Kettlebell snatch - how to do it correctly, standards, technique

fitnesa treneris

“Kettlebell snatch is one of the exercises in kettlebell lifting, where the athlete with a powerful movement lifts the kettlebell above his head, fixing the projectile on the outstretched arm, with a straight body and straight legs. The exercise is the second element in the men’s classic double kettlebell competition and a separate sport discipline for women in kettlebell competitions. The kettlebell snatch helps to gain muscle mass, as well as develop strength, endurance, coordination and speed”.

The jerk involves several large joints – shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle. This allows the main muscle groups to be involved, including gluteal muscles, hip muscles, back muscles, deltoids, abdominal muscles and forearms.

PBC Kettlebell Lifting

“When jerking, the back, legs work. The forearms and hands are excellent. When the kettlebell goes down, you need to extinguish the kinetic energy and then lift it up. This is the secret of strong arms and powerful handshake in kettlebell lifters. Injuries in our sport are mainly due to technical unpreparedness of the athlete. If the coach puts the technique, it is perfectly safe to practice. Children can start at the age of eight with small weights in a game format, more dynamics. There are a lot of girls in our sport, and all look very attractive and dignified. There can’t be a huge set of muscles here”.

Satura rādītājs

How to breathe during the kettlebell snatch

The technique of jerk is directly related to breathing. Improper breathing will affect technique. You will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and lose some of the positive aspects. On the other hand, unnecessary movements in the technique can disrupt the cycle of inhalation and exhalation. The body will get less oxygen and tire faster.

How you can breathe:

Breathing in two periods. This method allows you to increase the speed of the exercise by shortening the breath.
Three-period breathing. This method allows you to perform the exercise longer in time due to better oxygenation of the body.

How to perform a kettlebell snatch?

Competitive jerk is considered a complex movement, where the main role is played by endurance, breathing and coordinated movements. Here technique is much more important than strength. Start mastering the exercise with light weights, bringing the coordination of all elements of the movement with breathing to automaticity.

There are several techniques for performing the kettlebell snatch. In fitness, training with kettlebells is aimed at providing a qualitative load on the musculature, because of which the exercise is performed in a more forceful version.

In kettlebell sport it is necessary to do as many repetitions as possible, so the lifter uses the force of inertia, body weight transfers and different technical tricks to reduce the load on the muscles.

Technique of execution while breathing in two cycles:

Stand up straight with a natural lumbar flexion. Lower your shoulder blades down and bring them together to make the body more rigid;
place your feet shoulder-width apart and bend at the knees so that the kettlebell can move freely between your legs during the exercise;
bend over with a straight back and grab the kettlebell by the handle. Position your hand closer to the edge of the wishbone. This will allow you to hold the kettlebell in the correct position and the movement will be safe. The hand does not need to be bent. It should be flat, continuing your forearm in a straight line;
as you inhale, swing the kettlebell back and forth between your legs like a pendulum. When the kettlebell starts to move forward, use your legs and buttocks to lift the projectile upward with a powerful jerking motion;
when the projectile is in front of the navel, pull it upwards;
when the kettlebell is in front of your head, straighten your arm upwards;
gently and smoothly land the projectile on your forearm. Next, exhale. Fix the kettlebell in this position. Body, arm and projectile form a straight vertical line;
as you inhale, lower the projectile downward. At the bottom point, smoothly pick up the movement of the kettlebell by the force of your hips and back.

You can perform three approaches to the maximum number of repetitions per minute or three approaches of 10-15 times. Rest between approaches – one or two minutes. It depends on your fitness level.

Benefits of kettlebell snatch:

increases general and strength endurance;
develops large muscle groups, which helps to improve overall fitness;
develop coordination and balance;
improves posture and strengthens the back muscles, which reduces the risk of injury and spinal pain;
strengthens the cardiovascular system;
burns a large number of calories, which can help keep a normal percentage of body fat in check.

In 2018, scientists conducted a study on how weight training affects body composition and strength in older women who have severe muscle mass loss. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group trained with kettlebells twice a week for 60 minutes for two months, while the second group continued their usual lifestyle without training.

The study showed that the elderly people with severe muscle loss significantly increased the percentage of skeletal muscles in the body, increased grip strength, strengthened their backs and improved respiratory function. The effects of the training sessions persisted for four weeks after they stopped exercising.

Competition rules

Stas Toroshchin: “In the classical combined event an athlete performs two exercises – a jerk and a snatch, each exercise takes 10 minutes. First, the jerk of two weights is performed. Then rest follows. It is an hour, and maybe more, depending on the number of competitors. The second exercise is the jerk. During it you can change hands once, but you can’t put the weight on the platform. For the push – 1 point, for the snatch – 0.5 points. A grade or sport title is awarded depending on the sum of the points scored”.

Kettlebells weighing 16 kg, 24 kg and 32 kg are used in the competitions. Young men are awarded with the weight of 16 kg, in the adult category are awarded with the weight of 24 kg, and CMC, MS and MSMK – at a weight of 32 kg. Girls are awarded with kettlebells 16 kg, and KMS, MS and MSMK – at weight of 24 kg.