This awesome workout is named after the mountain we’ll be doing a lot of our training on this year. It’s the highest mountain in Spain (mainland).
The workout is as follows:
- 3 front squats
- 3 single arm swings
- 3 swing high pulls
- 3 full snatches
Performed on the left side, repeat on the right, that equals one round. Complete 5 rounds. Finish with 25 bent-over dead rows on the left, and 25 on the right. FOR TIME.
Rest 4 minutes.
Repeat the whole sequence.
Rx weight: 20kg/44lbs for male and 16kg/35.2lbs for female
- Front squat: the elbow should touch the inner thigh while the hips are below knee line.
- Single arm swing: the kettlebell should swing to shoulder height.
- Swing high pull: the elbow should come in line or past the shoulders.
- Full snatch: the kettlebell should end overhead in full lockout and drop back down into a swing.
- Bent-over dead row: the kettlebell should start dead under the shoulder upon each rep and the elbow should travel past the ribs with the kettlebell traveling past the shin line.
Leave the clock running if you do this in a group format. The athlete notes their time when completing the first sequence, for example, if the time is 7:35 they rest till 11:35 and then start their second sequence noting the time they finish that.
The Kettlebell Swing High Pull
It’s quite frequently that I see the kettlebell swing high pull performed incorrectly and hear of tendon issues. This is due to the pulling exercise being performed incorrectly and it turning into an elbow flexion exercise (think bicep curl), rather than a rowing/pulling exercise for the back.
When performing this exercise you should be focussing on the back muscles, the rhomboids, trapezius, and rear delt. Use your rear delt for horizontal shoulder abduction, and rhomboids plus trapezius for scapula retraction (scapula abduction). Think of this as pulling your elbow back and the forearm just follows, and think about squeezing the shoulder blades together. Avoid pulling the hand towards the shoulder which incorrectly turns this exercise into elbow flexion.
I have a few cues that I use to teach people, you can see these in the following video. These cues undoubtedly make it super clear to your athletes how to perform this exercise, what to feel, and what not to feel.
Love our workouts? Check out the book Kettlebell Workouts and Challenges 1.0, also available on Amazon and iTunes.
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