't be able to be serious doing them any more
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    12by311 wrote: »
    You know what snatch is slang for right?
    Snatch
    1. Noun - Slang term for the vagina
    2. Verb - To steal (see "boost" or "jack")
    3. Film - A 2000 crime film by British writer-director Guy Ritchie
    4. Weightlifting - An Olympic weightlifting movement in which the weight is moved from the floor to a position over the head in one movement. Can be used as a noun or verb in this sense. There are variations, such as the hang snatch and the power snatch.

    I'm going to assume that you meant "To steal", right?
  • smalltown_princess
    smalltown_princess Posts: 155 Member
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    Of course! What else?

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