A Test

I train simply and narrowly. I have done the "biathlon" lifts (jerk and snatch) for 1.5 years and their assistance moves (heavy jerks and heavy swings), almost to the exclusion of everything else. When I felt I hit a mental wall earlier this year, I switched to long cycle.

Even with the best training program, there will be walls and plateaus, both mental and physical. Everything will work, but only to a point. At that point, one must re-assess, ponder, and figure out some new way to stimulate progress. That almost never means switching up the routine completely, but commonly means tweaking a variable, taking a little rest, doing something fun, or a test. A test will re-establish your baseline in whatever you test, and like the stock market, the results over time should show a average increase in progress.

In the past, for me a test was commonly a long set of snatch with lighter weight and multiple hand switch. That test would stimulate me to think about my weak links and the long sets would show me how my mind and body behave under long durations of work and fatigue. My last 2 tests were earlier this year. One was a 12kg snatch set to 1000 without putting it down. It took 51:50 to complete. That was after a 32kg PR snatch set (5 min., 30/28). Next time I will strive for less hand switches, less time, or more reps. Probably not more than one of those at a time. 2 Weeks later, My next test was 16kg snatch set to 500. That took 31 minutes even.

In December there is a cross-world type competition that spans kettlebell camps and philosophies. It is a 20 minute set (10 snatch, 10 long cycle), highest reps wins. You can switch and put it down and rest anytime you want. Obviously I will not put it down until the end of my set. I have only been doing long cycle for the last few months.

Today I tested myself to establish a baseline and to measure off it every so often in the future. In the meantime, I will continue to train long cycle only, both 2-hand and 1-hand.


16kg
10 minutes snatch
202 reps, switching every minute, ~20 rpm.

immediately to 10 minutes long cycle
114 reps, switching every minute, ~11 rpm

316 reps total.

Next time I will use 20kg and use the same time and format. The pace will undoubtedly be a little slower. I could have gone a little faster in both lifts. It may have meant putting it down to rest, which I refuse to do, or compromising technique, which I will also not do. I locked out still every time. I actually denied myself 2 snatch reps during the last 40 because I felt I did not land the lockout vertical enough.

Cate Imes recently said "We can play by their (hard-style) rules and still put up good numbers, but not the other way around." paraphrase, parenthesis added.

I will do the best I can in that test, and it will be interesting that my training will be 1- and 2- handed long cycle, occasional heavy 1- handed jerks, and swings. All one-handed stuff will be only one hand switch. Like Marty Farrell said, the point is to perform the test while training like we train, and not switching up our training just for this meet. Proper training should make the performance strong anyways, especially with easier rules.

It is good to test one's self every now and then. Every workout should not be a test per se, but it can offer good, constructive self-criticism and a different stimulus for the mind every now and then. It is a good practice for when the tests come in life unexpectedly. It shows long-term growth and progress and motivates me to keep training right. Try it. you'll like it.