Clean + Press vs. Snatch - Which Is BETTER for…?

'THE GIANT’

5x “Clean + Press Only” programs

3x week, 20 to 30 minutes

Exercises used: Single KB Clean + Press, Double KB Clean + Press

The King-Sized Killer

3x “Snatch Only” programs

3x week, 20 minute workouts

Exercises used: Snatch

Kettlebell Maximorum

Which is better - a Ferrari Testarossa or a 200 series Toyota Land Cruiser with an off-road package?

A smoker or a food processor?

A gun or a knife?

The answer of course is YES.

YES, each is better than the other, depending on the situation.

On a track, or a ¼ mile strip, or outrunning the bad guy, I’ll take the Ferrari.

Off road through the jungle, I’ll take the Land Cruiser.

I got several emails over the last couple of days from guys worrying about missing out by “only” doing Clean + Presses, based on the following comment I made:

“So, if you want to do everything you can to avoid that bleak future, I strongly suggest you have a deep look inside, a heart-to-heart talk with yourself, a “Come to Jesus” moment, or whatever you need to do to get rid of that extra body fat.

“Yeah, but Geoff, you just laid out your ‘Strong Enough’ standards not too long ago… Are you now saying those aren’t important?”

No, not at all.

If you notice, you have to have a high level of strength AND conditioning to achieve those.

100 Snatches with a 32kg in 10 minutes is nothing to sneeze at.

Many people I’ve talked to about those standards only focus on the Clean + Presses and seem to forget about the Snatches.

Do enough Snatches… any ballistics actually… and you’ll get leaner.”

For example, here was one of the questions I received:

“In this email you say: "Many people I've talked to about those standards only focus on the Clean + Presses and seem to forget about the Snatches."

I'm confused, does that mean a programme like The Giant isn't enough? Would I need to add some snatches in too?”

Remember, the context was in regards to using the Snatch to get leaner to get rid of stomach fat.

And the point I was making was to do more ballistics, more Snatches, to improve your conditioning. People with higher levels of conditioning generally have less body fat.

And that’s because it takes a lot of energy to fuel all those Snatches - energy you wouldn’t normally use otherwise. Your body has to pull it from somewhere so it may as well be stored body fat.

So which is “better?”

The Clean + Press or the Snatch?

YES.

BOTH.

Assuming you are:

[a] Interested in achieving the Strong Enough standards, and

[b] Interested in stripping off dangerous stomach fat

Can you get stronger using “just” the Clean + Press?

Yes, absolutely.

Can you get leaner using “just” the Clean + Press?

Yes, absolutely.

How about the Snatch? Can you get stronger using “just” the Snatch?

Of course you can.

What about getting leaner - stripping off that dangerous stomach fat - using “just” the Snatch?

Absolutely.

“Well then Geoff, how do I know which one is right for me?”

GREAT question.

First off, you can and should use the Clean + Press to build a foundation (assuming you have done enough Swings) for the Snatch.

So, start there.

Secondly, if you see your “gainz” slow down or stall… Or you need a mental break from C+Ps, switch over to Snatches.

In other words, let’s say you’re using the C+P to get leaner. And it’s working - or it worked, but now maybe not as much.

Assuming you’ve done about a 12-week cycle of C+Ps, well then it’s probably time to make the switch to something more explosive like the Snatch to reignite the fat-burning again.

For example, some of my customers have alternated cycles of ‘THE GIANT’ - a Clean + Press program, with “The King-Sized Killer” - a “Snatch Only” program and have reported fantastic successes.

And finally, if you have some extra time in your schedule and want to combine both the Clean + Press AND the Snatch into the same cycle?

Well Kettlebell MAXIMORUM does that for you.

Hope this clarifies things for you if you were confused in any way.

And if you need some resources to help you get going or keep going, I’ll leave a list of kettlebell programs in the description.

Stay Strong,

Geoff