We’re back from a short vacation in New York City and came home even more tired than we left!!!
Lots of walking, lots of sensory overload and one feverishly sick 9-month-old.
I was still able to get some good workouts in over the weekend because I brought my 20kg kettlebell with me in the trunk of the mini-van. One of the movements that I have been practicing meticulously in preparation for the RKC weekend in October is the 1-arm kettlebell snatch.
Back when I bought my first kettlebell, I was horrible at executing the snatch. I used to get bruised up forearms, sore wrists and callouses that would tear anytime I really tried to push myself.
It wasn’t until 4 years ago that I properly learned how to snatch a kettlebell (NOTE: it’s nothing like snatching an Olympic bar or even a dumbbell). I was at a conference and had been speaking to a KB expert over email for a few months. We finally got a chance to meet face to face. He grilled me with questions about being a parent (I only had 3 kids at the time) and then I peppered him with questions about kettlebells and exercise technique.
Fast forward 4 years and I haven’t had a bruised forearm or sore wrists since. (Although the callouses are still there, but my hands are a lot tougher!).
The snatch is one of – if not, the BEST – exercise you can perform with a kettlebell. If you don’t know how to do it properly, I suggest you learn it because it is a tool in your exercise arsenal that you will constantly come back to.
Here’s a video below on how to perform a snatch…
Leave A Reply (10 comments So Far)
Dale
646 days ago
Nice video Chris. Keep up the good work
Lee
646 days ago
Awesome thanks for this Chris,i just started on Kettlebells last week, they gave me an amzing burn however i got a huge bruise on my right forearm so this video is exactly what i need!
Cheers!!
Karen
646 days ago
Thanks Chris. This has been a big challenge for me since I took up Kettlebells. I’ve acutally been wearing wrist pads in order to prevent brusing on my wrists and forearms. Thank you for addressing it. If you have the time to go over the kettlebell grip and the specifics, that would be great too. I’ve heard that gripping it mostly with your thumb and pointer finger prevents the banging on the wrists and forearms. I’d love your take on this.
Thanks again,
Karen
walt
646 days ago
thanks chris i been adding kettlebell to my workot you just save my forearms……
Will
646 days ago
Nice Chris- another tip is to turn your thumb in (like a ‘thumbs down’ sign) when you set up with the KB between your legs, then simply rotate about your wrist as you lift (might conflict with your initial high pull but is an easy alternative method)
Clement
645 days ago
Hey Chris, what about the cleans? I’ve been trying very hard to tame the arc and I bought Enter The Kettlebell. But although the bell doesn’t bang my wrists like it used to, there’re still bruises there if I take a break for a month…
neeraj
644 days ago
Hey Chris. …these r small details which many of us miss…..thanx. ….while doing the snatch …the bell doesn’t bang my forearms…but as I fatigue…the position of the bell in my palm changes …I.e. the right position is the handle bar should be positioned across the palm…help to sought it out….thanx again