In April 2024, I achieved my StrongFirst Body weight Certification and have become a StrongFirst Licensed Elite Teacher. I had been working towards this aim for about three years, and it felt nice to have lastly climbed that mountain. After all, after the preliminary excessive of finishing a aim wears off, there’s additionally the query: “What’s subsequent?” For the primary time in years, I didn’t have a transparent path ahead. The world was my oyster.
As those that have earned their StrongFirst Licensed Elite Teacher title know, one of many hardest elements is holding a lot of expertise contemporary and able to be examined. With my Elite coaching out of the best way, I might now deal with a smaller variety of lifts. It was a welcome feeling.
The 044 Protocol
After a summer season of clearing up some lingering accidents and exploring totally different coaching choices, I made a decision to deal with the barbell deadlift and army press. These are two of my favourite lifts and ones I had run cycles on earlier than. Nevertheless, this time round there was a change within the programming. As a substitute of a conventional barbell warm-up, my coach, StrongFirst Director of Training Brett Jones, proposed taking a distinct strategy.
He steered utilizing the 044 snatch protocol from The Quick and the Dead, which the ebook describes as “a complicated, minimalist, self-contained GPP platform that develops a variety of qualities, with the emphasis on energy whereas minimizing fatigue and soreness and leaving loads of time and power for different pursuits.”
The 044 snatch protocol entails a sequence of 20 snatches and is break up into two minutes of labor adopted by two minutes of relaxation. You may carry out the work durations as 5 reps each 30 seconds (5/4) or 10 reps each minute (10/2). Every sequence will be repeated wherever from 3-5 cycles.
Initially, this appeared like an odd concept to me. Prior to now I’ve used this protocol for conditioning after a coaching session—not as preparation for barbell work. Nevertheless, as a mere younger Padawan, I made a decision to heed the recommendation of Jedi Grasp Brett and provides it a go. After my mobility routine, I accomplished the 044 snatch protocol, performing three cycles of the 5/4 sequence with a 24kg kettlebell. As soon as that was full, I moved on to my barbell coaching for the day.
I used to be a right away fan of utilizing snatches to warm-up. My previous expertise with barbell coaching normally concerned performing one to 2 warm-up units, rising the burden in between, after which beginning my working units. Whereas it labored, I discovered it tedious, and it brought about me to get into my head. Utilizing snatches to heat up for my deadlift session basically acted as a specialised selection train—similar, however totally different.
I used to be activating my posterior chain and hinge sample for the deadlift. I used a barely lighter kettlebell than traditional and wasn’t gassed on the finish of three cycles. I felt warmed up, dialed in, and able to elevate. Additionally, switching between sides ensured that each my left and proper have been firing on all cylinders. Earlier on within the cycle, I seen after snatching I didn’t even want a deadlift ramp-up set. I used to be in a position to go proper into my working units; nevertheless, as the burden elevated, I might add in a ramp-up set or two.
Including Selection
After a few month and a half of the 044 snatch protocol, I experimented with some selection. The aim of the primary variation was to finish 5 snatches in below 10 seconds. Once I first began, I used to be someplace nearer to 13-15 seconds. I experimented with the ten/2 sequence, transferring as much as the 28kg kettlebell and including an additional cycle. Finally, I discovered that the 5/4 sequence with the 24kg kettlebell was the candy spot. This was partly on account of private desire; but additionally, since my aim was to heat up for my barbell lifts, the heavier kettlebell and further cycle brought about me to really feel fatigued.
I loved warming up with snatches a lot that I made a decision to share the enjoyable with my co-worker, Jess Harrison, a bodily therapist and StrongFirst Licensed Elite Teacher. She was additionally coaching barbell expertise on the time and in response to her the 044 snatch protocol “set the tone for the remainder of the apply with emphasis on kind and energy with out being overly fatiguing.”
Enter the 033 Protocol
The 044 snatch protocol was not the one program I used from The Fast and the Useless. On my non-barbell days, I ran the 033 protocol. The 033 protocol differs from the 044 in its timing and workout routines carried out. As a substitute of performing snatches, you carry out swings and pushups. At some point consisting of two-arm swings and the opposite one-arm swings. The work durations are nonetheless two minutes whole and will be carried out 5/4 or 10/2, however the remaining interval is barely a minute. I carried out 10 cycles which ended up being 100 swings and 100 pushups whole. I attempted each sequence variations and landed on the 5/4 sequence on the two-arm swing day and the ten/2 sequence on the one-arm swing day.
