A few weeks ago I discovered I could double kettlebell snatch two 16kg (70lbs) kettlebells. This is almost 2/3 of my bodyweight.

Double 16kg (70lbs) Kettlebell Snatches

This is something that I don’t think I would have been able to do 5 months ago.

Just 5 months ago I was training double 14kg (60lbs) kettlebell swing, high-pull, snatch chains, (read more about these chains in my post Improve Your Double Kettlebell Snatch), in my training once per week. At the time that weight felt heavy for me and I was not strong enough to snatch the bells down on each rep, I had to lower them to the rack position before going into another set of chains.

Around mid December I changed up my training on the particular day that I trained swing, high pull, snatch chains, to snatch single 16kg (35lbs) for volume; I started out by completing 180 single 16kg kettlebell snatches and over the weeks built up to completing 210 single 16kg kettlebell snatches during these training sessions. (To learn more about how to improve your single kettlebell snatch read my post, Do You Have A Sexy Snatch?)

Now, for some of you 16kg snatches may be light and easy, but for me, given my size, height, and small bone structure 16kg is a relative heavy snatch weight for me as it is very difficult for me to put on weight beyond 118lbs and I say that I am 5 feet 1 inch, but the doctor tells me I’m actually only 5 feet ½ inch 😉 . Therefore working with 16kg for high volume snatches regularly was somewhat challenging for me and it helped me to build solid strength.

A few weeks ago I started to work swing, high pull, snatch chains back into my training on Mondays and I decided to see where I was at strength wise. Double 14kg (60lbs) felt like double 12kg (53lbs) used to feel and I could snatch them down on each rep no problem, AND I discovered that I could snatch double 16kg (70lbs) with ease. So much ease that I had a feeling I could snatch double 18kg (80lbs), which is truly 2/3 of my current bodyweight 117lbs but I did not try it that day.

Today I gave it a shot and sure enough those suckers went up without an issue.

Double 18kg (80lbs) Kettlebell Snatches

How did I get there?

By building tremendous upper body strength through pressing like a maniac for the past year and through high volume single kettlebell snatch practice with 16kg (35lbs) for the past 5 months AND by building more lower body strength and hip power through dead-lifts and double kettlebell swings.

The double 18kg kettlebell snatches need a little work in that I was corkscrewing the kettlebell on the snatch up a little bit on the left side, but that will just come with more practice and training.

Will I get this practice through double 18kg kettlebell snatches or even double 16kg kettlebell snatches?

No. I will continue to work with double 14kg once per week for swing, high pull, snatch chains and on the days that I single kettlebell snatch 16kg for high volume my plan it to switch this out for single kettlebell snatches with 18kg and reduce the volume to 150 snatches to start and then build my way up to 210 snatches over time. I will also continue to train double kettlebell swings and build up the strength of my dead-lift.

When I easily snatched double 16kg kettlebells a few weeks ago I was talking to Eric about how crazy it was that for the past 5 months I had not even been training double kettlebell snatches but through everything else I was doing in my training, (pressing, dead-lifts, double kettlebell swings, and single kettlebell snatches), that I had built up the total body strength and hip power to snatch this kind of weight overhead with ease.

His response, “It’s Loco.”

Indeed it’s loco or as the Italians say Che Pazza! 😉

Read more about Carryover in training my posts “Carryover in Training” and “Comfortable Carryover and the 245 lbs Dead-lift“.

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Do you want to learn how to become strong enough to snatch 2/3 of your bodyweight with ease, and the secrets to simple nutrition and conditioning? Then I hope that you will join me for one of my upcoming workshops I Am Not Afraid To Lift and Keep It Simple Nutrition & Conditioning coming to:

• September 12 and 13, 2015 @Drive495 in NYC, NY
• October 3 and 4, 2015 @BSPNOVA in Dulles, VA
• November 7 and 8, 2015 @IronBodyStudios in Boston, MA

Join me for Keep It Simple Nutrition & Conditioning, coming to:

• New York City, New York on September 13, 2015 at Drive495
• Dulles, Virginia on October 4, 2015 at BSPNOVA
• Needham, MA on November 8, 2015 at Iron Body Studios

Read more and register HERE.

Also join me for Superhuman Strength Training at the Perform Better Functional Training Institute in Providence, Rhode Island on May 30, 2015 or my workshop I Am Not Afraid To Lift.

You can learn more and register HERE.

Next I Am Not Afraid To Lift workshops coming to:

• New York City, New York on September 12, 2015 at Drive495
• Dulles, Virginia on October 3, 2015 at BSPNOVA
• Needham, MA on November 7, 2015 at Iron Body Studios

Read more and register HERE.