What Is The Secret Service Snatch Test

The Secret Service Snatch Test, which I'll refer to as the SSST (then I don't have to keep spelling information technology out) is a fell conditioning.

More of a test of volition power, actually.

The SSST is a test of how many snatch reps can be accumulated inside of a 10 minute fourth dimension limit usig a 24kg (53lb) kettlebell.

That's it.

Set the timer for 10 minutes… and get.

Achieving your best finish in the SSST will crave a combination of:

Kettlebell Snatch Technique
Work chapters
Conditioning
Luck with skin integrity (if the peel rips, it'due south painful)
Backbone to endure, and go along suffering, and keep…

The courage attribute of conditioning tests like this is a huge determining factor of your score.

Are you able to center yourself, refocus your thoughts when the fatigue and discomfort pile on?

When I say "discomfort", I'm primarily referring to the mitt discomfort.

The micro move betwixt the palm of the manus and kettlebell handle gets worse sensitive as the minutes laissez passer by.

Chalk helps, but only to a point. The more you cease to re-chalk the hands, the more than fourth dimension you're losing where snatch reps could exist completed.

Some people volition cleft because of the fatigue. Striking 200+ snatch reps in such a curt timeframe is ambitious.

At that place's little… expect… likely no rest to be taken.

For those who have tested their workout in competition or periodicially in a preparation cycle, yous know what redlining your engine'southward capacity feels similar.

Achieving a personal best with the SSST is going to crave redlining.

Ideal for removing callouses…

If you've been wondering how to remove built up hand callouses, y'all've come to the right place. The SSST will remove skin in less than 5 minutes or your money back.

From a paw care standpoint, this isn't a workout you'd desire to try that frequently. Probably not even monthly. Testing your toughness ii-iii times per year is probably more than enough.

When I was actually heavy into kettlebell training, I was testing my SSST 2-iii times per year at very sporadic times.

It's not similar you're going to wake up and feel the want to snatch hardcore for 10 minutes. I'd pick a 24-hour interval, perhaps 7-10 days out where I knew I would be giving the SSST another attempt. Then I'd section off 1-ii days after for rest, recovery and manus caudling.

Best case scenario, you lot'll take some juicy blisters on both hands. Worst case scenario, you lot can expect to rip plenty of skin.

This endeavour shows approximately 238 repetitions. I say "roughly" because counting slow to 238 tin cause your eyes to flim-flam on you. And then if you have 10 minutes to spare to watch the video, feel gratuitous to telephone call me out if I did less or throw me a bone if I did more than.

It'south an "approximation" because I'm too lazy to proceed double checking the reps. Counting to 238 across ten minutes is something I don't have the attention span to do 3-4 times.

Some of the top dogs in the kettlebell community are snatching become effectually 270+ reps, documented through video.

Secret Service Snatch Test Leaderboard

If you want to paste your name amongst the leaders, film it. It's important to document your performance with un-edited video. No one cares virtually word of mouth reporting. Testify it.

Breaking down my SSST effort….

In the early minutes of the test, I typically aim for 10 snatches per arm earlier switching.

Honestly, this is for counting reasons simply. Later on watching the video, I start miscounting the number of snatches per arm pretty quickly.

The biggest mistake in this try was taking a break. It'due south obvious why. When you're timing and aiming for near reps, taking a intermission doesn't help annihilation.

A combination of boiled over physical stress and mental conflict led me to resting for a brief time. Getting to the root of the why I stepped abroad, information technology's purely mental. My body could take tolerated the pain, my mind talked me stopping.

Based on tempo, I'grand guessing it cost me v-10 reps at to the lowest degree.

It get's hard to become your thoughts in club during a conditioning examination similar this. The mental governor is begging you to quit, your hands are pleading you to quit.

I could feel the peel loosening up, blisters forming and eventually the ripping on my easily towards the terminate. The touch on of this impacted my consequence.

Kettlebell Snatch Lockout

Critiques…

My posture at the top of the snatch is not groovy.

Just, I'm going to cutting myself some slack on this because the ceiling in my basement is exactly 7 feet 4 inches high at the lowest signal of the trusses. When snatching indoors, I make sure I'm locking out in between the beams, just in instance.

My personal determination to green calorie-free kettlebell snatches in my basement at this ceiling peak were made based on snatch technique. The kettlebell turns over the hand prior to reaching total shoulder extension which the highest my hand will be.

Bank check out this mail service for afreeze frame depiction of the snatch.

My worst fear is bouncing the kettlebell off the trusses and losing control. Lord knows what comes next, but I have an idea.

The fatigue is so high during an SSST, it wouldn't be proficient.

The frontward body lean is a counterbalance to the kettlebell, but I likewise think it's a precautionary measure to avoid impact with the ceiling. The kettlebell is not traveling straight up and down, it'southward traveling in an arc.

Counterbalance like this is considering the kettlebell is not traveling straight up and down, it's traveling in a subtle arc.

I'm counterbalancing to avoid being thrown backward. On the downward descent, a boring motility video or a keen eye at total speed should evidence an opposite reaction, where I'm leaning dorsum slightly every bit a weigh.

The obvious: Later on in the SSST, technique erodes to ugliness and it's survival fourth dimension.

I accept the risk in this.

BODY FATIGUE IS A TECHNIQUE KILLER.

If you lot're training MetCon, y'all must be able to look yourself in the mirror and accept the gamble of doing and so.

To my cognition, it hasn't been straight pinpointed in studies but injuries get more predictable as fatigue alters the control you accept over your movement.

Performing a box jump when 100% fresh is a lot different than the same box jump after yous've washed 25 thrusters and a 500-meter row.

Plainly and uncomplicated. If you take the take a chance of your actions, then you're taking buying for the injury.

Decreasing the number of times I switch hands with the kettlebell would get me more reps. Every mitt transition is essentially a lost repetition to the concluding tally and wasted energy in doing so.

If I was working longer sets per arm before switching, say 15-20 reps, I could gain an boosted ten-15 snatches across the 10 minutes.

Years agone, the starting time fourth dimension I attempted the SSST, I was hovering around 180-185 reps.

Kettlebell training was relatively new, snatch technique wasn't as slap-up and I was unfamiliar the demands of ten minutes of torture.

The repetitions gained is progress. Progress is always the goal, no matter how small-scale or big. A step forrard is a stride in the right management.

Make sure yous subscribe to my YouTube aqueduct, where I detail the kettlebell snatch forth with many other exercises discussed on this weblog.

Cheers to The Secret Service Snatch Examination,

Kyle