Find Your Snatch Grip Width
This is an element of Olympic weightlifting that’s very obviously affected by imperfect proportions for the sport. Unfortunately, there’s no true fix—it’s just mitigation. You find the adjusted grip width that reliably produces the best results for you.
Having a longer torso and shorter arms is a bit less problematic—it’s not a huge issue if the bar contacts a bit higher than the hip crease, and you’re not going to have grip security or overhead clearance issues with a narrower grip.
Longer arms and a shorter torso is the combination that really creates trouble. You may run out of space on the bar to move your grip wide enough if you’re also tall, and at any height, the more extreme angles from a really wide grip can be tough on the wrists, and also reduces structural integrity overhead—it makes missing behind a lot more likely.
Make sure you’re balanced and staying over the bar long enough to avoid extra early/low contact, and you can retract the shoulders and shrug a little bit in the early second pull to shift the bar position upward without bending the arms. That said, a bit of arm bend may be necessary, and it’s not the end of the world IF your mechanics are sound, i.e. you’re not actually lifting the bar with the arms.
Having a longer torso and shorter arms is a bit less problematic—it’s not a huge issue if the bar contacts a bit higher than the hip crease, and you’re not going to have grip security or overhead clearance issues with a narrower grip.
Longer arms and a shorter torso is the combination that really creates trouble. You may run out of space on the bar to move your grip wide enough if you’re also tall, and at any height, the more extreme angles from a really wide grip can be tough on the wrists, and also reduces structural integrity overhead—it makes missing behind a lot more likely.
Make sure you’re balanced and staying over the bar long enough to avoid extra early/low contact, and you can retract the shoulders and shrug a little bit in the early second pull to shift the bar position upward without bending the arms. That said, a bit of arm bend may be necessary, and it’s not the end of the world IF your mechanics are sound, i.e. you’re not actually lifting the bar with the arms.
