This one’s all about the technique of the second pull — the moment right after the hip drive. Once you’ve extended and the bar is moving, do you keep pulling it upward, or do you let it float and get under it as fast as possible? It’s one of the oldest debates in weightlifting, and lifters at the very top have won with both.
Worth saying up front: there are several ways to skin this, everyone’s built differently, and there are many, many ways to teach it. What follows is how we see it — and how we coach it.
At St. Birinus (through SBWLC) we teach the finish with a pull of the arms and a shrug of the shoulders — you complete the pull and drive the bar as high as you can before you turn over.
The case for pulling (the high pull)
The thinking is simple: send the bar as high as possible.
- You finish the pull. A full, aggressive extension into a shrug and high pull means the bar reaches its highest point — you’re not leaving height, or force, on the platform.
- The bar stays close. The shrug and arm pull keep the bar tight to the body, so it travels in a straighter line rather than looping away from you.
- It keeps you connected. Staying on the bar a fraction longer reinforces full extension and good positions — you build the habit of completing the movement instead of cutting it short.
- A higher bar buys margin. The higher you send it, the less far you have to drop to receive it, and the more room you have to save a slightly off rep.
- It’s teachable. For a developing lifter it’s a clear, repeatable action — learn to finish the pull first, and the speed under the bar comes later.
The case for the float
The other camp says the opposite: the bar’s already going up, so stop pulling it — and start pulling yourself.
- The bar already has momentum. After a violent extension the bar carries its own upward velocity. Let it float on that, rather than spending effort dragging it higher.
- More time to get under. That floating moment is time you can use to whip yourself down into the receiving position — the bar goes up, you go down.
- A faster, looser turnover. Taking the arms out of it can mean a quicker, more relaxed turnover for the lifters it suits.
- It works. Plenty of very successful lifters — some of the best of their day — simply let the bar drift and got under it beautifully.
So, pull or float?
Honestly? I was always taught to finish the pull, and I’m firmly in the high-pull camp. I think completing the second pull is the right foundation — especially while you’re learning. Groove a full, aggressive extension first, and the speed under the bar can develop on top of it.
But I’ll be honest that it’s partly a matter of opinion and style. I lifted alongside plenty of people who floated the bar and got under it as well as anyone. So the real advice is this: learn to finish the pull properly, film yourself, and let your own style settle once the fundamentals are rock solid.
Want to dig into the pull itself? See our guide to the snatch high pull and the full walkthrough of how to learn the snatch — or browse all our technique guides. Thanks for reading.
