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Kettlebell Looking for feedback on my 6-week snatch test training plan – 24kg test weight

Luis T. Gonzalez said:
@Catherine Buck Le, Happy Friday! I was wondering if there is a goal for the 2 minute snatch test? I forgot to perform it before swinging today so I did it after the swings and was able to get 40 fairly comfortably. Did 1A swings with 32kg, sets of 5 for 24 minutes.
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@Luis T. Gonzalez - Great question!

A good goal for the two-minute snatch test is to get anywhere between 47 and 50 reps in two minutes. If you're able to consistently get 47-50 quality reps in two minutes (without setting the bell down), you're in a good spot for the five-minute snatch test.

I've found that my favorite rep scheme for the two-minute snatch test is as follows:
12 L
12 R
12 L
12 R

This allows me to get 48 reps in two minutes without spending too much time switching hands. If I have a few seconds left, I can squeeze in 1-2 more reps on the right hand before the timer beeps.

The first few times I did the two-minute snatch test, I switched hands every 10 reps (the same as I would during the five-minute snatch test). But I realized I could eliminate a hand-switch by slightly increasing my reps up to 12 per hand. This also builds a bit of sneaky strength endurance, so when you do the five-minute snatch test and you're switching hands every 10 reps, those 10 reps feel a bit easier because you're used to doing 12 reps per side.

Hope this helps! I'm so glad you're using the program! Awesome work and keep the feedback coming!
 
I've found that my favorite rep scheme for the two-minute snatch test is as follows:
12 L
12 R
12 L
12 R

This allows me to get 48 reps in two minutes without spending too much time switching hands. If I have a few seconds left, I can squeeze in 1-2 more reps on the right hand before the timer beeps.

@Catherine Buck Le thank you for that advice. I plan to follow the program as you suggested beginning week 2 on Monday and follow it up with weeks 4,5, and 6. The only thing I’m planning to do differently is to use 28kg for day one, 32kg on day two and I will keep that 2minute snatch test with 24 so I’m used to the feel of that weight for the test. I’m kind of excited for the snatch test this time. 50 reps in 2 minutes definitely doesn’t stress me out like it did before doing q&d over the past 12+weeks. Thank you again!
 
Luis T. Gonzalez said:
@Catherine Buck Le thank you for that advice. I plan to follow the program as you suggested beginning week 2 on Monday and follow it up with weeks 4,5, and 6. The only thing I’m planning to do differently is to use 28kg for day one, 32kg on day two and I will keep that 2minute snatch test with 24 so I’m used to the feel of that weight for the test. I’m kind of excited for the snatch test this time. 50 reps in 2 minutes definitely doesn’t stress me out like it did before doing q&d over the past 12+weeks. Thank you again!
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@Luis T. Gonzalez - Thank YOU for testing out the program! Sounds like a great plan!

Remember to always optimize for quality technique. So during your training, if your snatches are starting to get fatigued or "wobbly", or anything about your snatch technique starts to deteriorate, bell down to the 24kg (Day 1) or the 28kg (Day 2) and you can finish the rest of the session with a lighter bell.

Yessss - I love it! Get excited about the snatch test! It's the most exciting part of the weekend! So much energy! You can look forward to stepping up to your bell, executing 100 beautiful snatches, being in the zone, and simply crushing the snatch test.

Keep me posted and keep up the STRONG work!
 
Catherine Buck Le said:
@Luis T. Gonzalez - Thank YOU for testing out the program! Sounds like a great plan!

Remember to always optimize for quality technique. So during your training, if your snatches are starting to get fatigued or "wobbly", or anything about your snatch technique starts to deteriorate, bell down to the 24kg (Day 1) or the 28kg (Day 2) and you can finish the rest of the session with a lighter bell.

Yessss - I love it! Get excited about the snatch test! It's the most exciting part of the weekend! So much energy! You can look forward to stepping up to your bell, executing 100 beautiful snatches, being in the zone, and simply crushing the snatch test.

