There were all levels of lifters in attendance ranging from people getting on the platform for the first time right up to a Master of Sport World Class. The aim of the Trojans Competition is to encourage as many people to step on the platform and compete and we had over 20 lifters from all over Europe.

The results are as follows and are in order of weight of bells and total repetitions:

Ladies 12kg
Jerk Snatch Total
Jane Ray 64 170 234
Katrina Scott 118 138 256
Cassie Jordan 146 152 298
Rebecca Heron 165 166 331
Louise Grollman ?? ?? ??

Ladies 16kg
Jerk Snatch Total
Claire Maidment 148 162 310

Mens Mixed 16 & 24kg
Jerk Snatch Total
Richard Bunto 32 112 n/a

Mens 20kg
Jerk Snatch Total
*Kat Helcmanovska 52 102 154
Steven Dawson 72 129 201
Joe Allen 80 181 261
Jason O’Brien 99 173 272
Steve Cork 111 183 284
Stephen Bourke 120 166 286

*Kat took on the boys!!!!

Mens 24kg
Jerk Snatch Total
David Sheehan 80 119 199
Mark Stapleton 118 95 213
Karsten Bollert 101 114 215
*Mark Stroud 81 151 232
* Mark Stroud dropped the bell mid snatch

Mens 28kg
Jerk Snatch Total
Paul Harrison 30 74 104

Mens 32kg
Jerk Snatch Total
Tim Joseph 54 100 154
Eddie Sheehan 78 100 178

The event was an overall success and it certainly achieved it’s objective of providing an opportunity for individual’s to get on the platform.

There were great performances all round, with a special mention to Cassie Jordan who was studying for her A Levels whilst training. Kat deserves a mention also for competing with 2 Bells in the Jerk and Eddie got the equivalent of Master of Sports numbers in his Jerk set. Congratulations go out to all of the lifters many of who achieved personal bests on the day.

Great lifting people and until next year- keep swinging…..

In 2010 we had over 40 competitors from all over Europe competing in the Jerk and Snatch. There were teams from Germany, Wales, Ireland and Slovenia. In 2011 we plan on making it even bigger. With over 12 weeks to train and get yourselves ready people there really isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be competing!

If you’ve ever thought about entering a Kettlebell Sport Competition then this is your chance.

What is a Biathlon Competition?

The Biathlon is a two event competition. The two events are the Jerk and the Snatch. Men compete with 2 bells in the Jerk and women compete with 1 bell in the Jerk with one switch/ change permitted. The Snatch for both men and women is a one hand Snatch with one change/ switch permitted.

Basic Rules

For both lifts there is a maximum of 10 minutes allowed.

In the Jerk the bell/s move from the rack position to the overhead lockout/ fixation position and must not be lowered back to the rack position until the judge has counted/ judged the repetition. The bells must not touch the shoulders or touch the ground. Once the bells have touched the ground the event is finished.

In the Snatch the bell moves from a hang position to the overhead lockout/ fixation position in one uninterrupted movement. The bell cannot touch any part of the shoulder or the body and must not be pressed out. If the bell is pressed out or not fixated on three consecutive  repetitions then the set is terminated. There is one change of hands permitted. Once the bell is on the ground the set is terminated.

How do I start training for the Competition?

If you’ve been training with bells the next step is to start performing timed sets. If you can get to 5 minutes in the Jerk at this stage and 6minutes (3minutes each hand) in the Snatch then you have plenty of time to get yourself ready for 10 minutes of each event with the same size bell or even to progress to a heavier bell. The objective is to find a pace that you are comfortable to Jerk for 5 minutes 6-10 reps per minute is a good starting point. From here try and increase your time until you get to minutes. The same applies in the Snatch.

What size bells?

For the men we will have the following categories: 20kg; 24kg; 28kg; 32kg

For the women we will have the following categories: 12kg; 16kg

Get involved people. There is plenty of time to get yourselves ready and there is also plenty of information out there, including info on this site as to how you can train for the comp.

We’ll be giving you plenty of tips in the weeks leading up to the comp. So stay tuned.

Kettlebell Snatches have been somewhat of a trial for me.

In the last year at the Trojans we’ve hosted 3 Kettlebell Sport competitions. During these competitions my Snatch has progressively gotten worse. In May ’09 I managed 100 reps, this was 45 on my left and 55 on my right. To be honest this was quite embarrassing- I teach this exercise and I had people I’ve taught to Snatch kicking my arse!

