Get It Right While It’s Light

Last weekend we did Amanda: 9-6-3 of muscle-ups and snatches.

We made it very clear that we would not accept anything short of a full snatch during the workout.  Naturally, someone asked, “but why do I need to go below parallel if I’m strong enough to lift it overhead without?”  Great question.

Whenever you learn something new, your body does an amazing thing to help you in the future.  It builds new connections called synapses from the brain to the parts of the body being utilized for this new task, so in the future you will be more efficient at whatever that task may be.  In our case it’s a snatch, a clean and jerk, a muscle-up, or a double-under, for example.

When we perform a move that’s as technical as the snatch it is important that we perform it in its full range of motion, no matter the load involved.  This way, as the load increases our body is already prepared to complete the full movement, no thinking necessary!

There will be times when we specifically call for a power snatch or a power clean, in which case you don’t have to go into a full squat.  When this occurs it is because we are trying to achieve a different response from the body in the workout for that day, not because we’re allowing you to simply be lazy.