Seven rounds of:
35 Double-unders
1 Snatch
Make one snatch attempt per round.
Post time and total of all successful snatches to comments. Do not count missed reps.
Michael W. looking calm stabilizing weight overhead, are you?
Today's workout will force you to blur the line between intensity and form/technique. You should choose a snatch weight that is heavy enough to challenge you, yet hopefully you can successfully maintain throughout the workout on your single attempt each round. Both your time and your total weight are counted, you don't want to sacrifice one for the other. So let's talk about the supporting weight overhead in the snatch:
When supporting weight overhead a couple things are important, of course adequate strength is one of them. But let's address proper set-up and structure. The bar should be positioned over the back of your neck or the top of the traps with your head pushed through the arms somewhat. Positioning of the weight and body should maintain balance over the feet.
A solid foundation starts with your shoulders and upper back. Being that the shoulder joint is extremely mobile, the shoulder blades must be fixed in tightly which requires completely retracting them and allowing them to upwardly rotate enough to open space for the humerus. Imagine pinching a quarter between the top inside edges of the shoulder blades together! Next your elbows must be locked out, squeezed forward into full extension to lock the bones of the arms and allow the muscles to support much more weight than they could without. Elbows squeezed forward into extension allows the larger muscles in your chest and upper back to safely support the load overhead.
Your grip is ideally such that the bar contacts the body in the crease of your hips. The wider your grip becomes, the more likely over-rotation occurs, resulting in dropping the bar behind on the turnover. Also, with a widening grip, it becomes more difficult to extend the elbows forcefully. Additionally, a hook grip is utilized in the pull and if you are flexible enough can be maintained overhead, but can be relaxed to allow the hand and wrist to settle in properly. The bar should be in the palm slightly behind the centerline of the forearm, with the wrist extended, not in a neutral position. This should not place undue stress on the wrist but does require a good deal of mobility, which you should be diligent about working on to maintain proper positions!
Also important is sufficient range of motion in your ankles, hips and thoracic spine. Supporting weight overhead starts with a sound, upright squat. Adequate mobility once again, and should be addressed accordingly. So good luck today, let's have some fun!
Referenced from Overhead Stability in the Snatch, by Greg Everett–Catalyst Athletics Articles