We had another competition in March this year and while I managed 78 Jerks which is reasonable this time I only managed a total of 103 Snatches where I only got 40 on my left!! I did better when I used to just bash them out. Some of this is down to a little performance anxiety I end up doing worse when competing than in training, however I still only manage 54/54 in training, this hasn’t progressed in a couple of years!

It’s not like I haven’t put the time in. I’ve trained with the Trojans every Thursday night at 8pm and Snatched on days in between these weekly sessions. Whilst my Snatch numbers were going backwards I was watching Tim Joseph’s and Katarina’s Snatch numbers go from strength to strength. What made it worse is that the harder I tried and the more I Snatched- at one stage I was Snatching everyday- the worse I was getting!! This was part of the problem, even though I was doing more I was just reinforcing bad patterns and technique.

One of the main problems was that I wasn’t able to watch myself. If I had have seen what I was doing before now I probably would have been able to make some adjustments for the good. When I did film myself just before I went to Slovenia to train with Gregor Sobocan I was amazed at how bad I was! I was pulling with my arm and shoulders and was hardly utilising proper swing and pull technique. There were a lot of other things going on, but this was a good start point to be able to make a change.

When I visited Gregor he made me work on my swing and pull for a while. Next Gregor got me to practice my overhead lockout position. This is something that I have major problems with particularly on my left. My lockout is the reason why I quit on my left arm- my shoulder, elbow and hand, in fact my whole left arm go tingly and numb. When I was in my teens I had both gleno-humeral and acromio-clavicular dislocations of my left shoulder so getting it in the correct positions can prove difficult.

Gregor noticed my difficulty and pain overhead and made a suggestion: instead of trying to get the bell and my arm in tight and over the line of my hip (line of gravity- path of least resistance and all that), I should try and move my hip slightly to the side so that my hip is directly under the bell. GENIUS!! He then prescribed a 6 minute Snatch set. This on it’s own is not a problem 3minutes is about the maximum that my left can last. What is a problem is that he also prescribed that I keep it to 15 reps a minute- this was the problem at 15rpm there is a lot of time in lockout. It may not seem like much but I generally cope with 17-18rpm up to the 3minute mark better than at 15rpm.

I told Gregor this, he just replied that with what he had just shown me with both my swing and pull and more importantly with my lockout I should have no problems with 3minutes each hand. He was right! For the first time ever I was able to stay at 15rpm and go for 3minutes on my left arm before switching to my right. This felt great and more importantly I actually felt like I could have lasted longer. This wasn’t to be as the rest of the weekend was Long Cycle focus. However I now felt confident that I would now be able to improve.

That was now just over 6 weeks ago. I’ve now since Snatched up to 138 reps, 69 each hand in 9minutes, I’ve also managed 9 and a half minutes but wasn’t counting. I now also vow to film myself whenever I can!

I’ll be getting footage over the next couple of days.

The first goal is 75/75 in 10 minutes. Then I’ll drop back to less time whilst trying to increase my RPM, with the goal of achieving 100reps each arm before I move up to the 32kgs! I tried working at 20rpm last Sunday with the 24′s and managed 6minutes which gave me 60/60, this was tough, getting to 100/100 will be no mean feat.

I’ll keep you posted.

Kettlebells are a fantastic tool. In fact I think they should have their place right alongside Barbells and Dumbbells in the world of fitness and strength. If you want to increase maximal strength and power – use a barbell, if you want to train for symmetry and unilateral balance- use dumbbells, but for strength endurance, power endurance and metabolic conditioning- Kettlebells are the way to go!

The thing that sets a Kettlebell apart from other implements is that the handle is outside of the mass of the bell. This does three things:

1. it creates a longer lever (when it is swinging)
2. it creates an axis where the hand meets the bell
3. it allows the hand to move throught the bell in positions like the rack and the overhead lockout

Because of the uniqe qualities of Kettlebells they tend to get unique results. There’s a lot of PR out there that talks about how you can burn more calories swinging a Kettlebell than doing virtually anything else. A couple of years ago my business partner and myself went up to York St John University and we got put throughtsome preliminary tests to finsd out just how hard swinging bells made you work.

The results were pretty interesting. Performing a 5minute Swing Test we found that our heart rates went up above 90% of maximum after the first minute and it maintained this up until the end of the 5minute test. This provides us with an insight as to how and why performing traditional Kettlebell exercises such as Swings and Snatches can use more energy therefore getting us fitter and helping us to burn fat faster. Anybody who does any track work or who trains with intervals will appreciate why this is special and unique. For example running and getting you heart rate above 90% means that you would need to rest after every minute or so with a minute of recovery in between- think 400m’s. We were able to maintain this for a total of 5mnutes- continuously!!