Implementing 044 and 033
My program was break up into two days. For each days, I started with the identical routine:
- Arm-bar right into a get-up x 1
- Bottoms-up presses x 5
- One-leg deadlifts x 5
- Windmills x 3
- Bent press x 3
- One-arm/one-leg pushup x 1/1
I might do only one set of every motion. All expertise that required weight have been finished with a 24kg kettlebell. This can be a routine I developed over the previous 12 months or two with Brett, and it has grow to be a staple a part of my coaching classes.
On Day A, after my mobility routine, I began my 044 snatch protocol and carried out 3 cycles of the 5/4 sequence with a 24kg kettlebell. After my snatches, I started my deadlift and army press units. I carried out these two lifts as a superset and began the cycle with 3/5 (reps/units). As I approached the tip of the cycle, I ended at 3/3 for the deadlift and 1/3 for the army press. I carried out Day A twice per week.
On Day B, after my mobility routine, I accomplished the 033 swing/pushup protocol. On the primary day, I did the 5/4 sequence with two-arm swings utilizing a 48kg kettlebell. On the second day, I did the ten/2 sequence with one-arm swings utilizing a 40kg kettlebell. As I obtained additional alongside within the cycle, I began performing energy pushups and even experimented with a 20lb weighted vest. I additionally carried out Day B twice per week.
Here’s what my weekly schedule appeared like:
Day A1
- Mobility Routine
- 044 protocol
- Deadlift and army press program
Day B1
- 033 protocol—5/4 two-arm swings
Day A2
Day B2
- 033 protocol—10/2 one-arm swings
The Advantages of 033 and 044
Earlier than implementing the 033 protocol, I hadn’t spent a lot targeted time on swings—particularly two-arm swings. After a number of weeks following the protocol, I began noticing enhancements in my deadlift. The bar was transferring quick, my lockout was sturdy, and my grip power had drastically improved. I used to be in a position to keep double overhand on my deadlifts all the best way as much as 395lb. I additionally seen nice advantages from the common pushup work. Earlier than this cycle, I hadn’t persistently educated two-arm pushups in years. I used to be rapidly humbled by how sore 100 pushups could make you. The pushups have been enjoyable, and since their vary of movement differed from my barbell army press, they didn’t hinder my progress. Nevertheless, the place I noticed essentially the most additional advantage was in my one-arm/one-leg pushup (OAOLPU). I had already carried out this ability to attain my Elite teacher standing, however I made a decision to maintain it in my program per Brett’s suggestion. My OAOLPU felt straightforward after the common apply.
After all, I couldn’t hold pushups and swings to myself, so I shared my programming with Jess. She was coaching for her SFB StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification on the time and had hit a wall. She began doing the 033 protocol and seen a drastic enchancment in her pushups. She knowledgeable me that after implementing the 033 protocol she “was in a position to construct to 100 close to excellent kind pushups and [she could not see herself] hitting that with many different buildings of apply.”
Jess and I have been each seeing nice outcomes with these protocols, however as instructors, we knew tips on how to apply them successfully. To seek out out if the warm-up advantages prolonged past our personal coaching, I launched the 044 Snatch protocol to my college students. Rebecca, a scholar I’ve educated weekly for practically three years, has been engaged on the deadlift and bench press. She used the 044 protocol as a warm-up and located it helped her get able to elevate rapidly with out utilizing up an excessive amount of power. Along with Rebecca, I used it with one other long-term scholar of mine, Nadia. Nadia has been engaged on the Zercher squat and ground press because the starting of the 12 months. She stated beginning her classes with snatches has been a game-changer, priming her physique for the ability wanted in heavy barbell lifts.
Conclusion
Implementing a structured protocol like 044 proved to be a robust addition to the coaching program for me and my college students. It not solely enhances bodily readiness however helps higher efficiency with out fatigue. If you need to be taught extra concerning the 033 or 044 protocols and others, you possibly can learn The Quick and the Dead by Pavel or attend a Strong Endurance™ seminar.
Tristan Walker is a StrongFirst Licensed Elite Teacher obtainable for distant, in-person coaching, and programming. He has expertise working with people of all ranges, from novices to specialists. As a StrongFirst Licensed Elite Teacher, he focuses on kettlebells, barbells, and body weight expertise. He has additionally ready many different StrongFirst instructors to efficiently go their StrongFirst certifications. He’s at present primarily based out of Philadelphia and is the top coach at KG Sturdy.
