Whether you’re thinking about obtaining your Strong First Girya (SFG) certification, or you just want to tackle the 100 snatches in 5:00 benchmark, there are a lot of different approaches out there. Today, I’m going to show you what I’ve found to be the easiest, most efficient approach to pass the snatch test…
First things first. I always give credit where credit is due, and this approach was originally presented to me (not directly, but through Facebook) by Mike Perry, owner/founder of Skill of Strength in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. This is the EXACT train-up I used to prepare for my SFG this past March.
I had been playing around with the program that Strong First had posted on their website, written by Brett Jones, Master SFG, but I was not feeling too great with it. Nothing against it at all, it just wasn’t for me.
Around that same time I just so happened to see a post by Mike pop up on my Facebook news feed:
I got after that approach (except for phase 2, I changed 11 reps to 12- 11 is just weird), and everything fell in place.
Now, don’t get me wrong- I was terrified of the test, but I really never should have been.
It’s 5 minutes out of 3 days!
Seriously, it’s 5 minutes.
You’re adrenaline will be through the roof.
So long as you’ve prepared well, it’s one of the easier parts of the weekend!
How could I say that?
Well, it’s one of the few things that you know for sure what you’re in for. The rest of the weekend is a mix of instruction, workouts, those damn penalty kettlebell swings, coaching, and technique tests. But you really never know what’s next… Now that’s the scary part!
But now it’s been eight months, and I’m still tweaking my approach to the test, and I think I can update this a little…
What I’m doing now:
One thing that I think stuck out to me about the above approach is that I worked up to 100 reps in 5 minutes.
What I mean is that every phase was 5:00 long, totaling 40, 60, 80, and finally 100 snatches.
Since passing the SFG I have been playing around with a similar, yet different approach.
1:00 Density Approach to the SFG Snatch Test
Phase 1
Perform 6 reps per side, every minute, for prescribed number of rounds. The 7 after each week’s sets/reps is the rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Pick a bell that feels like a 7 out of 10. For me, this was starting with a 20kg (45lb) kettlebell.
Week 1 = 120 reps in 10:00
Week 2 = 120 reps in 10:00
Week 3 = 144 reps in 12:00
Week 4 = 96 reps in 8:00
I used the 20kg bell for weeks 1-3, and then I jumped to the 24kg (53lbs) bell in week 4.
Phase 2
Again, perform 6 reps per side, every minute, for prescribed number of rounds. Notice that the RPE is now 7-8 each week…
Week 1 = 120 reps in 10:00
Week 2 = 120 reps in 10:00
Week 3 = 144 reps in 12:00
Week 4 = 96 reps in 8:00
In this phase I stuck with the 24kg bell that I finished out phase 1 with.
Phase 3
After two months of doing over 100 reps most days, phase 3 comes as a welcome “break” in total volume, but it ramps up the density. I can not tell you how amazing it feels to know that you only have 60-100 reps over 3-5 minutes, as opposed to 8-12 minutes of work and upwards of 144 reps…
All of that prior volume, to me, provides a huuuuge mental advantage when you only have to bear down for 3-5 minutes of snatches.
Week 1 = 80 reps in 4:00
Week 2 = 80 reps in 4:00
Week 3 = 100 reps in 5:00
Week 4 = 60 reps in 3:00
I just completed week 3 of this approach. Here’s what that looked like (it’s a video- click it! ⇓⇓⇓):
*my arms DO NOT straighten, so calm down internet coach...
Heading into week 4, my plan is to complete the 60 reps with the 28kg.
If I was preparing for the SFG now…
I would still use Mike’s approach! It worked. Really well…
But, I would probably do phases 1-3, and then I would transition over to the higher volume approach I just laid out.
I would start this about 4-5 months out from the SFG weekend. It would look something like this:
- 1 week of Mike’s phase 1
- 1 week of Mike’s phase 2
- 2 weeks of Mike’s phase 3
- my phase 1 (a month long)
- my Phase 2 (a month long)
- my phase 3 (a month long)
I would try and have the final workout of phase 3 (60 reps in 3:00) land on the Monday prior to the SFG weekend.
A few final notes
Don’t use chalk. You’ll tear your hands up. My team leader for my SFG, James Sjostrom, came over and began wiping the chalk off of my hands before my test, and I thought he’d gone mad! [He went on to tell me that he has practiced the snatch with dish soap on his hands, so he might actually be crazy] I ignored him, rechalked, and, lo and behold, tore my hands up… Since then, I no longer use chalk, and I never tear my hands.
Do your snatch work on Monday when you are the freshest. This holds true for all of your highest intensity work. I perform the above snatch protocol after a full body power and strength session on Monday, focusing on the push press, squat and pull-ups.
Do your swing volume work on Wednesday. It’s a lot less demanding on your nervous system. I perform my swing volume work after a full body power and strength session on Wednesday, focusing on the push press, deadlift, and military press.
Do your higher volume, lower intensity technique work on Friday. Follow that up- possibly in a second session that day, but the following day is fine- with some aerobic maintenance work. This is specific to your heart rate, and a system like Omegawave can help you to figure this out:
I typically get out on my bike these days for about 30 minutes in that range.
Finally, get in about 45-90 minutes of recovery stimulation work over the weekend. Walk. Bike. Play. Just don’t go too hard…
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