What should be obvious, but what obviously gets overlooked by most people using Kettlebells is that it isn’t the Kettlebell itself that burns energy, you can’t just rub it and hope you’ll get fitter! It’s what you actually do with the bell that gets the results.

I mentioned above that we were tested swinging for 5minutes, we were also tested Snatching for 6minutes with fairly similar results. We also perfomed varied intervals of work and rest ratios. Again these are the key exercises that will allow you to get the most out of Kettlebells. Other exercises that really utilise the unique qualities of the Kettlebell are the Clean, the Jerk and the Long Cycle (the Clean and Jerk). These exercises are also the Kettlebell Sport Competition exercises.

Kettlebell Sport is a test of both physical and mental strength endurance. In the traditional Biathlon competitions athletes Jerk for a maximum of ten minutes and then Snatch for a maximum of ten minutes, the person who lifts the most is victorious. Athletes can also compete in the Long Cycle, this is generally in the off season. In the west it’s a fledgling sport. Through the Trojans Lifting Club we have hosted 3 competitions in the last year with 35 people from all over the world competing in the most recent one.

Just a fortnight ago I attended a training camp with Gregor sobocan of the WKC in Slovenia and this has helped my progressions under the bells once again. It’s a journey!

My journey with bells has been a continuing learning process. I’ve learnt from some of the best Kettlebell lifters in the world and seen records been broken and smashed. I’ve also now taught over 1000 people just how to swing a Kettlebell and how they can teach others. The best thing is that I’m still learning. I learn every time I pick up and swing a Kettlebell. I learn the most when I’m teaching others, watching how different people move and respond to Kettlebells.

My business Optimal Life Fitness runs what we call our Extreme Kettlebell Instructor Course. This course is an introduction in how to use and how to teach others how to use Kettlebells. It is also a course that makes people perform better.

For more information on the EKI and when and where you can attend please follow this link.

There was a run at 9am which was optional. I opted to stay in bed!

After cycling my way to the Gym we warmed up and then got ready. The order of the day was a 10minute Long Cycle set.

I only managed 6mins 40 and 31 reps. This was 1 rep and 20 seconds less than Friday. My left hand couldn’t hold onto the bell. Gregor said it’s my resting position in the rack. Ah well work to do!!

After the Long Cycle test we had a big stretch and then food was brought to the gym. After feasting it was time to say goodbyes. All of the athletes except for myself were heading home. After discussing future camps and competitions I was on my way back to the Hotel. It was only 2pm but off to bed I went. I got up and had dinner and then went back to bed.

Monday the day after Sport Camp.

After a quick breakfast I made my way back to the gym where I thought I was going to watch Gregor and Ales run a session. They were having none of it and insisted that I take part. So I did.

The session was a Kettlebell Fitness session which combined: barbell work, bodyweight exercises and a Kettlebell Circuit. This was a great blood flow and CV session which had me sweating buckets.

We started off with a warm up then progressed onto half Turkish get ups, swings and presses, before moving onto a bent over row and press up complex. It was then time for the conditioning component which consisted of:

Clean and Jerk 2:30/2:30 rest 1min
Clean and Push Press 2:00/2:00 rest 1min
Push Press 1:30/1:30 rest 1min
Swing 1:00/1:00 done!
All with a 28kg bell.
The session was finished off with 2 sets of 20 Russian Twists with a 20kg bell.

I then had a stretch and said my goodbyes to Gregor and Ales.

Thanks guys it was a brilliant few days. I really feel like I can now progress with my Snatch for the first time in 2 years- onwards and upwards!!!

On Thursday afternoon I flew to Slovenia to train with Gregor Sobocan and the Slovenian Kettlebell Club at the Slovenian Kettlebell Centre in Lubijana. When the Easyjet flight touched down and I got off the plane I realised how pretty Lubijana is.

I arrived at 5:30pm and the sun was still out and warm. It was a perfect blue sky and in the distance you could see forests and then mountains. The mountains still had snow on their peaks. I knew this was going to be a good few days.

On the same flight were Eddie and Mark from the Kilkenny Kettlebell Club in Ireland who were also here to partake in Gregor’s Training Camp. I shared a lift with them to their Hostel which was only a 10minute walk from the training centre. WE made our way to the training centre where we caught up with Ales (one of the athletes and coaches) and then later with Gregor and my better half Joslyn. Jos arrived the day before and had already commenced training on Thursday morning. Gregor was kind enough to show Jos the sights of Lubijana including the Castle.

