Correct Form for Snatch-Grip Deadlifts

Hey Guys,

I’ve been doing the following routine from Cosgrove and Waterbury:

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=818555

I finished the first half and started the second part yesterday. I am confused about the correct performance of the Snatch-Grip Deadlift. Is it done like a regular deadlift or a stiff-leg/Bulgarian DL?

The main reason I ask is because in the picture, it looks like the guy is sort of set-up halfway between the two. If it’s stiff-leg, then his legs are too bent. If it’s a full/normal DL, then his ass should be a lot lower than they show. Which is it?

Chad are you around?

Snatch grip deadlift means you deadlift with a wide grip.

Simple as that.

This article has the exercise broken into 3 photographs.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=676927

It’s a conventional deadlift the only difference is that your grip is much wider pulling you closer to the floor.

Poliquin reccomends SG DL’s done from a 3" box and with the hands spaced a little wider than shown in this article to increase the ROM, I have these in my program and there is no way you can handle anywhere near enough weight without proper bent knee dead lifting form.

I also use tie-wraps during working/heavy sets due to the wider grip required being a real ball buster.

Try it both ways and see what you think.

[quote]fightingtiger wrote:
Snatch grip deadlift means you deadlift with a wide grip.

Simple as that.[/quote]

No shit. I got that part.

Please look at the thread and picture I’m talking about, before wasting time and space. Thanks.

[quote]Backlash79 wrote:
This article has the exercise broken into 3 photographs.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=676927

It’s a conventional deadlift the only difference is that your grip is much wider pulling you closer to the floor. [/quote]

Now that helps a lot. Thanks, man!

That cat has his hips down as you expect — especially important with your point about being closer to the floor. Coah Davies gives a nice description too:

The last sentence really makes this exercise work for shoulder rehab.

Thanks again.

[quote]JamFly wrote:
I also use tie-wraps during working/heavy sets due to the wider grip required being a real ball buster.[/quote]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Even though I was using only 60% my usual DL load, the angle made it a bit tough gripwise.

[quote]simon-hecubus wrote:
Yeah, I know what you mean. Even though I was using only 60% my usual DL load, the angle made it a bit tough gripwise.[/quote]

No shit! And for some reason, my left hand hurts a lot more than my right. So much so that I have to perform my heaviest set with straps.

Hey, any of you guys noticed extra soreness in the bottom of your traps after performing these?

[quote]Miserere wrote:
Hey, any of you guys noticed extra soreness in the bottom of your traps after performing these?[/quote]

Yes indeed. I didn’t even take it the limit yesterday, but my lower traps and rhomboids are good ‘n’ sore today.

[quote]Miserere wrote:
simon-hecubus wrote:

Hey, any of you guys noticed extra soreness in the bottom of your traps after performing these?[/quote]

I notice Soreness all over my entire back and posterior chain :slight_smile:

Calm down there bad boy.

You asked a simple question and got a simple answer.

Did you not notice that the first photo had him starting in a low position like a normal deadlift?

I dont know about you, but Iv never done SLDL’s or romanian deadlifts from that position.

If you are worried about wasting space on this thread, you could have not bothered responding to my post.

[quote]simon-hecubus wrote:
Yes indeed. I didn’t even take it the limit yesterday, but my lower traps and rhomboids are good ‘n’ sore today.[/quote]

This morning was my 3rd workout doing them, and I can already feel the soreness.

By the way, in response to your initial question: I’m doing them just like a normal deadlift, except my grip is wider.

Humour side note: I had to play around with different grip widths until I found the one that didn’t have the bar crushing my crown jewels in the lockout, but was still wide enough to be considered a snatch grip :slight_smile:

[quote]fightingtiger wrote:
Did you not notice that the first photo had him starting in a low position like a normal deadlift?
[/quote]

I think I explained all that in my first post. He is NOT low enough for safely starting a normal deadlift. Hence my question.

See Backlash’s link for what the bottom position of a safe, normal DL looks like.


In the article, Coach Davies isn’t using the proper form for a snatch-grip deadlift (for the squat either… rounding his lower back in the low position).

A snatch-grip deadlift is adapted from the olympic snatch. In the starting position of a snatch the hips are above the knees. And the shoulders are above the bar or even slightly in front of it (instead of behind it as in a regular powerlifting deadlift). Coach Davies shoulders are back and his back angle is too upright.

I’m not saying that it’s not a proper exercise, just that it’s not a proper snatch deadlift. It could be called a wide-grip deadlift, but not a snatch deadlift.

I’ve added pictures of two proper body positions.

Oh yeah, in Chad’s article the form is much better

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Oh yeah, in Chad’s article the form is much better[/quote]

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Oh yeah, in Chad’s article the form is much better[/quote]

Sorry CT, but your hips are lower than your knees in that pic. In fact, your position is nearly identical to the guy’s position in the Coach Davies article. The only difference I see is that your shoulders may be a bit more over the bar, though this could be due to structural differences between you and backwards-cap guy (torso length vs. leg length).

I’ll accept that the CW guy is in a different position, but not better and sure as shit not much better. That CW cat looks like he’s about to pull something (and I’m not talking about the weight).

Christian,

Now I’m very confused also, I thought:

-Snatch grip deadlift is a wide grip deadlift? The position of your hips/knees and shoulders should be something akin to the deadlift, wehre the shoulders are behind the bar and hips are more along shoulder level?

-Snatch pull in which your shoulders are more over the bar and your hips are higher than the knees but lower than the shoulders.

Prior to this article by Charles Poliquin I had treated them SGDL’s like snatch pulls.
http://www.T-Nation.com/findArticle.do?article=07-005-training

Any clarification from you with your tons of Olympic weightlifting experience would be great.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
In the article, Coach Davies isn’t using the proper form for a snatch-grip deadlift (for the squat either… rounding his lower back in the low position).

A snatch-grip deadlift is adapted from the olympic snatch. In the starting position of a snatch the hips are above the knees. And the shoulders are above the bar or even slightly in front of it (instead of behind it as in a regular powerlifting deadlift). Coach Davies shoulders are back and his back angle is too upright.

I’m not saying that it’s not a proper exercise, just that it’s not a proper snatch deadlift. It could be called a wide-grip deadlift, but not a snatch deadlift.

I’ve added pictures of two proper body positions. [/quote]

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
A lot of interesting stuff.[/quote]

This thread gets better every day :slight_smile:

Thanks for your post Thibs!

I haven’t done them much, partially because I’m lifting with someone who doesn’t care for them (I think he hates using less weight), but reading this thread makes me want to put them back into the program.

I have done them with shoulders behind the bar, as if I were doing a regular deadlift and just sliding my hands wider. I’m going to try what Thib says about shoulders more forward and see how that feels.

What kind of success have you guys had with them?

I did them from an elevated platform as was mentioned earlier for a while.

They hurt my hands and my grip sucked. Once I got the technique down I found I wasn’t getting any stronger with them.

Now that I am back to conventional deads my numbers are lower.

I feel like they were a complete waste for me.

Anyone had any measurable success using them? Anyone else have my bad experience?