Snatch Encore

Well it seems the Black Box is on a mission to improve our ability to do the snatch.  Here we are with like the third skill day in a week dedicated to this exercise.

WOD
Perform 5 sets of the following:
3 reps of hang power snatch followed by 3 reps of overhead squat

Kevin went through the Bergener Warmup again, which I get more out of every time, as I'm trying to remember the positions in these lifts, which are the essence of the exercise.  When I started Crossfit I was so obsessed with getting more weight on the bar that I lost sight of what's important.  There really is a beauty to these movements when they are done properly, so I looked at this as an opportuntity to fine tune even more than last week.  Metcons can be a lot sexier than skill days for the snatch, but I believe the combination of the explosiveness of the exercise, mixed with the proper form, can only help metcon performance over time.

I would post loads, but they were minimal at best...starting with the bar alone, then increments of 5 and 10 lbs at a time after that.  My overhead squats were strong, and despite still being in pain from Friday's squat-fest I was able to get some decent depth in my squats.

A fairly uneventful day from a blog perspective, but anything that helps fine-tune my Crossfit performace is OK by me.

Snatch Day

Something Kevin said at the beginning of today's class was a little discouraging, albeit true.  He said that adding weight of any significance when you do an exercise like the snatch (as infrequently as Crossfitters do) will only yield bad results.  So he encouraged us to check the egos at the door, focus strictly on form today, and not worry so much about weight.  So the result was fun because I am far from a skilled Olympic lifter and I realized I needed to live those words, even though every time I walk in on a skill day I can't help but think "lift heavy".  So much for that theory...

WOD
Hang power snatch
3-3-3-3-3 reps

We did the ever-famous "Bergener Warmup" with PVC pipes to go through the complete range of motion represented in the snatch (as well as many other lifts).  After that we were on our way, starting with the bar alone, then adding minimal weight each round.

My weights were 55 - 65 - 75 - 75 - 75.

By the final set I felt myself losing it...losing the ability to safely get under the bar with the speed necessary to do the exercise properly. So not only did Kevin nail it with his class intro, but he spared me a likely bit of pain (as I'd be inclined to throw some more weight on).

I guess I should never argue with another day to recover more and come back fresh for the average Crossfit thrashing.  After doing snatches I can't say I'm nearly as cooked as I am after deadlifts, front squats or hang power cleans.  But I progressed enough to know that I hit my limit, and I guess if nothing else I have some valuable perspective when approaching the next snatch skill day.