After we said our hello’s we had a local Kebab and then Jos and myself made our way to the Park Hotel which is in the city centre. I was knackered from working in the morning and Jos from her training session so we went straight to bed.

Upon waking up Jos and myself made our way to the Kettlebell Centre. The weather was perfect and the walk was 35minutes long. Upon arriving Gregor informed us that Joachim from Germany was about to perform a timed Snatch set with the 28kg bells. Unfortunately for Joe he tore his hand at about the 4minute mark.

It was then time for Jos and myself to train. After a brief joint mobility warm up Gregor commenced the session.

Friday
AM Session Snatch

Swings
Cleans
Press
Push Press
Jerk
Half Snatch
Snatch
(all with 1*24kg bell)

Gregor went through the finer points and we then performed about a minute of each whilst Gregor made corrections and adjustments.

We then performed a fitness protocol which; was a 20minute workout that combined most of the above. It was as below:
Swings 1min/ 1min/ 1min rest
Cleans 2mins/ 2mins/ 1min rest
Push Press 2mins/ 2mins/ 1min rest
Half Snatch 2mins/ 2mins/ 1min rest
Swings 1min/ 1min

This workout was great fun, it really got the blood flowing and allowed technical practice on the lifts.

Next was a 6minute Snatch test. Gregor said that I needed to work at 15reps a minute which had me worried as when I slow it down like this I have more time in the overhead position and my shoulder and arm go numb. However with a couple of the tweaks Gregor had me practice earlier I got through and for the first time in years actually felt like I could have gone on for longer.

We finished the morning session off with the following:
Seated Press 3*10 w/ 24kg each arm
Farmers Holds 4*1min with 40kg, various grips. I only managed 3 of the sets.

It was then time for a stretch.

Jos, Joe and myself then made our way into the city centre for some lunch. We made our way to the riverside where there are plenty of restaurants and got stuck in. The riverside was lovely and the food was good too!

Jos and myself returned to our Hotel, chilled for a little and then made our way back to the gym. The Hotel rents bikes and after seeing the cycle paths and as the sun was shining we decided that this was a great option.

We met at Bobby’s Bar a small bar just next to the gym where we said hello to Gregor, Ales, Brane and Joe as well as familiar faces from the UK, Ireland and Germany all here to train at the Sport Camp.

After everybody had arrived, there were 20 participants or victims, depending on your point of view Gregor made an introductory and welcome speech and then we were into it.

We commenced with joint mobility warm up and then got started.

PM Session Long Cycle & Strongman
Swing
Clean Press
Push Press
Jerk
Clean and Press
Half Snatch
Snatch

Set 1. 7 Minute Long Cycle Test (24kg) 32 reps
Set 2. 5minute LC (24kg) 23 reps
Set 3. 5minute interval (20kgs) 45:15 26reps

Strongman Jerk
2minutes each hand with 36kg
16 left/ 14 right

We then had a stretch and were done!

After the second session it was time for pizza and beer at the Bobby Bar, which was well earned. Jos and myself then cycled home and went straight to bed.

Jos and myself woke well rested after a good nights sleep. We made use of the breakfast at the Hotel and then rented bikes again and made our way to the Bobby Bar for an obligatory coffee before the start of the session. It was another glorious day in Lubijana.

After our coffees we then started training.

We went through a war up and then went through the progressive exercises in more detail which also meant we did them for longer!

Swing
Clean
Press
Push Press
Jerk
Half Snatch
Snatch

We were then treated to a demonstration from Joachim, Gregor and Ales. All three are proficient Snatchers with differences in their techniques.

Joe went for 5mins with one hand (remember he tore the other one the yesterday! Joe performed 100 reps with the 24kg bell in 4:45.

Gregor went for 8mins with one hand.

Ales went for 4mins each hand.

It was then time for us all to Snatch.

As I had done a 6minute set with the 24’s yesterday and my hands were a little beaten up by this stage I opted to do today’s 6minute Snatch set with a 20kg.

Following the snatch set it was time to go through some off-season barbell work. This was followed up with a stretch.

In between the AM and PM session Jos and myself headed into the town centre with Ales, Silvia and Mark. Ales did a great job of being tour guide. We had some lunch and as Jos was leaving at 5pm Jos and myself went back to the hotel so she could get ready.

