The Third Pull Explained

How to Master the Most Overlooked Part of the Lift

Most weightlifters focus on the first pull and the second pull. The third pull gets ignored. And that’s exactly why so many athletes plateau.

I’ve been wanting to make this video for a while, but honestly, I needed more time to understand it myself before explaining it clearly. Because this part of the snatch is next level. Very few athletes truly master it, and when they do, you can see it immediately.

How to Spot an Athlete Who Controls the Third Pull

It’s actually simple. Watch their lifts at different percentages. If an athlete masters the third pull, 80%, 90%, 100% all look the same. They still accelerate. They still jump. They still generate that explosive power on every single attempt.

Now watch an athlete who doesn’t control it. After 85-90%, the second pull starts slowing down. The pull looks longer. The bar crashes into them. The receiving position is unstable, all over the place. And they’ll blame everything else, strength, sleep, a bad day. But the real issue is how they change direction under the bar.

Two Ways Athletes Handle the Third Pull

• Option 1: Arms as ropes

The athlete keeps the arms loose, shrugs the shoulders, and lets gravity do the work. No active arm involvement.

This actually works fine at the beginning, especially when your bodyweight is much higher than what you’re snatching. If you weigh 90kg and you’re snatching 40-50kg, gravity is enough and you’ll always feel tempted to use the arms too early anyway.

But this changes completely at higher weights. If you weigh 90kg and want to snatch 140-150kg, letting gravity do all the work is not enough anymore. You need more.

• Option 2: Actively using the arms to change direction

This is the advanced version. After the contact with the hips, while the bar is still moving up, you actively use the arms to pull yourself under the bar and change direction faster.

The timing here is everything. You have to use the arms right after the hip contact, while the bar still has momentum going up. If you wait until the bar reaches its maximum height and then try to use the arms, you’ve already lost the momentum, and you won’t get the same result.

When you get the timing right, you have three forces working for you at the same time: gravity pulling you down, your arms actively pulling you under, and trunk inertia helping you reach under the bar faster. That’s why athletes who master this look so explosive even at maximum weights.

How to Improve It

The most important thing is intention. Don’t just attempt a weight and wait for things to happen. Think about what you’re doing. Record yourself. Watch the recording. Try to feel the difference between attempts.

With the right intention and enough practice, anyone can improve their snatch technique. It’s not a talent thing, it’s a coordination and a lot of reps.

Want feedback on your own technique? You can get it directly through the Super Weightlifting app

Upload your lift, and I’ll give you a tip.

And if you want to see the full breakdown with visual examples, watch the video below.