Weightlifting Track: Heavy Singles by Feel in Both Lifts
Sunday, September 13, 2026 | CrossFit MYO, San Jose CA
What Makes This Session Effective
No percentages today — everything before the squats is by feel, which is a harder instruction than a number. You build to what’s heavy for you on this particular Sunday, with this particular week behind you, and that will not be the same as last month’s best.
The order matters. Snatch work first while you’re sharpest, then clean and jerks, then front squats. Each lift starts with a complex — power snatch into snatch, power clean into clean into jerk — so your first heavy attempt isn’t your first correct rep of the day.
Working to a daily maximum teaches the skill that percentages can’t: knowing when the bar has stopped moving well and stopping there. Five sets to a heavy single is not five chances at a personal best. It’s five chances to be honest.
The Protocol
| Movement | Sets & Reps | Target Load | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power snatch + snatch | 3 sets | Heavy for today, by feel | Both reps identical off the floor — only the catch height changes |
| Snatch | 5 sets | Build to a heavy single | Stop the day the bar slows, not when it misses |
| Power clean + clean + jerk | 2 sets | Heavy for today, by feel | Recover fully from the second clean before the dip |
| Clean + jerk | 5 sets | Build to a heavy single | One attempt per set, full reset between |
| Front Squats | 3×2 | 85–90% 1RM | Elbows high, upright torso, no bounce |
Barbell Prep
Bar only:
6 Muscle snatch + 6 OHS
5 Power snatch + 5 Snatch bal.
4 Snatch
Light weight 1-2rds: 3x snatch PP 3x Snatch Bal. 3x Hang Snatch 3x Snatch
Score type: Not Scored
Power snatch + snatch
3x @WBF
Score type: Load
Snatch
5X @WBF build up to heavy single
Score type: Load
Power clean + clean + jerk
2x @WBF
Score type: Load
Clean + jerk
5X @WBF build up to heavy single
Score type: Load
Front Squats
3x2 @85-90%
Score type: Load
Full Session Breakdown
| Block | Duration | What You’ll Do |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 15 min | General movement prep, barbell complex, mobility for today’s lifts |
| Work | 30 min | Build to working loads or max effort on primary lifts |
| Barbell Prep | 15 min | Snatch and/or Clean & Jerk barbell complex |
Total class time: approximately 60 minutes.
Movement Glossary
Power snatch — A snatch caught above parallel instead of in a full squat. Pairing it with a full snatch in the same set means the pull has to be identical both times; the only thing you change is how far you drop under. If the power rep is much heavier than the full one, your bottom position needs work.
Snatch — Floor to overhead in one movement, received in a full overhead squat. Bar stays close, hips finish, then pull under fast.
Clean — Floor to the front rack in one movement, received in a full front squat. The elbows must whip around fast; a slow turnover is what puts the bar on your collarbones instead of your shoulders.
Jerk — Shoulders to overhead using a dip and drive from the legs, caught with locked arms. Straight dip, head back, punch to a still bar.
Front squat — Barbell in the front rack, squatting to full depth and standing. Placed last because the day’s heavy singles are already done and this is strength work, not a test of freshness.
FAQs
Q: What does “by feel” actually mean? How do I know when to stop?
A: Stop when the bar slows down, not when you miss. If the third single moves noticeably slower than the second, that’s your day’s maximum, and the fourth attempt only buys you a miss and some fatigue. A good by-feel day usually ends with one rep in the tank and no failed lifts on the platform.
Q: I have five sets on both the snatch and the clean and jerk. Do all five need to be heavy?
A: No — build across them. Roughly, the first two are climbing, the third is heavy, and the last two are where you either hold or add a little if everything is still moving fast. Treating all five as maximum attempts is how a by-feel day turns into five misses.
Q: Should I still front squat if the singles took a lot out of me?
A: Yes. Three doubles is a small amount of work and it’s the part of the session that builds the strength the lifts sit on. If 85% won’t move well today, take 80% and keep the positions honest — a scaled squat done properly still counts, a ground-out one at 90% mostly doesn’t.
Q: Where is CrossFit MYO in San Jose?
A: 3550 Charter Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95136 — near Almaden and Blossom Hill. Parking on-site.
Want to train with us? Book a free class at CrossFit MYO — drop-ins welcome.
📍 CrossFit MYO | 3550 Charter Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95136