We then hopped on our bikes and made it back to the gym. Jos said her goodbyes and then got a lift to the airport with Gregor’s sister Tadeja. The afternoon session was beginning as Jos left.

Saturday
PM Session Jerk
After a warm up there was no messing about and it was time to Jerk! A 5minute set was on the menu to start!

I went with the 28kgs. As I hadn’t ever done a timed set with the 28’s before Gregor suggested I work at 6rpm for the 5minutes.

This was easier than expected and I managed 12 reps in the last minute for a total of 36 reps. This means I probably should have worked at 7-8reps a minute. Anyway it was going to get harder than this.

Set 2 was a 3minute set where I worked at 9, 8 and 10 reps a minute, this was tough!

Set 3 was performed as a Tabata protocol (20:10 work : rest in seconds, where you rest in the rack) for 3minutes. I did this with the 20kg bells and it was tough. I managed 8/8, 7/6, 6/7.

Next was time for assistance work. This consisted of the following:
Push Press 2min/2min with 36kg
Swings 1min/1min
Farmers holds 3*1min with varied grips
Jump Squats 3*50 with 80kgs

It was then time for a stretch. We then all arranged to meet up in the city centre for a meal and beer. Daniel was kind enough to ride Jos’ rented bike back to our Hotel- thanks Daniel.

We then had a meal and a few beers. A few had a few more beers than others!

I then went back to the Hotel and straight to bed.

I’d met Gregor on two previous occasions, both times were in Greece with the World Kettlebell Club. It is a testament to his athleticism, commitment, application and dedication that in the two and a half years since I first met him he has turned himself into the Kettlebell Sport athlete and Coach that he is today. His ability to get himself to where he his and to have trained others to do this are the reasons why I’ve been so keen to get him out here.

Day 1
Wednesday 17th March commenced Day 1.
The session began with introductions from Gregor and his team and all of the participants. Then we were into it. As well as being a Sport Training Camp we were also introduced to Gregor’s teaching and training methods.

The importance of movement preparation, warming up and joint mobility was discussed. It was then practically applied. After we had a suitable sweat up we were ready to go.

The exercises were taught and practiced in the following order:
- The Swing
- The Clean
- The Press
- The Push Press
- The Jerk
- The Half Snatch
Special attention was applied to getting people to achieve correct positions, mechanics and breathing patterns, with emphasis on grip, rack and lockout.

Next were demonstrations of the three Competition Exercises.

First up we had Ales (Gregor’s) star student demonstrate the 2 bell Jerk with 24ks. Ales lifted for 10minutes and performed a total of 103 repetitions. The rack position and variations were explained, so too was use of a belt and the rules of lockout and fixation.

Next was the Snatch. Gregor demonstrated a full 10minute Snatch set with a 28kg bell and performed 147 repetitions. The variances in lockout, grip, swing and lowering phases was all explained.

The 2 bell Long Cycle was next, again this was demonstrated and explained.

We all practiced sets of each of the Competitive lifts. It was then time for a break, which we all felt we needed!

After the break it was time to test ourselves. The first test was a 7minute Jerk set. I was little worried as I hadn’t done any timed sets since last year and the fear of Jerking for more than 5minutes was making me nervous, I’d also had a touch of man flu for the last 2 weeks and this was my first day back training. Enough of the excuses- I didn’t do too badly however, I went at a pace of about 7reps a minute and managed the total of 7minutes and did 53 reps.

We had a slight rest and then did a Snatch test. I was pretty knackered from the days activity and the Jerk set so only managed a total of 5mins.

Gregor colleceted our numbers for the tests and told us that from these he would work out tempo’s for the next few days training.

We the performed a stretch to return a full range of movement to all of our joints. The day then concluded with all of us lying about chatting on the Judo mats.

I then went home, ate and slept!

Day 2
Thursday 19th March
Day 2 kicked off with a 25minute jog around Mountsfield Park, which was to ‘loosen up’ and ‘massage the lungs’ . I was stiff and sore. Probably a lot stiffer and sorer than I should have been. The jog did help, it increased blood flow and served to get rid of a lot waste from my body.

At 11am Day 2 proper kicked off with us all being given individual plans for the days training programme.

We went through a thorough warm up and movement preparation to start. We then all had to perform 3 *5min Jerks sets. I was prescribed a pace of 8rpm and got through it all. I then was meant to perform a longer set with lighter bells which meant a 7minute set with 20kg bells. I struggled with this, my left shoulder started to ‘catch’- it starts to go numb and I lose coordination in it- so I terminated the set. It tends to happen more when I use lighter bells, I don’t properly lock or fixate and then I’m ruined. It wasn’t too much of a big deal, I just hung from the pull up bar and then was fine.

