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Kettlebell Is it me or are doubles easier to learn?

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Halfakneecap

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Hey guys, when I started C&P earlier in the year, I did single kb clean and press. Once I got the hang of it I tried doubles, and found it much easier. I’ve been doing dbl C&P since and when I go back to single, it feels a bit weird, the bell flies high etc.

I’m starting to learn the snatch ( doing half snatches as practice ) and I wondered if the same would apply? I can comfortably C&P 2x24, and so far I’ve been snatching 1x24, but I thought maybe I should try 2x20?

Also made me wonder if I should at least include some kind of single bell training? I really like dbl kb’s though, and I do getups ( occasionally ), which counts as single kb.
 
For the snatch, not really .

It requires more thoracic mobility and you need to produce a lot more power.

This pains me to say it but yes.. you need to periodically have seasons of single bell training to help address strength and movement assymetries
 
I think it's common to find single cleans more awkward and harder to learn than double cleans. I wouldn't say double presses are necessarily easier though. Double presses have a higher mobility demand than singles, and give you less literal and figurative wiggle room to wedge under the bell and finesse the lockout position, plus there is the bilateral deficit (the phenomenon of being able to lift more in a unilateral exercise than half of what you can lift in the bilateral version). So it's common to be able to use a larger bell for singles for the same reps and volume.

For snatches, I agree with @Mark Limbaga. Double snatches are harder to learn, and not really the same lift because people mainly only do double half snatches, for good reason. The drop from overhead with doubles gets tough to manage, especially as the bells get heavier.
 
I think it's common to find single cleans more awkward and harder to learn than double cleans. I wouldn't say double presses are necessarily easier though. Double presses have a higher mobility demand than singles, and give you less literal and figurative wiggle room to wedge under the bell and finesse the lockout position, plus there is the bilateral deficit (the phenomenon of being able to lift more in a unilateral exercise than half of what you can lift in the bilateral version). So it's common to be able to use a larger bell for singles for the same reps and volume.

For snatches, I agree with @Mark Limbaga. Double snatches are harder to learn, and not really the same lift because people mainly only do double half snatches, for good reason. The drop from overhead with doubles gets tough to manage, especially as the bells get heavier.
If I try double snatches there’s no way I’d try the drop, even at light weight.
 
Sometimes easier is better, sometimes it isn't - depends on what you're trying to achieve.

-S-
That’s the thing, since going to double bell work, I really enjoy it and prefer it. Same as swings, I rarely do single arm swings. My preference is to always use heavier weight and do fewer reps. I like having to put lots of power into the reps.
 
For the snatch, not really .

It requires more thoracic mobility and you need to produce a lot more power.

This pains me to say it but yes.. you need to periodically have seasons of single bell training to help address strength and movement assymetries

Thanks Mark.

I’m focused on Strong at the moment so ill keep practising on my in between day with the single bell for now.
 
Thanks Mark.

I’m focused on Strong at the moment so ill keep practising on my in between day with the single bell for now.
Wise choice...

Remember the asymetries and tension leaks that you address from single bell work will make your double bell work a lot more powerful
 
Alternate between both for sure. I’ve had injuries that made double bell work a no no but for reasons my body could do single bell work. You might actually surprise yourself with snatching 2x24kg. I managed 2x25kg the first time I tried… for reps and with a drop as opposed to lowering them to the rack. I cannot however snatch 2x32kg. Gives me the fear. In summary I love doubles and singles and I alternate between both frequently.
 
Alternate between both for sure. I’ve had injuries that made double bell work a no no but for reasons my body could do single bell work. You might actually surprise yourself with snatching 2x24kg. I managed 2x25kg the first time I tried… for reps and with a drop as opposed to lowering them to the rack. I cannot however snatch 2x32kg. Gives me the fear. In summary I love doubles and singles and I alternate between both frequently.
I’ve been 2x24 C&P for most of the year so hip wise, I’m pretty comfortable with that amount of weight. 1x24 feels very light


Im not in a hurry to learn the drop. I aim to, but lower rep heavy stuff is more my thing, so im more looking towards eventually things like A+A snatching rather than super high rep snatching.
 
