Also, for a complete breakdown of how to do the KB snatch, with written, picture, and video instruction – plus the same for all the other basic kettlebell moves, and LOTS more – take a peek at my original best-selling KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide, new and improved for 2013:
Now. For you today, I have a three video series on mastering the kettlebell snatch. I cover many of the same points I did in yesterday’s article – but the video medium is great to really solidify what you’ve learned so far and to help make sure you’ve got all the fine points of the movement down. Check it out:
Mastering the KB Snatch – Video 1
Mastering the KB Snatch – Video 2
Mastering the KB Snatch – Video 3
The kettlebell snatch is a tricky exercise to master, but it’s well worth taking the time to learn it – you’ll get some great benefits by incorporating it into your routine. Use the three video series in this post to help you improve your form!
And, if you enjoyed these videos, don’t forget to check out the new-and-improved-for-2013 KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide – in it, you’ll find full written, picture, and video instruction on the snatch as well as all the other basic kettlebell moves – and LOTS more. It’s on sale for a very low price for a short time – click the link below to check it out:
Every Monday morning we have a “strength” group session at my studio. It is one of my favorite hours of the week, because the folks who attend it train HARD, and get after it each and every time.
The focus of the workout is on lifting heavy weights and gaining muscle. But we also almost always finish the session with some kind of high-intensity metabolic-style finisher. It’s just a great time all around 🙂
I got a video for you today of a workout to help you kick off YOUR week right … it’s in the “style” of those that we do in our strength group sessions. Enjoy!
**To get three new workouts like this one every single week, click HERE**
That’s it for now … just a simple and effective KB/BW workout to kick your week off right. Train hard, and talk soon –
– Forest
PS – To get three new workouts every week like the one in the video above, click HERE
Got a new video for you from friend and fellow KB instructor Chris Lopez. He does a GREAT job explaining in detail exactly why this move is so great for your abs … he gives us some fantastic coaching cues to get the most out of it … and he shows how to best incorporate it into our workouts. Check it out:
*If you liked this video, make sure to check out Chris’s new follow-along video based KB workout program – he’s got a special sale going this week for loyal FVT readers just like you:
PPS – I am so excited about this new Kettlebell Evolution program, I am going to throw in a copy of my PreHab warm up video series and special report, when you grab a copy this week during Chris’s special sale.
This video series is a great compliment to Chris’s program. When you’re in need of an extended warm-up, when you’re extra sore from your last workout, when you have specific problem areas that need work, this will provide you with the perfect solution. It details and walks you through the research-backed and field-tested best way to prep for your workouts.
This video series and report isn’t currently available by itself anywhere else at ANY price. But, I am going to give it to you – FREE – when you grab a copy of the new Kettlebell Evolution program on my recommendation.
Simply forward your Clickbank purchase receipt to fvtraininfo (at) gmail.com, and we’ll send you a copy of my PreHab Warm Up program, ASAP!!
It’s hard to get too much practice in the basics of any skill or discipline. Kettlebell training included.
See, what often happens is that people move forward and try to progress in their practice before they’re actually ready. And out of this, all sorts of problems arise.
Today’s video covers the proper kettlebell rack position – something very basic, but also VERY critical to your ultimate training success. Check it out – I bet you’ll learn something new, even if you’ve been training with KB’s for a while:
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Video Recap
Proper Kettlebell Rack Position – A Quick How-To
Getting into a proper kettlebell rack position is something that a lot of people mess up and don’t really know how to do and get into properly.
This is a foundational kettlebell training skill that you MUST get down to get the most out of your training, and stay injury-free.
So, two ways you can get the kettlebell up to the rack position. Number one, you can do a clean, which we won’t cover in detail in this video. Or, if you are just getting started, what I recommend you do is what we call a “cheat curl”. Grab your ‘bell, and simply cheat curl it up to your shoulder.
Now what we are going to cover is the rack position. What we have here are three checkpoints. My thumb is touching my collarbone, my forearm is straight up and down, and the kettlebell is touching the forearm and the upper arm. My shoulder is nice and square, I have a little tension in the glutes, a little tension in the abs and the ‘bell is close in to the body. It isn’t out in what we call the broken arm position. It’s like I’m blocking a punch and the elbow is closer to the frame. So this is what we need to get a solid base for doing our pressing or doing something like a windmill that’s how we’ll get the ‘bell up there. Even sometimes if we’re going to do snatches that’s where we might start. You can even do Turkish get ups and do presses from different positions in the get up. But it all starts with getting a good rack position.
So hopefully that’s helpful for you in getting into proper kettlebell rack position. Practice that and get a feel for it before you move and start doing cleans or other exercises.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter and grab your FREE Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training! Just drop your best email address into the box at the upper right of the page to get it now.
And – if you know someone who might enjoy this info – please don’t hesitate to pass it along
I just shot a quick video for you with some new and unique kettlebell partner workout exercises to try. These will straight-up smoke you out – and I’m willing to bet that you’ve never tried doing these exercises – in this exact way – EVER before.
