Have you ever witnessed a magic show?
Isn’t it fascinating how we are stunned at what appears impossible?
I mean, deep down inside we understand what we’re seeing isn’t real - just an illusion, but it FEELS REAL in the moment, right?
I think proper kettlebell training is somewhat like a magic show.
We witness incredible things and want to believe they’re real, yet deep down inside we “know” there must be a “trick” or a “secret.”
So many of the results suggested just can’t be real, can they?
From fewer than a handful of exercises?
Especially when we “know” that in the past, we had to do 88-11 different exercises and spend countless hours a day in the gym just to get anywhere.
Which is why I thought I’d pass along this comment with you from my YouTube channel from “@Likosak” -
(Make sure you have “enable images” turned on in your email. And if you still can’t see it, I’ll paste his comment below the image.)
Here’s his comment which you can see in the comment section on this video:
Let’s break it down so you can see his journey…
He was confident swinging heavy KBs - 68kg 2H Swing x 10x10 EMOM fashion and 56kg 5+5 x5 EMOM
Could do a 32kg TGU with ease
Started Snatch training w/ a 16kg for a month
Bumped up to 20kg Snatch and was amazed at the difference “just” 4kg made
Moved up to the 24kg after 2 months using the 20kg
Got himself to the point where he could do 160 Snatches with the 24kg in 10 minutes
Experimented with the 32kg for 10 sets of 3+3
Gained 4kg (~9lbs) and thought it was going to slow down his running
Ran a FASTER Cooper Test time (Ran 50m more in 12 minutes - without running at 5% heavier bodyweight)
Pull ups more dynamic (a.k.a. quicker , more explosive)
TGU got “sound and stable” with heavier weights
PR’d his dumbbell TGU - 40kg
Got stronger in Windmills, Bent Presses - and “obliques really popped”
His conclusion is placed right there in the middle:
“It’s unbelievable how everything got more easier with snatches.”
So, if you want to notice “everything getting easier,”...
Why not commit to learning and training the KB Snatch?
You can sprinkle it in with your current training as “skill work” - just remember you train skills FIRST and WITHOUT fatigue.
Or you can do a training block using “just” the Snatch.
Start easy.
Keep your reps light and sharp - making each movement and every rep feel the same - dynamic !
Build your volume.
Then start advancing into longer rep sets.
If you want a plan to rely on so you don’t have to guess or experiment, I’ll leave a link to my best Snatch program in the description below.
And just in case you were wondering - the Snatch is not for beginners.
Like “@Lilosak”, you need a foundation of the following lifts:
Swings + Turkish Get Ups → Develop your hip hinge and restore overhead shoulder stability / mobility so you don’t hurt your lower back or shoulders
Clean kettlebell + Press → Strengthen the muscles involved in the Snatch to be able to accept the higher forces of the Snatch
If you’re not sure or don’t feel skilled enough in any of those 4 lifts, grab a copy of ‘THE BIG 6’ and train with them.
Review the videos, follow along , and then start with the “The Fundamentals Circuit” program.
I’ll leave a link to my best Snatch program in the description below.
Look, at the end of the day, the kettlebell Snatch isn't “magic”.
But compared to traditional forms of training, the results seem like they are .
Start your Snatch training here.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.