Squat Heavy to Snatch Heavy (*study)
Everyone knows that guy at their box; he’s an animal when it comes to technique and he can snatch some decent weight. But he’s not that strong when it comes to the conventional lifts. Well guess what? He’s the exception, not the rule. A study performed at the Colorado Springs Olympic Center in 2005 has shown that there is a high degree of correlation between a 1RM squat and a 1RM snatch. Obviously this only applies to those lifters who have gotten their technique to the point where they are snatching weights that are indicative of their true strength, not their (in)experience in the lift. Obviously we’re looking at two lifts that rely on the lumbars (lower back), quadriceps (thigh), gluteus (butt), and biceps femoris (hamstrings).
Nevertheless, it confirms what we had already known: you need to be strong to snatch big, and no amount of technique can compensate for a weak posterior chain or weak quads. That guy at your place who can snatch some decent weight because his technique is perfect? He or she would be doing a lot more if they concentrated on pushing their squat up.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Jun;37(6):1037-43.
Relationship of maximum strength to weightlifting performance.
Stone MH, Sands WA, Pierce KC, Carlock J, Cardinale M, Newton RU.
Source
Coaching and Sports Science, United States Olympic Committee, Colorado Springs, CO 80909, USA. [email protected]
PURPOSE:
The primary objective was to assess the relationship of maximum strength to weightlifting ability using established scaling methods. The secondary objective was to compare men and women weightlifters on strength and weightlifting ability.
METHODS:
Two correlational observations were carried out using Pearson’s r. In the first observation (N = 65) the relationship of dynamic maximum strength (one-repetition maximum (1RM) squat) was compared with weightlifting ability; in the second observation (N = 16), isometric maximum strength (midthigh pull) was studied. Scaling methods for equating maximum strength and weightlifting results were used (load x (Ht), load x kg, load x lbm(-1), allometric, and Sinclair formula) to assess the association between measures of maximum strength and weightlifting performance.
RESULTS:
Using scaled values; correlations between maximum strength and weightlifting results were generally strong in both observations (e.g., using allometric scaling for the 1RM squat vs the 1RM snatch: r = 0.84, N = 65). Men were stronger than women (e.g., 1RM squat, N = 65: men = 188.1 +/- 48.6 kg; women = 126.7 +/- 28.3 kg); differences generally held when scaling was applied (e.g., 1RM squat scaled with the Sinclair formula: men = 224.7 +/- 36.5 kg; women = 144.2 +/- 25.4 kg).
CONCLUSIONS:
When collectively considering scaling methods, maximum strength is strongly related to weightlifting performance independent of body mass and height differences. Furthermore, men are stronger than women even when body mass and height are obviated by scaling methods.
