THE KETTLEBELL SNATCH
The final progression and the holy grail of full body exercises is the Kettlebell Snatch.
The kettlebell snatch is one of my personal favourite exercises. It builds on the kettlebell swing and the kettlebell clean to bring the kettlebell all the way from hip position to above your head and back down again.
The Kettlebell Snatch works the entire body from head to toe and is considered a pulling movement. Taking the kettlebell from the top position, absorbing the weight and then changing momentum at the bottom takes a lot of energy.
As far as exercises go, it’s one of the most demanding, yet rewarding. It is one of the exercises that gives you the most “bang for your buck” in terms of the amount of good it does for your body per rep. Definitely a must have for your tool kit.
Summary
The Kettlebell Snatch works the entire body from head to toe and is considered a pulling movement.
Taking the kettlebell from the top position, absorbing the weight and then changing momentum at the bottom takes a lot of energy.
KEY POINTS
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Incredible at burning calories
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Builds legs, arms and core muscles
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Strengthens core and stabilisers
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Keep back straight when picking up KB
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Careful not to flip – let bell roll round the arm
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Extend hips fully at the top
5 KETTLEBELL SNATCH BENEFITS
1– Huge Fat Loss Exercise
The snatch uses hundreds of muscles in just one movement. The more muscles you use the more energy required and subsequently the more carbohydrates and fat you burn. When it comes to fat burning the snatch is one of the most demanding exercises out there.
2 – Great Cardio without Moving Your Feet
If you want to really push your cardio then the snatch will really elevate your heart rate without the need to even move your feet. The snatch uses so much force and energy during every repetition that snatching a kettlebell gets the heart and lungs working very hard, very quickly.
3 – Develop Strength and Power
The snatch requires you to absorb and regenerate force at speed during every repetition. The ability to produce force at speed is what we call power. Power is very useful for many things but in particular for sports and martial arts. If you want to develop a competitive advantage in your sport then the snatch could help.
4 – Connect the Body
The one thing that the snatch does very well is connect the body from head to toe. The snatch takes the kettlebell from overhead to close to the floor and back again in a matter of seconds. The ability to connect movement patterns from head to toe is hugely beneficial for natural movement skills.
5 – Improves Stability and Mobility
In order to snatch the kettlebell the chest needs to open up and the shoulder needs to be supple enough to allow the kettlebell overhead. Poor shoulder and thoracic mobility will be highlighted during the snatch and demand attention. As well as being mobile the shoulders also need to be stable so they can support the heavy load overhead.
THE MOVEMENT
To perform a kettlebell snatch, you start in the kettlebell clean starting position and use the same movement you mastered in the kettlebell swing in order to bring the weight up.
Contrary to the kettlebell clean, you don’t stop at the rack position, but rather you bring the weight all the way up, and fully extend your arm above your head with the kettlebell resting on your forearm.
Once the weight is above your head, bring the weight back down and start over.
If you are just starting out with the movement, corkscrew the kettlebell down and bring it to rack position half-way down until you get more comfortable at that weight. This reduces the strain on the back and is the safest method initially.
Many people struggle to master the Snatch. It’s daunting having a heavy weight above the head and the speed at which it gets there can be off putting too. There are also timing issues necessary for the Snatch to avoid banging the wrists and jerking the arm.
Equipment Required
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Kettlebell (weight should be appropriate to ability and experience)
Before You Start
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Ensure your training area is ‘safe’
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Perform dynamic warm up
How to Execute the Exercise
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Hinge the hips backwards as with the swing and snap them forwards to the start position
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Swing the kettlebell pulling the shoulder into the joint socket and punch the kb up vertically, the bell should roll around the hand as with the clean
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At the top of the movement the elbow should be locked with arm extended close to the ear and the weight should settle through the body
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Lower the kettlebell by breaking the arm as if performing a quick lower to rack position thus discouraging casting outward.
Key Coaching Points
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Be aggressive with the movement of the hips
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Its a fast movement NOT slow
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Pull the shoulder into the socket to create connection of the arm to the body
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Punch the kettlebell up vertically to decelerate speed and to let the kettlebell roll into place on the forearm
MUSCLES WORKED
There are not many muscles that are not used during the kettlebell snatch.
The quads, hips, glutes, core and hamstrings are all certainly worked very hard just like with the Kettlebell Swing.
