Exercises You Should Be Doing

I know that everyone has an "Exercises You Should Be Doing" post, and there's a good reason for that; we know more than you do! There are a ton of great exercises floating around out there that Average Joe's just don't know about. Too, there are exercises out there that coach's forget about; we get into a routine with certain exercises and forget about others. This is one of those exercises.

If that picture alone doesn't sell you on this exercise, I don't know what will. Look at that guys' tree trunk legs, his girthy glutes, the thick spinal erectors and the huge upper back; all with 405 on the bar. Guy is a monster.

The exercise is the snatch high pull. It's usually used as a training exercise for the snatch, but I've found it has a lot of efficacy as a stand-alone exercise. Take a look:

So why should you be doing this exercise? It's a precursor to the snatch; which is an amazing lift. This requires you to be explosive, but doesn't require the technique of the snatch. While the full snatch is amazing, the benefits of the catch are (I think) lost on many people. While you should be working on the mobility and technique to catch a full snatch, this will work in the meantime. The wide grip forces you to engage your upper back quite a bit. It's a deadlift, with a jump, and a big shrug at the top. I don't see where you could go wrong.

Incorporating this lift into the beginning of your workout once or twice a week will help you get strong, get fast and build the big back you've been looking for. I'll leave you with a video of my shitty snatch high pulls from the other day.

Have a great day, and go lift something heavy!