Among my usual exercises, when
I first enter the gym, is a series of what I call "the
Cred," one arm dumbbell snatches.
Now this may seem a strange
initiation to a weightlifting workout, but I believe by the
end of this short article, you may be inspired not only to
try it, but to regularly work it into your schedule. The benefits
are nothing short of amazing, and nothing compares for gaining
confidence and motivation in the typical gym.
Let me start by saying that I'm not
very tall (5'7" on a good day), nor am I particularly strong,
nor flexible, but this lift will not only increase both, but will
make it look like you have loads of both - a great motivator for
increasing each.
THE HISTORY
No, not the history of the lift -
the history of me doing it. It went like this. I walk into Dave's
Gym in Louisville, Ohio, an honest, hardcore weightlifting gym run
by a deceptively experienced owner. He knows his stuff. The regulars
of this gym are big guys generally; firemen, policemen (with arms
bigger than my legs, literally), one guys who wants to be a model,
and an on-and-off smattering of teens doing 'curls for girls,' and
not much else during their three hour workout.
When I started the dumbbell snatch
as a part of my routine, as I was told (by Charles) to concentrate
on form, which I did, but soon I found that doing the lift right
became natural as my body seemed to figure out the most efficient
way to do it. In fact, after a few sets, I found that adding weight
was simple, and in fact, the dynamics of such a full body lift are
really relatively simple, and that fear, from lack of familiarity,
was the biggest factor.
THE SNATCH
Some important points.
Set/Rep schedule: I recommend doing
5sets of 5 reps, until things get a little heavy, then 3 sets of
3 reps. When you get to 100 lbs (and you will) go to one rep on
each side for each set. Don't do more than 5 reps at anytime. Just
increase the weight.
First in line. Do this lift first
in your workout. You'll need all your energy. When performing a
good, textbook one arm dumbbell snatch, one must take into account
that this is a full body lift. You will be using all of your muscles,
especially the big ones, in accomplishing this lift. It is not an
'arm' exercise. If it becomes an arm exercise, you will either fail
the lift, or hurt yourself, especially the shoulder, and you do
not want a shoulder injury - ever. I also found no reason to add
any cardio to my workout. This is more cardio than I would do anyway,
and I encourage everyone to do it with as little break between sets
as possible.
Left, right, left, right - Start with
your weak side. You know which one that is. The set is complete
when you have done all the reps with each arm. For me, I start with
the left arm, and end with the right arm.
Drive from the heels. Anytime you
are about to push something heavy, you do it from the heels, and
dig in. You are about to push something heavy, so do it right. If
you rock onto the balls of your feet, or toward the toes, you will
lose much of your power. Stay on your heels from the start, and
drive hard from there for maximum power.
Snap the hips. Anyone even slightly
familiar with kettlebell snatches will know this very well, but
I'll assume you don't know it. All of your power will come from
the hips. When you start, snap those hips up as hard and fast as
you can. Your hips, not your arm, is lifting the weight, and your
back will compensate somewhat, which you will feel when you're done
with your first workout. All the vertical power comes from the hips,
so don't worry about your arms. In fact, if you try to utilize your
arms, you are likely to end up 'swinging' it up in an arc, which
means it will sail not up, but around behind your shoulder, and
give you a nice, permanent shoulder injury. For this exercise, the
weight needs to go straight up, and your hips and back will do it.
Drop under the weight. If needed.
This is not cheating, it is good form. Once that weight starts flying
upward, dropping under it slightly is better than trying to muscle
it up with your arm and shoulder, and it is much better than having
to drop the weight because your form is bad and you can't get the
dumbbell all the way up. It's not complicated, but it may take a
few tries. Don't worry. I believe you will do this naturally in
a small way, but if you do so intentionally, you may find yourself
completing lifts that otherwise you would fail.
Hold it. If you've done the lift right,
you will standing there for a moment with the weight directly over
your shoulder joint. Count slowly to three (in other words, three
long seconds). Then lower it to the ground as safely as you can.
