Kettlebell Swing Vs. Kettlebell Snatch Which Is Better For… (Part 307)

Get started with this program (and Snatch video tutorials) here.

Or, if you want to use the Snatch as part of a program, and don’t know how, use this program.

If you need to work on your Clean + Press as a “bridge” between the Swing and the Snatch, this program will do the trick.

And if you can’t get your shoulders over your head properly, I recommend giving this restoration program a shot.

And if you want to “up your Swing Game” and focus on squeezing everything you can out of “just Swings?” Use these 10 programs here.

Part 307?

It sure seems like it in my never-ending quest to disabuse people of their thought that the Swing is the cure for all things that ail them… LOL…

Now here’s what I’m NOT saying…

Wait - first, I should probably give you a little background.

I got a message this morning from a customer.

I asked her how her training was going. She said “Great!” - she was using one of my friend’s programs.

BUT…

She was doing Swings.

The problem?

She was a high level track athlete her entire life and doesn’t have any restrictions.

And she found KBs after she retired from track.

As a result of both, she’s strong, healthy, and lean.

So, for her, the Swing will most likely DE-TRAIN her -

Make her lose some of her “GAINZ”...

Back to what I’m NOT saying…

Just like King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said, “There is a time for everything…”

There is a time in every kettlebell-hoisting trainee’s life for Swings.

Every. Single. One. Of. Us.

No exceptions.

And that time is when you’re first learning how to use the KB.

And that’s because the Swing is the fundamental exercise to teach you / us how to effectively use our bodies to hoist said kettlebells.

It teaches us:

[+] How to use our hips to drive the KB

[+] How to guide the KB with our arms

[+] How to use our breath to create force and protect our lower backs

[+] Where our “shoulders live” in relation to our neck

[+] How to “lock” our ribcage onto our pelvis - a valuable athletic skill

[+] How to produce power - LOTS of power!

To name but six…

It’s also a great exercise to use if you can’t Snatch - if you have a shoulder or shoulders that you can’t get over your head.

But the Snatch?

There’s a reason it’s called the Tsar (Emperor) of Kettlebell Lifts.

In addition to all the benefits of the Swing, the Snatch:

[+] Can improve your Pull Ups numbers… without training your Pull Ups

[+] Can maintain or improve your Military Press… without training your Military Press

[+] Trains your abs HARDER than the Swing due to the increased range of motion and the deceleration of your arm over your head

[+] Trains your heart and lungs HARDER (in almost every case) than the Swing

[+] Trains your posterior chain HARDER (in almost every case) than the Swing

[+] Burns more calories per unit of time than the Swing (based upon the some of the earlier American research) because it moves over a greater distance

[+] Packs muscle on your upper back and shoulders when done with enough volume

So, if you want to go to the “next level” in your KB training, I strongly recommend that you learn how to Snatch and use it routinely in your program, if you want to:

[+] Improve your endurance - less “huffing & puffing” in everyday life, and when you’re doing your favorite activities…

[+] Increase your lower body strength levels - so you can run faster and jump higher (If you still do those things)...

[+] Strengthen your upper body without necessarily “trying” - maintain or even improve your Military Press and Pull Up numbers…

[+] Strip off body fat from burning more calories per training session (doing more work in the same)...

[+] Feel like an all-round [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE SLANG TERM HERE]...

How Do YOU Know If YOU Are Ready For The KB Snatch?

1- You have healthy, pain-free shoulders and can put your arms overhead

2- You have a healthy lower back

3- You have a healthy neck

4- You’ve done your fair share of 2-Hand and 1-Hand Swings

5- You’re familiar with the KB Clean and the KB Press

6- You’re “ready” for “More” and have a “growth” mindset

7- You like challenging yourself

Then I recommend learning and using the Snatch either as a primary exercise for your programming, or add it into your programming as you see fit.

I’ll leave links to kettlebell program recommendations in the description below this video.

Hopefully you found this helpful.

Stay Strong,

Geoff