Snatch work was next and we were prescribed 4mins each arm. I only managed 5mins in total again, hands and shoulders were feeling it.

We were then introduced to the Strongman/ Strongwoman Protocol which is made up of heavy One Arm Jerks and Cleans. We performed a set of each of these, before we performed assistance work. The assistance work was explained and demonstrated. We then had to perform 5 sets of 50rep Jump Squats (I was prescribed 100kg) before 3 sets of between 10-15 reps of various Swings (I used a 48kg). The Jump Squats and Swings finished me off!

It was then time for another stretch and lying about session! I went home and ate and slept!!

Day 3
Friday 20th March
This was the final day and we were promised that it would be an easier to session. To be fair it was!

First we performed a Jerk Sprint Set. This was a 3minute set and the I had a pace set of 12reps per minutes.

The second set was a 3minute Tabata protocol Jerk Set. This meant you sprinted for 20 seconds then rested in the rack for 10seconds and repeated this for 3minutes. It was tough.

The final thing we did for the workout was a 4minute Snatch set with heavier bells. I only managed 2mins- my snatches suck!

We then went through barbell work and other assistance work. This included Snatches, Cleans, Dead Lifts, Squats, Presses, Chins and Pulls.

We then stretched and the Training Camp was concluded. The week was finished off with a session at Nando’s were we collectively ate about a thousand chickens!!

Overall the week was fantastic. Gregor and his team were brilliant and should be congratulated on a job well done. It was great to meet all of the fellow attendees we had participants from all over the UK and we even had Juergen and Karsten from Germany.

Our directives were to rest up and break personal bests at our Kettlebell Sport Camp on Sunday.

Due to the success of the Training Camp we will be sure to run more. We’ll keep you informed.

In just over 18months Gregor Sobocan has taken his Kettlebell Sport lifting ability to an international standard .

Not only has he improved his own performance and ability in a very short space of time he has also trained a number of his athletes at the Slovenian Kettlebell Centre to Master of Sport levels.

Gregor has trained under Valery Fedorenko and Pandelis Filikidi and has competed against the great Fedor, so his credentials when it comes to Kettlebell Sport lifting cannot be denied. He is now bringing his knowledge and skill to London.

Between the 17th and 19th of March Gregor will be hosting a Kettlebell Sport Training Camp. The camp will be at the OLF Training Centre (the home of the Trojans) in Hither Green London. The Training Camp will be between 12pm and 4pm for each of the days.

What: Kettlebell Sport Training Camp
When: March 17-19, 2010
Times: 12pm -4pm daily
Where: The OLF Training Centre, Hither Green London
Cost: £360 + VAT

Places are limited. If you are interested please contact BJ at here

If you are keen on competing in Kettlebell Sport this is an event not to be missed.

The Snatch is a hip dominant exercise and as such is a great posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes and lower back) developer. The posterior chain is an often overlooked and under trained/conditioned part of the body. Everybody from the very sedentary to the elite athlete will generally have relative weaker and less conditioned posterior chains. This development of the posterior chain is one of the reasons why the Kettlebell snatch is so important for everybody from beginner to advanced levels.

Valery Fedorenko (probably the best Snatch ever!!) in action.

It’s not just the lower body and the posterior chain that the Kettlebell Snatch helps to develop, the upper body and particularly the shoulder girdle also receive awesome benefits. As the bell is locked or fixated overhead all the shoulder girdle and scapula retractors have to work to hold the bell in place. So for anybody who wants to increase the range of movement as well the stability across the shoulder girdle whilst strengthening the ligaments and tendons then start snatching now.

As well as the mechanical and postural benefits the energy system benefits of performing the Kettlebell snatch are probably the most significant benefits of all. Due to the unique shape of the Kettlebell with the handle being outside of the mass of the bell you are able to perform at higher intensities for longer periods of time.

My business partner Tommy and myself were subjected to various test at York St Johns Sport Science department where it was found that performing a Kettlebell Swing for 5minutes our heart rates were above 90% max HR for the whole 5minutes. The conditioning and metabolic benefits of performing at this type of intensity for longer periods is truly significant.

So for a great exercise to add to your workout or even just to add as a finisher to your workout you can’t really do better than the Kettlebell Snatch. A great way of using it increase your conditioning levels is to use interval methods such as 1minute each hand, rest a minute and then repeat.

Get Snatching!!