Remember, don't fight the dumbbell for space. You will lose, and
it will be painful. Plus, it just looks bad when you get a huge
amount of weight up with one hand…and then drop it squarely
on your foot. The laughter following you little-girl-squealing and
hopping around will not make up for it.
THE PEANUT GALLERY:
INSTANT CRED.
Here are a few of the comments I've
heard while doing this lift. Why include these? Because these are
the unexpected benefits I have noticed as a middle aged man returning
to the gym after a long layoff. Just as being in better shape, having
larger muscles, more strength, and a thinner waist make me feel
better, so these little jewels of commentary have really brought
me some unsolicited joy and satisfaction.
· "Dude, what are you
training for?" (High schoolers)
· "That's a lot of weight! I could never do that."
(Gigantic fireman)
· "All of them!" (Gym owner, when being asked by
high schoolers 'Which muscle does THAT work?')
· "Your husband, he's that strong guy. Yeah, I've seen
him." (A different gigantic fireman, talking to my wife, who
works at the gym as morning receptionist.)
CHEATS
Yes, there are a few cheats one can
utilize in doing this incredibly basic exercise.
For example, I don't use grips or wrist wraps when I do the "Cred."
Many people find that at some point, around 90-110 lbs they have
the strength to do the lift, but not the grip to hold the dumbbell.
A common problem, perhaps, but a problem still. Here's my solution.
First of all, use wraps if you like.
It doesn't matter to me, and it won't matter to anyone who watches
you. They won't even notice. If you don't use wraps, try these cheats
to make things go a little easier when you are struggling at a particular
weight.
Hand position: Keep your hand, and
the dumbbell parallel to your feet (see picture), but when you lift,
turn the dumbbell slightly to the outside. That is, clockwise if
using your right hand, counter-clockwise if using your left. This
gives your grip a little bit of a break, and a little more strength
for the lift. Don't over do this cheat, but it will help you get
an extra rep or three, when well into your sets.
It is also a good idea to move the
hand closer to the "thumb" side of the grip. Again, this
adds more balance, and therefore more strength, to the grip and
allows you that extra 'oomph' you need to blast out those last reps.
From the Low Hang: Rather than snatch
the dumbbell from the floor, pick it up and let it hang about 3-6
inches off the floor.(see photo) I don't know why this helps, as
I can't imagine that those few inches make any difference at all,
but it seems to. Ask Charles why this helps.
This lift adds
serious strength to almost every other lift. Squats, bench,
bent-over rows, good mornings, even curls. It also cuts fat
off at a wonderful rate, because it is serious cardio, and
when you are finished with it (at the beginning of your workout)
your metabolism still has a whole workout to go.
Now, I'm not an
expert at this lift. I'm not an expert at any lift, but I
would call myself a veteran of it. In my opinion, the One
Armed Dumbell Snatch deserves a place on the roster of one
of the greatest single lifts of all time.
This lift gives
you instant 'cred.' You know, 'credit.' Strength credit. As
my dad once told me, it doesn't matter if they're stronger
than you, as long as you are stronger than they think you
are, they'll respect you.
Dad was right.
If you don't believe me, try it at your gym for a month. Do
it right, and do it hard. Then, write in and tell me what
you see and hear, and enjoy the comments of the peanut gallery.
About
The Author
John A. Peck is the priest
of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Prescott, Arizona. A lifting
veteran, he finds it an enjoyable way to avoid dying of
life-style diseases. John is an adjunct instructor for Tri-City
Prep High School (Latin), Yavapai Community College, and
Veritas Theological Seminary. He has enjoyed great success
in utilizing tiered and measurable physical training in
Christian Youth programs. He is a happy husband, father
of three sons, and owner of one dog, 13 chickens, and a
set of bagpipes. He currently trains at TNT Fitness &
Body in Prescott, AZ.
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