SNATCH CYCLE INFORMATION FROM COACH JOHN

Hey athletes!

**Long but educational post**

We have a 6-week Power Snatch cycle starting tomorrow. I wanted to touch on the goals of the cycle, some points of performance to focus on, and a couple simple mobility drills to start implementing.

Any good strength cycle should start with a week or two of acclimation. This is where you honing in on technique, explosiveness, and getting used to the movements. This is accomplished with lighter weights.

Goals for this cycle:

-No misses! Shoot to hit every working rep! This will build confidence in your lifting abilities.

-Building consistency in hitting heavier weights. Instead of just building up to a top set each week, we build up THEN have to consistently hit that top weight for multiple sets. This will probably require the time for completion to get a bit longer each week, which gives you a chance to learn how to properly rest between sets.

-Utilizing your legs in the first “pull”. It’s really a push with the legs and the start to a successful lift.

-Speed under the bar. Power variations require us to pull ourselves under the barbell faster.

-Getting used to catching the barbell in a lower power position. A lot of time we see athletes miss lifts due to their hesitation of pulling themselves under the barbell. They often think they have to pull higher, when in reality it’s a mix of pulling harder and pulling yourself under the barbell.

A couple points of performance:

-Percentages are based off your 1RM Power Snatch. This is typically a lower weight than your full snatch. (Don’t worry, the cycle has plenty of weeks to throw around some heavy weight)

-Use the appropriate barbell weight to warm-ups. For example, if your first working set for tomorrow is 60lbs, there is absolutely no reason you should be using a 35lb barbell to warm-up with (that’s over 50% of your working weight). You want your barbell to move fast and feel like a PVC pipe when warming up.

-Get reset each rep. Get a quick, proper set up between reps which will, in turn, help you learn how to utilize your legs, use proper positioning throughout the lift, and require more muscle motor unit recruitment.

-Feel free to video yourself. Watch it in between sets. Every rep should look the same in your set. If not, something is up. Get a coach to look at it if needed.

Lastly, take a look at the video posted for a couple of my favorite upper back/thoracic spine/shoulder openers for Snatches

!