How to Master the Dumbbell Snatch

To anyone who’s hit the gym during peak hours, the dumbbell snatch might sound like a sneaky maneuver for grabbing someone’s weight while they’re oblivious. In reality, it’s a full body dumbbell exercise that can build strength and rev up your heart rate.

The exercise involves moving a dumbbell from the ground all the way above your head in one smooth movement. That is to say the dumbbell snatch has a learning curve—it’s worth reading up on how to correctly execute the move before incorporating it into your workouts. Below, Peloton instructor Jess Sims shares a step-by-step guide to the dumbbell snatch, complete with the benefits and variations of the exercise.

What Are Dumbbell Snatches?

A “snatch” is a general term for an exercise that involves lifting a weight that’s resting on the ground overhead in one swift movement. The dumbbell snatch uses a single dumbbell in particular, rather than a barbell, kettlebell, etc.

“Dumbbell snatches are full-body, explosive movements that essentially work every major muscle group,” says Jess. The exercise is one-handed, meaning you’ll complete sets on both sides to promote muscular balance.

What Muscles Does a Dumbbell Snatch Work?

Dumbbell snatches are an example of a compound exercise, which means that they target multiple muscle groups. “Dumbbell snatches work literally every major muscle group—your quads, your core, your chest, your shoulders, your glutes, your back,” says Jess. “They work your forearm, your wrist, and you're working grip strength as you are thrusting a heavy dumbbell above your head.”

The Benefits of Doing Dumbbell Snatches

Beyond strengthening muscles throughout your body, the dumbbell snatch improves coordination, mobility, stability, and power, says Jess.

You can consider each element to be an important part of your overall fitness. Mobility allows you to move your joints while the opposite, stability, allows you to control those movements, as The Output previously reported. Developing one without the other can lead to stiffness, injury, or limited range of motion.

Developing power (the ability to exert strength in a short period of time) is beneficial for performance and can help you develop agility and improve the quality of your connective tissue, as previously reported in The Output.

How to Do a Dumbbell Snatch Correctly

Given that the dumbbell snatch is one quick, fluid movement, it’s not always easy to pick up proper form by watching someone else perform the exercise. With that, here’s a detailed explanation of how to pull off the exercise from Jess:

Dumbbell Snatches: Modifications and Variations

You can modify the dumbbell snatch to make it easier or harder. Perhaps the most simple adjustment, you can alter how heavy of a weight you use. “You definitely don't want to use anything super light because this is a leg driven movement, but you also don't want to use anything super heavy, especially if you have any shoulder issues, because you are pressing up overhead,” says Jess. “I would say a safe bet would be to start off with a 15 [pound dumbbell].”

You can also work your way up to performing a dumbbell snatch by breaking the exercise into parts. First you can work on bending your knees to grab the dumbbell and standing up, refraining from pulling and pressing the dumbbell overhead, suggests Jess. When you’re ready to build on that, try pulling the dumbbell to your chest in a “T” as you thrust your hips forward. From there, you’re ready to graduate to the standard form of the exercise, bringing the dumbbell all the way above your head instead of stopping in a “T.”

Common Mistakes When Doing a Dumbbell Snatch

The dumbbell snatch is a skill that typically doesn’t come easily. As you try out the exercise, these are some of the most common mistakes that you should make sure to avoid, according to Jess:

How to Add Dumbbell Snatches to Your Workout Routine

While there are many possible ways to include dumbbell snatches into your workouts, Jess’ favorite approach is to add the exercise to the end of a circuit, for a final strength push.

The instructor’s favorite way to integrate dumbbell snatches is with an EMOM (every minute on the minute) circuit. You’ll set a timer to go off every minute and complete a designated number of reps at the start of each minute, subsequently resting until the start of the next minute. “It revs the heart rate up, it’s full body, and you feel really, really powerful from it,” says Jess.

The exercise also works well in AMRAP (as many reps as possible) circuits, says Jess. To try it, you’ll set a timer for a designated amount of time, then complete as many reps of dumbbell snatches as you’re able to with clean form until the timer goes off.

No matter how you decide to slot dumbbell snatches into a workout, once you master the move, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards. It requires coordination and strength to pull off the exercise and score its benefits.