Whether you are training by yourself or with someone else, you’ll get a killer workout using these combos. And they are a great example of how you can combine relatively simple and basic kettlebell exercises to continually change up your workouts and keep them exciting and fresh.
And remember, you’ll get LOTS more kettlebell partner workouts like these (156 over the next year, to be exact), when you take advantage of the special offer going this week on the new-for-2013 FVT Coaching Club. Don’t miss it. Check it out here:
So I am always preaching about the benefits of sticking with the same workout plan for a period of time, and not changing things up too often. However, I also am fully aware of the potential resistance to this concept. That you probably want to change your workouts up frequently and keep them interesting, for the sake of fun and variety if nothing else.
In the video below, I cover the best solution to this problem. This is the approach we take in my Sacramento, CA boot camp classes, and it works great. Check it out:
Video Recap
Today I want to talk to you about how to keep your body weight and kettlebell workouts interesting, and also continue making progress.
So with this question, a lot of trainers will tell you that you don’t want to do the same thing over and over because your body will adapt and then you’ll stop making progress. This is true … but on the other hand, you can also go overboard with this. If you change your workout every day, every single time and do something completely different with no rhyme or reason…that’s actually bad. That gives you no chance to, for example, progress on a certain exercise. You can’t see if your kettlebell swings are getting better, or if your technique is improving. You can’t see if you can do more pull ups. You can’t see if your squat poundage is improving, or whatever you are working on.
So what we actually do in the boot camps at my training studio in Sacramento, to keep our body weight and kettlebell workouts interesting, is we will change the workouts up frequently, but we also have a theme that we work with each day. For example. In any given week, we’ll alternate between a strength based day where we do heavier lifting (although we usually still have some sort of cardio element). We’re lifting heavier weights to focus on building strength those days. We’ll alternate that with a conditioning day where we are doing more body weight based movements, we’re keeping the heart rate up the entire time, we’re incorporating running, stuff like that. We’ll alternate back and forth so that, number one, people can train every day. Number two, we have sort of a general theme we’re working with but it still allows you to keep making progress over time, getting better at certain exercises and working towards a specific goal.
I hope that helps you with keeping your body weight and kettlebell workouts interesting, and also continuing to make progress over time!
PS – If you liked this video and article, stay tuned for some exciting stuff. I’ve come up with a way to give you several brand new high-intensity, 30-minutes-or-less, do-anywhere FVT workouts that you can use yourself, with your training clients, boot campers, etc. – every single WEEK – at a super low cost. I’m pumped about it 😉 Talk soon!
If you’ve been lifting kettlebells for awhile, it’s likely that you’re familiar with one form or another of the snatch test.
The kettlebell snatch is one of the premier kettlebell exercises. It’s tested in Girevoy Sport (GS)as one of the main lifts. It’s also one of my favorites.
Lots of beginners want to move into it quickly. But it is quite a bit more technical than the swing, which is it’s foundation. I recommend that you spend a few months of consistent work building your technique and foundation with the swing before moving onto the snatch.
That doesn’t mean you can’t practice the snatch. Far from it. But a good foundation should be in place before you pursue snatching at a higher level, which any form of the snatch test will do.
So let’s talk about different forms of the kettlebell snatch test.
GS Style
In GS you are allowed a single hand switch over a span of ten minutes and attempt to get as many reps as possible.
The limitation here will almost always be the grip and it becomes very technical as you work to spare the hands from the weight as much as possible. Because of this the technique is done in as relaxed of a manner as possible and is often quite slow, with time spend waiting in the lockout.
Great for a sport, but I don’t think it’s the best thing for the average person since its requirements are quite specific.
USSS Snatch Test (Multiple Hand Switches)
That stands for the United States Secret Service Snatch Test, as that’s how this form first came into popularity. I don’t know if many people call it that anymore, but it was a big thing when kettlebells first became popular.
In Pavel’s Enter the Kettlebell, its still one part of the Rite of Passage. For a man you need to work up to 200 reps in 10 minutes with a 24kg kettlebell.
The difference between this and the GS test is that multiple hand switches are allowed. You can even set the kettlebell down and rest. But once the clock starts it runs, and here again you go for 10 minutes.
Often times for people the hands will still be the weak point. But here the focus is more on speed and conditioning.
I made it my goal to break 300 reps on this which is almost as fast as possible the full time. Some people say I wasn’t locking out every rep so it doesn’t count, but no matter how you cut it, the endurance needed for this is crazy.
Higher or Lower Minutes
Just because the main time frame used is 10 minutes doesn’t mean you can’t change that up.
I will tell you a five minute test feels like nothing compared to ten. Those second five minutes are the really hard ones. This will make it less of a test of endurance and generally more of speed.
You can also go longer. I haven’t done this one much, as 10 minutes of the same thing is about the limit of what I want to concentrate on before I get bored. This of course would make it more of an endurance game and less one of speed.
Beast Snatch Test
The typical weight for men is 24kg. If you’re competing in GS men will have to work up to 32kg to compete at the elite levels. For women its usually a 12kg bell or something a little higher.