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Hey guys, when I started C&P earlier in the year, I did single kb clean and press. Once I got the hang of it I tried doubles, and found it much easier. I’ve been doing dbl C&P since and when I go back to single, it feels a bit weird, the bell flies high etc.

Me too. I don't particularly like cleaning 1 bell as it feels really light and it throws me off a bit... I swing it up too hard and fast throwing me off balance slightly. But I think if I did single bells for a couple of weeks, it wouldn't take long to find the groove.
 
Hey guys, when I started C&P earlier in the year, I did single kb clean and press. Once I got the hang of it I tried doubles, and found it much easier. I’ve been doing dbl C&P since and when I go back to single, it feels a bit weird, the bell flies high etc.

I’m starting to learn the snatch ( doing half snatches as practice ) and I wondered if the same would apply? I can comfortably C&P 2x24, and so far I’ve been snatching 1x24, but I thought maybe I should try 2x20?

Also made me wonder if I should at least include some kind of single bell training? I really like dbl kb’s though, and I do getups ( occasionally ), which counts as single kb.
I think double cleans are the only doubles that are easier to learn. @Brett Jones and @Mikeperry talk about that on their recent podcast, Minimum Effective Dose Episode 32.
 
I definitely need to do some more single kb stuff. I’ve started practicing the single kb snatch and while I’ve been happy enough with how it’s going, today absolutely sucked. I did Strong ( dbl ) yesterday so I don’t know if it was a recovery issue, but I did 6 sets of 3 and called it a day. Banged my forearm, overpowered some reps and underpowered others and just couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. I do half snatch, and my left side particularly sucked.

I think I will start my practice with single arm swings and cleans and then try snatch.
 
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I definitely need to do some more single kb stuff. I’ve started practicing the single kb snatch and while I’ve been happy enough with how it’s going, today absolutely sucked. I did Strong ( dbl ) yesterday so I don’t know if it was a recovery issue, but I did 6 sets of 3 and called it a day. Banged my forearm, overpowered some reps and underpowered others and just couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. I do half snatch, and my left side particularly sucked.

I think I will start my practice with single arm swings and cleans and then try snatch.
Some days are just like that.

I've been snatching KBs for over two decades. A couple of weeks ago I had a day where it was like I had completely forgotten how to snatch. It was a mess. Next session was back to normal.

That was an aberration, but when you're first learning you're naturally going to have more variance. Your body needs to figure some things out by trial and error even when you know what it should be doing.

All part of the process.
 
I definitely need to do some more single kb stuff. I’ve started practicing the single kb snatch and while I’ve been happy enough with how it’s going, today absolutely sucked. I did Strong ( dbl ) yesterday so I don’t know if it was a recovery issue, but I did 6 sets of 3 and called it a day. Banged my forearm, overpowered some reps and underpowered others and just couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. I do half snatch, and my left side particularly sucked.

I think I will start my practice with single arm swings and cleans and then try snatch.
Try and do the full snatch. You might find the absorption of the drop just naturally leads to the right amount of ooomph for the snatch. The snatch is a bit like fly casting. If all the elements are done right it just happens. If one element is off it knocks the whole thing out of whack. For me the best cue is a brick wall. Face a brick wall in the backswing position of the snatch and give yourself a few more inches of air between your head and the wall just in case. Then stand up and you should be able to snatch without the bell hitting the wall. The second cue and I often forget this, is during the actual snatch, after the drop and backswing and then you are coming up maximise the contact of the forearm against the abdomen….. until the absolute last possible second and the snatch just flies up. I forget this contact thing but when I remember, the difference in the snatch is night and day.
 
Hey guys, when I started C&P earlier in the year, I did single kb clean and press. Once I got the hang of it I tried doubles, and found it much easier. I’ve been doing dbl C&P since and when I go back to single, it feels a bit weird, the bell flies high etc.

I’m starting to learn the snatch ( doing half snatches as practice ) and I wondered if the same would apply? I can comfortably C&P 2x24, and so far I’ve been snatching 1x24, but I thought maybe I should try 2x20?

Also made me wonder if I should at least include some kind of single bell training? I really like dbl kb’s though, and I do getups ( occasionally ), which counts as single kb.
Double snatches are a different ball game IMO. I really only do light ones 16s and I’ll do them with push ups occasionally. They take a lot of hip drive to get them overhead
 
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