Secret Service Snatch Test

7 men gathered in the gloomy shadows of Elon Park with their collective curiosity piqued about what YHC would bring. The initial instructions and acknowledgements, including YHC’s “not a professional” tidbit and “thanks for the opportunity” riff were followed by a disclosure that described this workout as sort of pyramid shaped. Here’s what happened next:

WarmUp-orama

Mosey Lap
30 SSH In Cadence
10 Low Slow KB Goblet Squat In Cadence
20 SSH In Cadence
10 Low Slow KB Goblet Squat In Cadence

The Thang

Stage 1

Mosey to playground and grab a partner:
P1: 20 X sumo-deadlift high-pull
P2: 5 pull-ups, then hang on bar until P1 completes high-pulls or failure
Flapjack
(Repeato 4X)

Stage 2

Mosey around the school, stop halfway for 15 burpees OYO, and back to the parking lot, and get into a semi-circle for instructions and throw on some music.
Secret Service Snatch Test: 10 minutes of continuous kettle bell snatch. You may switch hands as often as you want; if you need a break, set the bell down but at least one hand must remain on the bell the whole time.
10 count

Secret Service Snatch Test (SSST): is a test allegedly used as a weed out exercise for candidates of the Secret Service. There’s not a lot to confirm whether this is actually the case. I guess that stands to reason since secrets are kind of their thing over there. The SSST is a ten minute sprint for the heart, lungs, hamstrings, grip, and mind. Men’s weight~53lb, Lady’s weight~35lb

Stage 3

Mosey back around the school, stop halfway for 30 merkins OYO, then mosey to playground and grab a partner.
Partner up.
P1: 15 knees-to-elbow.
P2: with KB in each hand.
– rd 1 -> press
– rd 2 -> push press
– rd 3 -> squat thruster
Flapjack
Repeat 3 times (each partner does 3 rds of KTE, and each of the press, push press, and thruster)

Stage 4

Mosey back to the Lot.
Put KB on right shoulder, run the length of the lot.
Put KB on left shoulder, run the length of the lot.
Circle up
20 Flutters, In Cadence
20 LCBs, In Cadence
20 Heels to Heaven, In Cadence
20 Countain Climbers

Moleskine

Q-ing for the first time was an experience. Turns out, YHC needs to warm up the vocals as part of the warm-up; the voicebox shorted out halfway through the second set of cadenced SSH: YHC’s [1, 2, 3] turned into [pause, “ooh”, “hree”]. YHC tried to pass it off as morning phlegm, but Pebbles called it out (expected). The PAX were a huge fan of the SSST, Frehley’s unexpectedly asked for a repeato following the 10 count that came after, but it was time to move on. Everyone put forth a momentus effort during the snatch test: Loogie was swinging a monster bell in YHC’s peripheral vision, Teddy opted for a bell that was 10lbs larger than his first choice (nice!), Gomer Pyle had a strong and steady effort, Frehley’s and Wingman kept a quick pace. Pebbles took his breaks at the top of the snatch, which was very strong, YHC didn’t see many breaks from him. He was however swinging a bell suited to a “strong, independent woman”; perhaps the man’s bell next time. In honesty, one of the best Pebbles efforts I’ve seen. It was an honor to sweat with you gents this morning. Looking forward to the next one. 10 minutes is a long time.