There is a version of the USSS Snatch Test done with the 32kg for guys. This is brutal. In the near future I plan to beat 200 reps in this. But lets take it even further.
Snatch tests are not typically done with heavier weights. But I want to change that and issue a challenge out to anyone reading this.
By heavy for men I mean 48kg aka The Beast. That is the heaviest kettlebell I own though, if you have heavier you can go for it too. For women I propose a 32kg kettlebell.
Once again the time frame is 10 minutes. Of course this will have to be built up to. (So will snatching the beast for most. I remember many years ago how happy I was when I snatched the beast for the first time ever.) This is done in multiple hand switch, and rest allowed, style.
Here is my first attempt at a 5 minute version of this test. I managed 34 reps in this time. My goal in the future is to break 100 reps in a 10 minute time frame so I have a little ways to go.
For this I propose some small changes to how snatches are usually done. Since the weight is quite a bit heavier you’ll likely end up with some dip at the lockout, especially in later reps. This is fine, as long as it gets locked out overhead, and you stand up fully with it.
Secondly, because it’s a heavy weight, and the potential for injury is higher, as the weight can pull you out of place, instead of bringing it all the way done from the top, the kettlebell can be lowered to the shoulder, swung down and then snatched again. You’ll have to figure out the pacing that works for you best on this one as it will certainly be different than the other kettlebells.
Logan Christopher has been called a physical culture renaissance man for his wide range of abilities in strength and fitness. One of his specialities is kettlebells in doing the snatch, and his favorite, kettlebell juggling. But that’s only a small part of what he does which includes bodyweight training, heavy lifting and feats of strength. Check out Legendary Strength for more ideas and signup to receive 5 special reports as your free gift.
I am SO sick of people making this training mistake. It could very well be the #1 cause of kettlebell training injury.
If anyone made this crucial error at the RKC – which, unfortunately, they did 😉 – our chief instructor made us ALL do 50 penalty burpees.
Although the burpees sucked, I think it was a good idea. Because you can really injure yourself doing this. And it’s so easily avoided. Watch the video below to see what it is:
Video Recap
Today I’m going to cover something pretty basic but very important and that is how to pick up a kettlebell, or any kind of weight for that matter, up off the ground. Now this is like if you are shifting the ‘bell off the ground, or if you are moving it around to get ready for your set.
What happens all the time with new people in our boot camps is they go to pick up the ‘bell and while they are focused on using good form during the set, they are moving the kettlebell around and getting all sloppy and being totally careless moving the weight around between sets.
So anytime you pick up the KB, make sure that you have a nice flat back, use good form like you are doing a deadlift. It might seem like a small thing, but I can tell you from personal experience that the only time I’ve actually tweaked my back with kettlebells was between sets and moving a heavy ‘bell while being careless.
So that’s a basic tip for you, but is really important for long term safety when doing kettlebell training.
Okay. Quick, simple, but CRITICAL tip to keep your KB training safe for the long haul. Train hard, and talk soon –
Forest
PS – If you liked this video, please share it with your family and friends! And – if you haven’t grabbed your free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to KB Training – make sure to do it now by dropping your best email address into the box at the upper right of the page.
I have another free kettlebell challenge workout for you today.
Just change into your workout clothes, grab your KB and give this one a go!
Video Recap
2 Clean and Presses on each side
4 Snatches on each side
12 Goblet Squats
16 Hand to Hand Swings
Repeat this circuit 5 times as fast as possible.
Additional notes
Official KB weight for this challenge is 24k (men)/16k (women).
That being said, do NOT attempt the workout with the official weight unless you have an adequate level of strength and conditioning. Meaning, quite simply, that you must be able to handle the load safely and under control for the duration for the workout. If you’re not ready yet for the official weight, no worries – do the workout with a lighter weight that you know you can handle, but will still challenge you.
Bottom line, use good judgement, and work out safely. Enough said
Time standards
Done with good form, non-stop, each round/circuit will take you approx 1:30 to 1:45 to complete. With that in mind, here are some general guidelines for time:
14 mins or less = good
12 mins. or less = great
10 mins. or less = elite
Enjoy the workout – and the rest of your weekend!
Oh – and would love to hear how you do, in the comments section below.
Forest
PS – I originally wrote this workout for my kettlebell juggling expert friend Logan Christopher to share with his readers … and he actually ended up taking the challenge himself and catching it on video. He smoked it 🙂 Check it out:
PPS – Logan and I met in person a couple of months ago at a business conference … we got to talking, and given that Logan is actually in the Santa Cruz area – only a couple of hours drive from where I am (in Sacramento) – we thought it would be great to collaborate on a kettlebell workshop. We could bring our own unique viewpoints and talents to share, for an awesome experience.
So, if you are interested, good news. The workshop is on, for sure. The date is set, and the sign up page is almost ready.
I will have more details about that workshop coming for you early next week. Stay tuned 🙂 And make sure to sign up for my email newsletter to be the first to find out when it’s open, if you haven’t done that yet. Just drop your best email address into the box at the upper right of the page to do that now. Thanks!
