all posts post new thread

Kettlebell AXE Snatches and LSS only?

Paltreaux11

Level 4 Valued Member
Right now I’ve been following Maximorum. Snatch workouts and C&P with Front Squats. Been doing LSS cycling 1 day a week as well. Been toying with the idea of just doing the Kettlebell AXE Program with snatches and LSS cycling. The idea of an ultra minimalist approach is appealing and I really want to take my snatches to another level. However I like the benefits of the C&P and Squats and I am a little hesitant to give them up.

Has anyone done something similar to what I am proposing? If so what were your results and what were the benefits?
 
Paltreaux11 said:
Right now I’ve been following Maximorum. Snatch workouts and C&P with Front Squats. Been doing LSS cycling 1 day a week as well. Been toying with the idea of just doing the Kettlebell AXE Program with snatches and LSS cycling. The idea of an ultra minimalist approach is appealing and I really want to take my snatches to another level. However I like the benefits of the C&P and Squats and I am a little hesitant to give them up.

Has anyone done something similar to what I am proposing? If so what were your results and what were the benefits?
Click to expand...
Not with AXE but with A&A. And I was running not cycling. Pretty much everything got worse except my snatch and my run. And my dumbbell row. Everything else tanked. My snatch got really good and so did my run.
 
John K said:
Not with AXE but with A&A. And I was running not cycling. Pretty much everything got worse except my snatch and my run. And my dumbbell row. Everything else tanked. My snatch got really good and so did my run.
Click to expand...
Was there any physical benefit to it? Or you would’ve rather include the other lifts?
 
Paltreaux11 said:
Life is just busy. Having our first child. Was trying to think of a way to do an absolutely minimalist program. But maybe I could snatch twice a week. C&P and squat once and LSS once.
Click to expand...
During the exigency of taking care of an infant, I have very satisfactory maintenance-ish loads (and sometimes more) while using ...
  • swings one day and getups the next for a kind of ... Half dose of S&S.
    • (Geoff Neupert might call something like this the better than nothing program.)
  • Daily Dose Deadlifts
    • (5 reps x 5x/week) . With a side of kettlebell press. 5 daily singles, more or less.
  • Q&D 2x /week.
    • Alternating 2 and 3 series for a little variability.
I had little to no sleep some nights. Especially if a baby was sick. Which happens from time to time.

Sometimes life happens. And if that's the reason to set aside maximorium, why not. The program is not your mommy. Take care of first things first, and you can get back to maximorium or something even bigger when you're ready.
 
Paltreaux11 said:
Was there any physical benefit to it? Or you would’ve rather include the other lifts?
Click to expand...
I was happy at the time. Afterwards, I wished I had done more so I had progressed and not regressed in things like pull-ups, press, bench, squat, and deadlift.

Benefits were largely conditioning, grip, and back strength. I would say my back, traps, and biceps also grew fairly nicely, especially considering all I was doing was alternating snatch days and run days. My chest and legs got smaller, my shoulders and triceps stayed about the same. My BJJ conditioning was pretty good. My run times obviously got better.

Like I said, I was happy at the time, had a good long block of training, but minimalism has drawbacks that should be understood and accepted if one wants to continue. Even having a once a week “variety day” would have allowed me to maintain other lifts and scratch that itch of doing other things.
 
I ran AXE (A+A) from 20-21' pretty much just Snatch (or swing) & rucking or running (just rotated as I wanted)

I had the opposite of @John K though my press went through the roof with just Snatches

I went from 28k on SN to 36k for repeats as high as 40... At the time I started I could press the 32k maybe twice... After 2yrs I pressed the 40k without pressing

Looking back at that time, I was in the best shape of my life cardio endurance wise
 
Do what you can follow. That’s the best program. Minimalist programs are fantastic for when life gets crazy or you have multiple priorities. They excel when you come from doing “maximum” or times of intense training to then do minimal training. I live in the world of minimalist programs that attack my weak links with supplemental in the rest of the movements.
 
Paltreaux11 said:
Life is just busy. Having our first child. Was trying to think of a way to do an absolutely minimalist program. But maybe I could snatch twice a week. C&P and squat once and LSS once.
Click to expand...
For me the best compliment to cycling (and being a busy dad) has been bodyweight. This lets you still get full body workouts and you can do it almost anywhere. Walking your kid to the park and busting out pullups and pushups is the best. This always has given me very aesthetically pleasing results as well.
 
I did snatches and easy running for some time. Being a young dad, working shifts as a police officer and doing martial arts as well, this checked of a lots of my boxes. My conditioning was good, my recovery was great, even after snatch sessions with more than 50 repeats with a heavy bell.
I added double presses, pull ups and deadlifts whenever I had time but stayed more in an easy strength type of rep range.

Why not just try to focus on snatches and running for 3 months and grease the groove oder movements during this time? Pull ups, push ups, pistol squats....
 
How about keeping a bell in the house and do a single every time you pass by GTG style.
Alloting time to train can be difficult with kids. But you actually get loads of quiet time dotted in around the doing part of child care.
 
Hey! I’m in a similar situation. Two children (one with cerebral palsy and special needs) and of course work.

I try to do something every day.

So I run Iron Cardio for 20 minutes with doubles. And axe for 20 minutes alternate them every other day. Sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. But I have consistently of doing them at least five times a week.

Can I suggest doing just Iron Cardio with doubles and snatch with single. In that way you will compress time.
Oooor something similar to what @Brett Jones did last month. Alternate Iron Cardio sets with swings (or you can do snatches I guess)

You will get push, squat and hinge. Add some gtg pull-up as well and you will get all you need. I do this with fighter pull-ups now.

In that way you will most likely not lose anything. Hopefully gain much. Brett said he improved his presses and overall form with this setup. At least I think he said that…!
 
Last edited:
Paltreaux11 said:
The idea of an ultra minimalist approach is appealing and I really want to take my snatches to another level. However I like the benefits of the C&P and Squats and I am a little hesitant to give them up.
Click to expand...
I'm just trowing my two (uneducated) cents in here, but have you thought of using the Soju&Tuba program for your C&P, alongside the minimalist snatch and LSS plan?
 
I did A+A / AXE snatching and cycling for many months at a time in 2016 and 2017. All in my training log (link in signature) if you want to wade through it :)

I felt like it maintained other things quite well and it got me in excellent shape. See pg 38 of Kettlebell AXE.

The important thing is to find that point where you are stimulating adaptations. I was training really hard then. Well-programmed, difficult sessions, and crucial rest days. In contrast -- if you just snatch a little bit and run/cycle a little bit, you won't progress. So, appropriate volume and intensity matters. If you follow the guidance and progression in Kettlebell AXE, you'll have this. Then, with the leeway and recovery resources you have remaining, try to progress your volume of cycling, and maybe sometimes higher zones/intensities of cycling, depending on your objectives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom