The variations
Every one of these exists to make the full lift heavier. The percentage is of your squat snatch, because that is the one number every lifter knows about themselves — and it is a band, not a prescription. Where in it you work depends on the day.
| Variation | % of snatch | Trains |
|---|---|---|
| Squat snatch The whole lift, floor to overhead, caught in the bottom. Everything else on this list exists to make this one heavier. | 100% | finishing the pull, getting under it, catching low, holding it overhead |
| Power snatch Same lift, caught above parallel. Punishes a lazy finish, because there is nowhere to hide a bad one. | 80–85% | finishing the pull, getting under it |
| Hang snatch, above the knee Start at the pocket and go. No floor to build speed with, so the hips have to actually do something. | 85–92% | finishing the pull, where the bar goes |
| Hang snatch, below the knee The awkward one. Teaches patience through the knee, which is where most bars start running away. | 80–88% | where the bar goes, finishing the pull |
| Snatch from blocks (knee height) The second pull with the first one deleted. Heavy, honest, and it does not care how good your floor position is. | 90–95% | finishing the pull, where the bar goes |
| Muscle snatch No re-bend, no dip, just pull it all the way up and turn it over. Light, and it will still humble you. | 55–65% | getting under it, where the bar goes |
| Tall snatch Up on the toes, bar at the hip, then pull yourself under it. Pure turnover speed with the legs taken away. | 40–50% | getting under it |
| Snatch balance Bar on the back, dip, drive, and ride it into the bottom. The fastest way to stop being frightened of the hole. | 95–105% | catching low, holding it overhead |
| Drop snatch Snatch balance with no dip and no drive. Just fall under it and lock. Speed, not load. | 50–65% | catching low, getting under it |
| Overhead squat The ceiling on your snatch, sitting in plain sight. You cannot catch what you cannot hold. | 100–110% | holding it overhead, catching low |
| Sots press Press it out from the bottom of a squat. Deeply unglamorous, extremely effective, do it with an empty bar first. | 25–40% | holding it overhead |
| Snatch pull The pull without the catch, so you can load it past what you can currently get under. | 100–110% | raw pulling strength, finishing the pull |
| Snatch deadlift Slow, snatch grip, holding position the whole way. Builds the back that holds everything else together. | 105–120% | raw pulling strength, where the bar goes |
Reading the percentages
A band above 100% is not a typo. A snatch pull and a snatch deadlift are supposed to be heavier than anything you can get under — that is the point of them. Anything under about 65% is a speed drill, and loading it up turns it into a slower version of a lift you can already do.