Exercise Library
Press In Snatch With Hanging Weights
The press in snatch is a mobility, stability and strength exercise for the receiving position of the snatch. Adding hanging weights increases the stabilization work for the upper body.
With a snatch-width grip and the bar resting behind your neck, sit into the bottom of a squat. Brace your trunk and squeeze the shoulder blades together forcefully.
With no bouncing in the legs to help, press the bar up into the proper overhead position, locking forcefully. Hold this overhead position momentarily before returning the bar to the back of the neck at a controlled speed—don’t simply let the bar crash back down.
Make sure the bar touches the upper back before pressing it up again—you don’t need to completely reset the starting position and press from a dead stop on each rep.
Notes
This exercise is only appropriate for lifters whose mobility allows the movement to be done without discomfort. While it will help improve mobility and posture, the athlete needs to be in range for it to be effective and not harmful to the shoulders. Note that the common name Sots press technically refers to a press in clean, not a press in snatch.
Weight can be added to the bar conventionally in addition to hanging to provide the desired difficulty in terms of both strength and stabilization. If you maintain the hook grip when you turn the snatch over, use the hook grip in the overhead squat.
Purpose
The press in snatch helps improve snatch receiving position mobility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine and shoulders. It also helps improve trunk stability strength, back extension strength (particularly mid and upper back), upper body overhead strength, and balance, accuracy and comfort in the receiving position. Adding hanging weights increases the stabilization work for the upper body.
Programming
The press in snatch with hanging weights is most commonly used at the beginning of a training session before snatches to reinforce and prepare the receiving position. Sets of 2-5 reps are appropriate; weights need to be determined based on the abilities of the lifter. Weights should never exceed what a lifter can do with a smooth, controlled motion both up and down—there should never be any grinding or compensatory position changes to perform a rep.
Variations
The press in snatch can be started from the top down (i.e. sit into the squat with the bar already overhead and then lower and press); it can be done with prescribed pauses in the overhead position (usually 2-3 seconds); and it can be done with completely resetting the bar on the back and beginning each rep from a dead stop.
See More
Press in Snatch Mobility Progression
Overhead Position
With a snatch-width grip and the bar resting behind your neck, sit into the bottom of a squat. Brace your trunk and squeeze the shoulder blades together forcefully.
With no bouncing in the legs to help, press the bar up into the proper overhead position, locking forcefully. Hold this overhead position momentarily before returning the bar to the back of the neck at a controlled speed—don’t simply let the bar crash back down.
Make sure the bar touches the upper back before pressing it up again—you don’t need to completely reset the starting position and press from a dead stop on each rep.
Notes
This exercise is only appropriate for lifters whose mobility allows the movement to be done without discomfort. While it will help improve mobility and posture, the athlete needs to be in range for it to be effective and not harmful to the shoulders. Note that the common name Sots press technically refers to a press in clean, not a press in snatch.
Weight can be added to the bar conventionally in addition to hanging to provide the desired difficulty in terms of both strength and stabilization. If you maintain the hook grip when you turn the snatch over, use the hook grip in the overhead squat.
Purpose
The press in snatch helps improve snatch receiving position mobility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine and shoulders. It also helps improve trunk stability strength, back extension strength (particularly mid and upper back), upper body overhead strength, and balance, accuracy and comfort in the receiving position. Adding hanging weights increases the stabilization work for the upper body.
Programming
The press in snatch with hanging weights is most commonly used at the beginning of a training session before snatches to reinforce and prepare the receiving position. Sets of 2-5 reps are appropriate; weights need to be determined based on the abilities of the lifter. Weights should never exceed what a lifter can do with a smooth, controlled motion both up and down—there should never be any grinding or compensatory position changes to perform a rep.
Variations
The press in snatch can be started from the top down (i.e. sit into the squat with the bar already overhead and then lower and press); it can be done with prescribed pauses in the overhead position (usually 2-3 seconds); and it can be done with completely resetting the bar on the back and beginning each rep from a dead stop.
See More
Press in Snatch Mobility Progression
Overhead Position
