Texas Method-Power Snatch issue.

[Dimitris S.]

I feel I've squeezed all I can from SS and find it appropriate to move on to the texas method phase 1 (as seen in practical programming). My issue is with the power snatch and my inability to it. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to do it, but my gym is of the commercial type (therefore lacking bumper plates and a lifting platform). Although I can lower the weight back down from the top position of the power clean, noting however that over 225 it does get slightly aggravating on my wrists, I fail to see how I can lower a bar from the top position of the power snatch without injuring myself. Should I replace all power snatches with power cleans; or should I replace the snatch with something else entirely (rows, rdl's, etc)? Again I stress that dropping the bar is a no go, since the gym owner (who happens to have the mental capabilities of a stump) made a scene over me doing deadlifts; arguing that I would ruin the floor.

[Mark Rippetoe]

This is an equipment question, and has been asked about 10,000 times.

[Scaldrew]

Got your back, Coach. The Iron Plate Problem with Mark Rippetoe - YouTube

If the gym staff is arguing over doing deadlifts, you may want to just change gyms altogether. We've got a hotheaded douchebag like that in one of the gyms in the chain I go to and we just nod our heads and say "got it" or "I'll try" and then do whatever we were going to do anyway. Fuck him.

[Dimitris S.]

My issue is not with the clean, I've seen the video and know how to lower it without dropping the bar. I cannot imagine you can do the same with a power snatch though. So since changing a gym is not an option and dropping the bar from the snatch is a no go, is there anything I can do in its stead or should I replace all snatches with cleans? Just to make it clear I am speaking about the texas method.

[Scaldrew]

I'm lowering the bar to my thighs on most of my snatches. Dropping the bar is something I've only started doing last night, but I'm hesitant to do it because it's a long way down and I can't see above my head. It's definitely easier to drop the bar from the rack position in the clean than in the snatch and I only drop the bar with a severe narrowing of my grip to an almost press grip after the bar falls past my chest. I then push the bar down so it doesn't jump all over the place or make a lot of noise for too long. Luckily for me, I have bumpers.

If you're not at 135 already, you could use blocks and dampen the noise with mats and by pushing the bar down into the blocks. If you're at 135, don't want to drop the bar onto your thighs, and don't want to drop it from the overhead position onto the floor, then you're out of luck and can either substitute the lift for something else or change gyms.

If you want to learn how to drop the snatch from overhead position to the jumping position, there's videos on that, one of which is with Coach Rip teaching the power snatch to someone. The Power Snatch with Mark Rippetoe - YouTube

In terms of substituting the snatch for a different lift, there's a whole lot you can do with that. The snatch really is only there to give you some rest between heavy clean sessions, or to practice the lift if you care. Instead, you can simply clean a different weight at different sets and reps every time you're supposed to do dynamic pulls. Something like a decrease in weight of 15-30% and a decrease of 2-3 sets on Wednesday would be fine as Wednesday's workout serves as a light stressor to keep your body warm, loose, and ready; it's purpose is not to apply a significant enough stress to cause performance loss two days later.

If you're on a 4 day split, you can, instead of alternating cleans and snatches every Tuesday, simply go up in weight, but drop a few sets or do doubles instead of triples, and do the recommended 5 triples the next week with the same weight you did. So that would look like (with 135 for illustrative purposes):

Week1
Clean 135x5x3

Week 2
Clean 140x6-8x2

Week 3
Clean 140x5x3

Personally, I'd prefer to do something like this than to swap out snatches for rows or extra chins or RDLs or w/e. Easier to programme, less hassle to implement (i.e. no learning a new lift or new weight/progression), and more practice on the clean, the more important olympic lift anyway for reasons outlined in SS and elsewhere. You could always swap out the snatch for other exercises, but this would be my recommendation. And if the gym bozos whine and complain about you doing cleans, do yourself a solid and change gyms/save up to where you can leave humanity behind.

[poser]

My power snatch work sets are presently in the 140# range. My gym has bumpers, but I don't drop the bar from overhead and don't find it unreasonable to "unwind" that weight back to the waist. It does likely take some practice and experience with the movement in order to be able to do this without hurting/bruising yourself. It's also the case that you probably shouldn't be using iron plates for the power snatch anyway just in case you miss a rep and have to bail.


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[Dimitris S.]

Sadly, it's already over 135 and lowering it doesn't feel great on my shoulders (past slap tear on my right shoulder makes it somewhat painful). I'll stick to constant cleans for the time being and perhaps introduce rows as an alternating exercise if progress on the clean comes to halt. Regarding my gym I have, in the literal sense, no other choice. I live in Athens, Greece and this gym is the only one I could find with olympic barbells. Most gyms here have cheap 10 kilo bars and no squat racks, opting for rows of smith machines instead. So when I say that this is the best choice I have, I am being quite serious.

[MBasic]

Could just do a snatch high pull, that way, it essentially just 'drops' from the chest/sternum height to back down to your thighs, instead of clear from the over rack to the thighs.

Recommend straps for this.

Loads might/should be higher than a power snatch, but should be lower than a heavy power clean (as far as fitting into your programing).

These are a real quick movement, could probably do more reps per set than power snatches. Say if doing 8s x 2r power snatch. . . . could probably do 5s x 3r snatch hi-pulls

They manage to sort of set it down under control here, without dropping (some better/worse than others):
Can be done with iron plates without too much calamity.

[Scaldrew]

No point in doing snatches if they hurt and you can't drop them in the only gym that has the equipment to lift seriously.

[Satch12879]

Buy your own bumpers, bring them to the gym, and leave them at the desk. Write your name on them with permanent markers first.