Keep me posted and keep up the STRONG work!
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Definitely get excited about the weekend but get more excited that you're gonna come out a better version of yourself
 
Are there some other types of programming which stretch out the preparation to 6-9 months rather than short 6-8 weeks blocks for people who might want to focus more on other goals or lifts whilst gradually increasing their work capacity by doing snatches in a more anti glycolytic manner say once a week over a long period of time a build a big gas tank in order to ‘absorb’ the snatch test and take it in their stride. If people are focussing on other other things or other goals, they might only want to snatch once a week and keep their snatch test goals as a side dish and something they are working on in the background. Not everyone may want to dedicate three times a week for 6-8 weeks as pure snatch test training. Just good for thought but otherwise the plan looks well put together for someone who focuses on that particular goal
 
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Summerhouse said:
Are there some other types of programming which stretch out the preparation to 6-9 months rather than short 6-8 weeks blocks for people who might want to focus more on other goals or lifts whilst gradually increasing their work capacity by doing snatches in a more anti glycolytic manner say once a week over a long period of time a build a big gas tank in order to ‘absorb’ the snatch test and take it in their stride. If people are focussing on other other things or other goals, they might only want to snatch once a week and keep their snatch test goals as a side dish and something they are working on in the background. Not everyone may want to dedicate three times a week for 6-8 weeks as pure snatch test training. Just good for thought but otherwise the plan looks well put together for someone who focuses on that particular goal
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Hi @Summerhouse - Yes, great question, of course!

Here's an example of a plan that focuses on other things (heavy military press and SFG2 skills), and is more of a "maintenance" plan for the snatch test.:

www.strongfirst.com

Nail the SFG II Press Test with this Six-Week Plan | StrongFirst

So, you’ve decided to train for the StrongFirst SFG II Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Prepare to get stronger, go deeper into the skill of strength, and learn a lot about yourself. Like any goal worth chasing, earning your SFG II requires perseverance, grit, and coaching. In addition to...
www.strongfirst.com

Snatch training is once per week and is a simple variation of the 044 protocol from Strong Endurance.

Use your snatch test size kettlebell. Do snatches on the minute.

Do three rounds for a total of 18 minutes and 120 snatches.
  1. Minute 1: 10 snatches Left
  2. Minute 2: 10 snatches Left
  3. Minute 3: 10 snatches Right
  4. Minute 4: 10 snatches Right
  5. Minute 5: Rest
  6. Minute 6: Rest

This is just one example of a once-per-week snatch maintenance practice. Lots of different ways to do it though.

Hope that helps :)
 
Catherine Buck Le said:
Hi @Summerhouse - Yes, great question, of course!

Here's an example of a plan that focuses on other things (heavy military press and SFG2 skills), and is more of a "maintenance" plan for the snatch test.:

www.strongfirst.com

Nail the SFG II Press Test with this Six-Week Plan | StrongFirst

So, you’ve decided to train for the StrongFirst SFG II Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Prepare to get stronger, go deeper into the skill of strength, and learn a lot about yourself. Like any goal worth chasing, earning your SFG II requires perseverance, grit, and coaching. In addition to...
www.strongfirst.com

Snatch training is once per week and is a simple variation of the 044 protocol from Strong Endurance.

Use your snatch test size kettlebell. Do snatches on the minute.

Do three rounds for a total of 18 minutes and 120 snatches.
  1. Minute 1: 10 snatches Left
  2. Minute 2: 10 snatches Left
  3. Minute 3: 10 snatches Right
  4. Minute 4: 10 snatches Right
  5. Minute 5: Rest
  6. Minute 6: Rest

This is just one example of a once-per-week snatch maintenance practice. Lots of different ways to do it though.

Hope that helps :)
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+1 on this.. the plan actually fits perfectly as a follow up to Q and D 044
 
Catherine Buck Le said:
Hi @Summerhouse - Yes, great question, of course!

Here's an example of a plan that focuses on other things (heavy military press and SFG2 skills), and is more of a "maintenance" plan for the snatch test.:

www.strongfirst.com

Nail the SFG II Press Test with this Six-Week Plan | StrongFirst

So, you’ve decided to train for the StrongFirst SFG II Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Prepare to get stronger, go deeper into the skill of strength, and learn a lot about yourself. Like any goal worth chasing, earning your SFG II requires perseverance, grit, and coaching. In addition to...
www.strongfirst.com

Snatch training is once per week and is a simple variation of the 044 protocol from Strong Endurance.

Use your snatch test size kettlebell. Do snatches on the minute.

Do three rounds for a total of 18 minutes and 120 snatches.
  1. Minute 1: 10 snatches Left
  2. Minute 2: 10 snatches Left
  3. Minute 3: 10 snatches Right
  4. Minute 4: 10 snatches Right
  5. Minute 5: Rest
  6. Minute 6: Rest

This is just one example of a once-per-week snatch maintenance practice. Lots of different ways to do it though.

Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...
With that in line, so I'm also assuming you just stay at the same rep/set range for 2-3 weeks for swing day if following the plan??
 
@ Catherine Buck Le



I was able to get 48 in under 2 minutes today. Felt really good. Rested a few minutes did heavy snatches 5 EMOM @ 32kg for 14 minutes plus two more rounds for the full 16 minutes, the last two rounds I did 3 reps but felt like I could have gotten the full 5! Thank you so much for the program!
 
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Luis T. Gonzalez said:
@ Catherine Buck Le
I was able to get 48 in under 2 minutes today. Felt really good. Rested a few minutes did heavy snatches 5 EMOM @ 32kg for 14 minutes plus two more rounds for the full 16 minutes, the last two rounds I did 3 reps but felt like I could have gotten the full 5! Thank you so much for the program!
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Hi @Luis T. Gonzalez ,

Wow, thank you for posting your two-minute snatch test! This is SOLID!! Very strong work! 48 clean snatches in two minutes means you're in a great spot. Keep it up!

Here are some things that I love about your two-minute snatch test. Awesome job!
  • ✓ Biomechanical breathing match is on point. And when it gets tougher towards the end, you use double breathing -- nice!
  • ✓ The moment of being motionless (pause) at the top of your snatches.
  • ✓ Your pace.
  • ✓ Your game face: calm, cool, collected, focused.
  • ✓ Overall snatch form: good power, hip hinge, standing plank, explosiveness.
Here are a few areas of improvement, but these are minor details:
  • You probably already know this, but gloves are not allowed during the snatch test (or during any of the testing at the SFG1 and SFG2). Are you practicing some snatches without gloves? If you're currently doing more than half of your snatching with gloves, I would recommend reducing the amount of snatching you do with gloves. Snatching sans gloves will allow your hands to build up calluses and conditioning.
  • I can't see your feet in this video so I'll assume they're staying firmly planted and rooted into the earth :)
  • On your backswing, you're allowing your torso to rotate slightly too far. I notice this more on your left-side snatches. When you're snatching with the right hand, you don't over-rotate. Work on staying more square in the shoulders on the backswing when you're doing snatches on the left. Here's a screenshot:
Luis SN Test.jpg

Thank you for keeping me posted. So impressed! Keep up the super strong work!

Cat
 
Catherine Buck Le said:
Hi @Luis T. Gonzalez ,

Wow, thank you for posting your two-minute snatch test! This is SOLID!! Very strong work! 48 clean snatches in two minutes means you're in a great spot. Keep it up!

Here are some things that I love about your two-minute snatch test. Awesome job!
  • ✓ Biomechanical breathing match is on point. And when it gets tougher towards the end, you use double breathing -- nice!
  • ✓ The moment of being motionless (pause) at the top of your snatches.
  • ✓ Your pace.
  • ✓ Your game face: calm, cool, collected, focused.
  • ✓ Overall snatch form: good power, hip hinge, standing plank, explosiveness.
Here are a few areas of improvement, but these are minor details:
  • You probably already know this, but gloves are not allowed during the snatch test (or during any of the testing at the SFG1 and SFG2). Are you practicing some snatches without gloves? If you're currently doing more than half of your snatching with gloves, I would recommend reducing the amount of snatching you do with gloves. Snatching sans gloves will allow your hands to build up calluses and conditioning.
  • I can't see your feet in this video so I'll assume they're staying firmly planted and rooted into the earth :)
  • On your backswing, you're allowing your torso to rotate slightly too far. I notice this more on your left-side snatches. When you're snatching with the right hand, you don't over-rotate. Work on staying more square in the shoulders on the backswing when you're doing snatches on the left. Here's a screenshot:
View attachment 22414

Thank you for keeping me posted. So impressed! Keep up the super strong work!

Cat
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@ Catherine Buck Le, Thank you for the feedback. I am doing more snatching without gloves than with them. I'm just nursing my right hand a bit since I tore a callous slightly a couple weeks ago and it makes me nervous to make it this close to the cert weekend and tear it again. On Monday I didn't wear gloves and was able to get all 120 snatches without any issue though. That day I had rotated between rounds 28kg,24,28,24, and finished with the 28.

I will definitely work on the rotation. Would speading my legs further apart help?

Thank you again!

Luis
 
Luis T. Gonzalez said:
@ Catherine Buck Le,
I will definitely work on the rotation. Would spreading my legs further apart help?
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Hey @Luis T. Gonzalez,

I would not widen your stance. Your stance looks good!

