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Kettlebell 10min Secret Service Snatch Test

JWelds said:
Sorry for the delayed response.

For 12kg sessions (or really any kettlebell you have that feels appropriately light) I started with 10 minute EMOM sessions and would do 15 reps each hand during the minute for 30 reps/minute and whatever little rest time was left before the next minute. It doesn't feel challenging until you get several minutes in, but the kettlebell should never feel heavy. These sessions shouldn't challenge your grip strength, but are meant to accustom your body to sheer volume of the snatch movement and the cardiovascular endurance it requires. I increased the length of the EMOMs as time progressed up to 20 minutes and 600 reps but kept the 15 R,L rep scheme the same as fitting more reps into the minute may not give you any time to rest.

Exactly right with the 32kg. 5 reps each hand or even 2-3-5 reps with a few minutes rest, repeated until my grip felt overly taxed. I didn't time my rest, and only went back for the next set when I felt ready to, so I'm sure there was a variance between resting times that increased as the session went on. The session would be over when my grip on the downswing felt compromised or unsafe.

Pat Flynn has guest Derek Toshner on his podcast which was very helpful to my SSST training. Toshner has completed SSST with the 32kg and is a beast of an athlete. I highly recommend listening to this podcast if you can.
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I listened to this podcast this morning and plan on using it for my own SSST later this year w a 24kg bell. I'm 54 and 5'8" 170lbs so it will be a Herculean attempt for me. It's been a bucket list item for years, but I've never trained seriously for it until now.

Curious as to how you knew you were ready to test. Did you have intermediate goals, or did you take a practice test (ie. 5-7 minutes)? Was there one completed workout where you said, "That's it, I'm ready to test."? Thank you in advance.
 
KennyT said:
Curious as to how you knew you were ready to test. Did you have intermediate goals, or did you take a practice test (ie. 5-7 minutes)? Was there one completed workout where you said, "That's it, I'm ready to test."? Thank you in advance.
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I realize this question wasn't directed at me, but imho you should probably have some baseline numbers from which to work (GS numbers, 1-5-10 minute effort numbers, etc). Your benchmarks might look different than others', but being able to hit 110+ in 5 minutes without being totally gassed should be a pretty indicator that you're ready.
 
Boris Bachmann said:
I realize this question wasn't directed at me, but imho you should probably have some baseline numbers from which to work (GS numbers, 1-5-10 minute effort numbers, etc). Your benchmarks might look different than others', but being able to hit 110+ in 5 minutes without being totally gassed should be a pretty indicator that you're ready.
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Simple and perfect. Thank you, Boris.
 
I did the SSST a few times between 2003~2014. My main takeaway is you should be able to snatch at least 6 minutes without stopping. At 25 per minute that’s 150 snatches. When you are at 150+ you see a light at the end of the tunnel and that makes an enormous difference. When you do set it down, rest no more than 1 minute then restart even though you will not want to. Restarting is a lot like a freight train going from a dead stop to full speed. It. absolutely. sucks.

My best SSST was 237 at an event that @Al Ciampa hosted. I was about 50. Set the bell down for 25 seconds and thought I would die when I picked it back up at the 8 minute mark. That’s when you say “screw it, I’m not stopping.”

One of the biggest difference makers: it’s 200 total snatches, not 100 per arm. I ended up going 10L, 10R for awhile, then 7L, 10R awhile, then 5L, 7R. Do that if you need and you’ll see it does help as you won’t fatigue your lesser side to the point of no return.
 
WxHerk said:
I did the SSST a few times between 2003~2014. My main takeaway is you should be able to snatch at least 6 minutes without stopping. At 25 per minute that’s 150 snatches. When you are at 150+ you see a light at the end of the tunnel and that makes an enormous difference. When you do set it down, rest no more than 1 minute then restart even though you will not want to. Restarting is a lot like a freight train going from a dead stop to full speed. It. absolutely. sucks.

My best SSST was 237 at an event that @Al Ciampa hosted. I was about 50. Set the bell down for 25 seconds and thought I would die when I picked it back up at the 8 minute mark. That’s when you say “screw it, I’m not stopping.”

One of the biggest difference makers: it’s 200 total snatches, not 100 per arm. I ended up going 10L, 10R for awhile, then 7L, 10R awhile, then 5L, 7R. Do that if you need and you’ll see it does help as you won’t fatigue your lesser side to the point of no return.
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I saw a video you posted on YouTube when you were about 50ish. You sir are a snatching beast. I hope to be at that pace some day.
 
Luis T. Gonzalez said:
I saw a video you posted on YouTube when you were about 50ish. You sir are a snatching beast. I hope to be at that pace some day.
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Thank You, Luis! Speaking of snatching, I met Harald Motz in Germany. He is deceptively big and moves like a tiger, a truly impressive man. Watching him effortlessly handle a kettlebell is simply astounding. He is a testimony to just putting in the work day after day after day.
 
WxHerk said:
Thank You, Luis! Speaking of snatching, I met Harald Motz in Germany. He is deceptively big and moves like a tiger, a truly impressive man. Watching him effortlessly handle a kettlebell is simply astounding. He is a testimony to just putting in the work day after day after day.
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That is very cool. You are both an inspiration for me to keep at it. I am really impressed with your condition.
 
WxHerk said:
I did the SSST a few times between 2003~2014. My main takeaway is you should be able to snatch at least 6 minutes without stopping. At 25 per minute that’s 150 snatches. When you are at 150+ you see a light at the end of the tunnel and that makes an enormous difference. When you do set it down, rest no more than 1 minute then restart even though you will not want to. Restarting is a lot like a freight train going from a dead stop to full speed. It. absolutely. sucks.

My best SSST was 237 at an event that @Al Ciampa hosted. I was about 50. Set the bell down for 25 seconds and thought I would die when I picked it back up at the 8 minute mark. That’s when you say “screw it, I’m not stopping.”

One of the biggest difference makers: it’s 200 total snatches, not 100 per arm. I ended up going 10L, 10R for awhile, then 7L, 10R awhile, then 5L, 7R. Do that if you need and you’ll see it does help as you won’t fatigue your lesser side to the point of no return.
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John's in the US Kettlebell Hall of Fame. Impressive.

My bells were Body Solid's and had the smooth larger enamel handle and were 55 lb. I always wonder if I did it with a smaller grittier handle what the numbers would have been. I still wouldn't have gotten there, but...My grip always barked around the 5th or 6th minute.

When I did 5 minute test. I liked, 8L, 8R then 6 sets of 7,7. Sets of 10 for me mentally felt taxing. Sure, hand switches might shave a couple reps off, but I'd rather have my grip and not have to put the bell down.
 
BrianCF said:
. I always wonder if I did it with a smaller grittier handle what the numbers would have been. I still wouldn't have gotten there, but...My grip always barked around the 5th or 6th minute.

When I did 5 minute test. I liked, 8L, 8R then 6 sets of 7,7. Sets of 10 for me mentally felt taxing. Sure, hand switches might shave a couple reps off, but I'd rather have my grip and not have to put the bell down.
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I believe that you would have done far better with the grittier, smaller handle. Having snatched with ultra-smooth Ader KBs, it would be much more difficult to put up good numbers with a slick bell. Chalk will make a difference but not for 10 minutes.
 
WxHerk said:
I believe that you would have done far better with the grittier, smaller handle. Having snatched with ultra-smooth Ader KBs, it would be much more difficult to put up good numbers with a slick bell. Chalk will make a difference but not for 10 minutes.
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Just took some sandpaper to my Ader's the other day for this reason.
 
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