Unlike the swing you get a little more muscle activation at the top of the body due to the fact that the kettlebell goes overhead.
The shoulders, arms, mid-back and upper back get worked well during the movement.
It is also important to note that the upper back (thoracic spine) will be opened up and the overhead shoulder mobility taken back. Poor shoulder and thoracic mobility could lead to problems but I’ll address that issue in a little while.
PRIMARY MUSCLES USED
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Hamstrings
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Deltoids
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Quadriceps
SECONDARY MUSCLES USED
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Abdominals
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Tibealis Anterior
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Lower Back/Lumbar
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Forearms
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Calves
KETTLEBELL SNATCH PREREQUISITES
Before you attempt the kettlebell snatch it is vital that you have mastered a number of other kettlebell exercises first:
1– Kettlebell Swing
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The swing develops a number of skills that are necessary for the snatch. The hip hinge is one of the most important components and enables you to drive the kettlebell upwards and absorb it on the way down. Also good shoulder stability will have been developed from the swing that will ensure that you keep your shoulder in its socket as you snatch.
2 – Turkish Get Ups
During the snatch the kettlebell is overhead and this requires both good shoulder stability and also mobility. The Turkish Get Up teaches good static stability and conditions the small stabilising muscles that are needed to maintain this top position.
BOTTOM LINE...
Primarily used as a”main movement” exercise, the Kettlebell Snatch is the type of exercise that you have to build up to and is frequently one of the hardest exercises of the entire workout. That being said, it is recommended to incorporate the Kettlebell Snatch once you are comfortable with the Kettlebell Swing, Turkish Get Up and Kettlebell Clean.
MASTERING THE KETTLEBELL SNATCH
WATCH TUTORIAL
THE REMEDIAL DRILL
In the video I show you a drill that you can use to build up to the kettlebell snatch.
Feel free to practice this until you are fully competent at performing the entire snatch movement on its own.
This is the remedial drill again:
Round 1: 3 x quick cleans to rack level + rest (you may want to do this a couple of times before round 2)
Round 2: 2 x quick cleans to rack level + 3 x quick cleans to head height + rest (again if you feel that you need to practice this round a couple of times then do so)
Round 3: 1 x quick clean to rack level + 2 x quick cleans to head height + 1 quick clean to overhead lockout position (bring down to rack position) + rest (as above practice this a couple of times until you're happy)
Round 4: 1 x quick clean to head height + 1 x quick clean to overhead lockout position (bring down to the rack position)
Round 5: 1 x quick clean to overhead lockout position aka the snatch (bring down to rack position)
DRILL TIP: Remember the cleans are done quickly to A) reduce tiredness and fatigue and B) to get you used to performing the kettlebell snatch fast.
WHILE YOU ARE PRACTICING
From the top position take the kettlebell straight down to the racked position and then down to the floor safely if you are resting or back through the legs if you are re-snatching. Practice this on both sides until you feel very comfortable with the first part of the snatch.
Bring the kettlebell down from the top position as if coming down from an overhead press.
ONCE YOU ARE CONFIDENT AT SNATCHING THE BELL OVERHEAD
From the top position of the snatch you can take the kettlebell down in a few different ways. The corkscrew method involves turning your palm towards you at the top of the exercise, pulling your elbow into your ribs and allowing the kettlebell to corkscrew down and back into the swing position.
The corkscrew is undoubtedly the best method for loading & de-loading the snatch.
The corkscrew method involves turning your palm towards you at the top of the exercise, pulling your elbow into your ribs and allowing the kettlebell to corkscrew down and back into the swing position.
This method is also good if you want to increase your rep count because it saves on your grip, and the grip will usually be the first thing to give out with snatches.
CORKSCREW SNATCH DEMO
A perfect form in all exercises and in every repetition is the fundamental requirement for a long-term, successful, and injury-free training with the kettlebell.
Conclusion: If you use it correctly, the snatch is one of the best exercises that you can do with the kettlebell
WHAT TO DO NOW...
You know what i'm going to say....
Practice is the most important aspect of kettlebell training, you need to commit the time.
Watch the videos, read the technical breakdown, follow the remedial drill and keep practicing until you master the technique.
DOWNLOAD PRACTICE WORKOUTS
WHAT DO I DO ONCE I'VE PRACTICED?
Once you've spent time practicing, feel free to video yourself performing the snatch (from the side and front preferably) and send it over to the coach at thecoach@kebofit.com