This clip explains exactly what to do with your free arm to minimize that torso rotation. I've linked to the exact spot in the video:



These drills will also help. I've linked to the exact spot in the video:



Additional notes for you:
luis SN test 2.jpg

Keep up the strong work!
 
Catherine Buck Le said:
Hey @Luis T. Gonzalez,

I would not widen your stance. Your stance looks good!

This clip explains exactly what to do with your free arm to minimize that torso rotation. I've linked to the exact spot in the video:



These drills will also help. I've linked to the exact spot in the video:



Additional notes for you:
View attachment 22418

Keep up the strong work!
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you! I noticed that I seemed to throw my right arm back further than on the opposite side. I think I just got a little over zealous. I appreciate the feedback!
 
Honestly, I never worry about shoulder rotation in the snatch or swing, and actually consider it good form.

Extending your arm between your legs in the hike position is much more natural with some shoulder rotation, rather than keeping your shoulders square and having the arm at a more acute angle across the body. With a moderate or heavy bell, it's nearly impossible NOT to have SOME shoulder rotation. Plus the rotation and counterrotation helps absorb some of the force of the drop and helps add force to the upswing. It's a way of working WITH the bell a little more instead of AGAINST the bell, and is pretty much universal among GS competitors.

I know...hard style doesn't care about efficiency (does StrongFirst celebrate inefficiency in deadlift technique?), antirotation, yada, yada, yada. But IMO this is one aspect of hard style technique that should not be overly restrictive. Why is training antirotation better than training rotation? Why is antirotation something that should be considered essential to the snatch? You don't worry about keeping your shoulders square when throwing a ball or chopping wood or serving in tennis. Why make it a requirement for the snatch?
 
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Steve W. said:
Honestly, I never worry about shoulder rotation in the snatch or swing, and actually consider it good form.

Extending your arm between your legs in the hike position is much more natural with some shoulder rotation, rather than keeping your shoulders square and having the arm at a more acute angle across the body. With a moderate or heavy bell, it's nearly impossible NOT to have SOME shoulder rotation. Plus the rotation and counterrotation helps absorb some of the force of the drop and helps add force to the upswing. It's a way of working WITH the bell a little more instead of AGAINST the bell, and is pretty much universal among GS competitors.

I know...hard style doesn't care about efficiency, antirotation, yada, yada, yada. But IMO this is one aspect of hard style technique that should not be overly restrictive. Why is training antirotation better than training rotation? Why is antirotation something that should be considered essential to the snatch? You don't worry about keeping your shoulders square when throwing a ball or chopping wood or serving in tennis. Why make it a requirement for the snatch?
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Kettlebell Snatches and torso rotation​

Here is the title of a thread that already discussed this in pretty good amounts. I imagine torso rotation in relation to how you are snatching matters. GS has a very specific body position in how they snatch for maximum efficiency. If you notice, they tend to rock their feet forward to back back to forward. I've never done any GS before just saying from observation.

Hardstyle on the other hand has a very solid foot placement. You are not giving in to the fall of the weight. Not saying this is better or worse. It would seem to me that the rigidity of the foot placement in hardstyle would not be as forgiving when considering spinal rotation. Think about twisting your torso and picking something up. That is never advised. The hip hinge is also typically deeper in HS than in GS which may make it safer in HS to resist excessive torso rotation.

GS on the other hand has a different way of returning the bell overhead and absorbing the weight on the way down, so I think it is probably much more forgiving to some rotation if you are absorbing the weight to do so. That is my unscientific observation. And I will note that I have no issues with GS, I find it very interesting to watch and have nothing but respect for the things they are able to accomplish. I just believe that if you are going to rotate some, it is probably best to follow the prescribed technique and not try to mix the two. But I could very well be wrong.
 
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Luis T. Gonzalez said:
GS on the other hand has a different way of returning the bell overhead and absorbing the weight on the way down, so I think it is probably much more forgiving to some rotation if you are absorbing the weight to do so. That is my unscientific observation. And I will note that I have no issues with GS, I find it very interesting to watch and have nothing but respect for the things they are able to accomplish. I just believe that if you are going to rotate some, it is probably best to follow the prescribed technique and not try to mix the two. But I could very well be wrong.
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This is my thought, too. Well said, @Luis González.

I think of the anti-rotation as another way of "coiling the spring" to use Al Ciampa's term for building tension in the hinge position that is then used to re-launch the weight for the next hardstyle snatch.
 
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