One of the things you may notice about my style of training is that many of the exercises are borrowed or adopted from the iron game's rich history. We've gone over many of these in previous issues nd resurrected some great lifts such as the bent press and the barbell hack squat, to name only a few. By slowly reintroducing these lifts of a bygone era back into the strength community, many exercise enthusiasts are getting to experience their wide-ranging benefits and simplistic brilliance.

Prior to the proliferation of chrome machines, exercise approaches were simpler and more effective. Debate over certain pristine machines is of little use when you begin adopting some of these great old-time exercises. These lifts will simply catapult your strength development into another realm while satisfying all your esthetic desires for a powerful, fit looking physique.

Although I've addressed a number of these types of lifts, I've left out the most brilliant, gut-wrenching one — the one-arm barbell snatch. This lift is used with regularity by many of my Renegade athletes and the results are incredible. Unlike the more complex Olympic snatch, this lift is significantly easier to learn and most lifters will feel comfortable after only a few sessions.

The one-arm barbell snatch has a longer pulling range of motion than comparable two-handed lifts and therefore the technical concern of "dropping underneath" isn't as great. This variation of the snatch essentially evolves into a "grip and rip" lift. It satisfies a wide spectrum of goals to suit almost anyone's needs. The one-arm barbell snatch places tremendous demands on the entire posterior chain, blowing up every muscle from the hips and spinal erectors to the anterior deltoids and general core.

Because the lift is performed one-handed, incredible demands are also placed on balance, control, and stabilizing muscle groups. First time users will notice the impact on the central nervous system and the explosive nature of the lift will activate muscles normally resistant to recruitment. Once you have a chance to begin using this lift, you'll also gain a new respect for classic lifters like Milo Steinborn, who lifted 220 pounds in this manner — more than his bodyweight!

It's not a terribly complicated lift technically, but will force you to put forth a nauseatingly hard effort. I prefer to perform the lift from a "hang" position at knee level although with practice you can gradually work down to the floor position.

As you address the bar, ensure you grasp it precisely in the middle (remember balance is key!). Drop into a "neutral" position with the buttocks pushed back and the back tight at roughly a 30 to 45 degree angle. From this position the lift commences by driving the hips through powerfully and hoisting the bar upward. As the hips come through, the weight continues upward and has a feeling of "unloading" with the momentum it generates.

(I can't emphasize how important the "hip thrust" is in this movement. Most of the power and momentum and the actual hoisting of the bar overhead come from driving the hips forward.)

As the hand begins to rise above the head, begin to dip under the bar slightly, "punch" the hand through to straighten out the arm, and finally stand up. Bar speed is a must when performing this lift and training loads when starting will be surprisingly light — so don't go overboard in the beginning! Start light!

In choosing set and rep schemes, the decision lays directly with your goals and level of expertise. The lift can be adapted to suit strength or hypertrophy needs with equal success. A simple approach of 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps twice per week will result in a whole new level of shoulder and back mass development while employing modest intensity (about 75% of your 1RM.)

If your goals are more suited toward strength, increase the intensity level by approximately 10 to 15% and drop reps to 3 or 4. I employ this exercise at or near the start of training because of its exhausting demands. Don't try this as a "finishing" exercise!

By following this simple approach you can begin to utilize this great lift that harkens back to the legends of the iron game and explode your development!

Coach Davies is a regular contributor to T-mag and is presently in the midst of touring a variety of countries giving seminars, working with his athletes, and generally having a little "Renegade" fun. His first book, Renegade Training for Football, has opened with tremendous reviews and is a new reference guide for sports performance development. The book is directly available at his web-site, RenegadeTraining.com. As always, the coach is available for consultation by e-mailing him at CoachDavies@RenegadeTraining.com. He can also be found lurking on the T-mag forum.

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