Weightlifting Track: Testing Week Maxes — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Squats
Friday, September 25, 2026 | CrossFit MYO, San Jose CA
What Makes This Session Effective
This is testing week, so today’s four scored lifts are a measurement rather than a workout: a snatch, a clean & jerk, a back squat and a front squat, each taken to one heavy single. The coaches’ note is the part to actually follow: be thorough with the warm-ups, and if your schedule allows it, attack one or two lifts a day and spread them out so your legs stay fresh. The order matters too — competition lifts first while you’re sharp, then the strength lifts, then any hang or block variations. A max is only worth recording if the position was real, so a single you hit in a solid catch is a better number to build the next cycle on than a grinder you’d never repeat. Warm up in small jumps, take honest rest between attempts, and treat the last set as one you have to earn.
The Protocol
| Movement | Sets & Reps | Target Load | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch | Single rep for load | Heavy single | Stay over the bar until the hips finish: pulling early sends it out in front |
| Clean & Jerk | Single rep for load | Heavy single | Stand the clean all the way up and reset your feet before you dip |
| Back Squat | Single rep for load | Heavy single | Brace hard before you unrack, then drive the whole foot through the floor |
| Front Squat | Single rep for load | Heavy single | Elbows high out of the bottom: the second they drop, the bar follows |
TESTING WEEK - Notes
Be thorough with your warm ups. If possible plan to attack 1 -2 lifts per day and spread out the days to keep your legs fresh.
- Competition lifts
- Strength lifts
- Hang / block variations
Have fun!
Score type: Not Scored
Snatch 1x1
Snatch for load: #1: 1 rep
Score type: Load
Clean & Jerk 1x1
Clean & Jerk for load: #1: 1 rep
Score type: Load
Back Squat 1x1
Back Squat for load: #1: 1 rep
Score type: Load
Front Squat 1x1
Front Squat for load: #1: 1 rep
Score type: Load
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
Barbell Prep
Bar only:
6 Muscle cleans + 6 PP
5 Power cleans + 5 FS
4 Clean & jerks
Light weight 1-2rds: 3x Push Press 3x Front squat 3x Hang Clean + PJ 3x Clean + jerk
Score type: Not Scored
Full Session Breakdown
| Block | What You’ll Do |
|---|---|
| TESTING WEEK - Notes | Be thorough with your warm ups. If possible plan to attack 1 -2 lifts per day and spread out the days to keep your legs fresh. / 1. Competition lifts / 2. Strength lifts / 3. Hang / block variations / Have fun! |
| Snatch 1x1 | Snatch for load: / #1: 1 rep |
| Clean & Jerk 1x1 | Clean & Jerk for load: / #1: 1 rep |
| Back Squat 1x1 | Back Squat for load: / #1: 1 rep |
| Front Squat 1x1 | Front Squat for load: / #1: 1 rep |
| 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 |
| Barbell Prep | Bar only: / 6 Muscle cleans + 6 PP / 5 Power cleans + 5 FS / 4 Clean & jerks / Light weight 1-2rds: / 3x Push Press / 3x Front squat / 3x Hang Clean + PJ / 3x Clean + jerk |
Movement Glossary
Snatch: The bar travels from the floor to locked out overhead in one continuous movement, with the lifter dropping under it into a full overhead squat to receive it. It is a very position-dependent lift: keep the bar brushing the thighs and finish the hips before the arms do anything. If the bar swings out in front of you, the miss already happened back at the knee.
Clean & Jerk: Two lifts inside one attempt. The bar comes from the floor to the front rack in the clean, then overhead in the jerk, driven by the legs rather than the arms. Stand the clean up completely and take a breath before the dip. Rushing straight into the jerk is a common way a good clean gets thrown away. The dip itself is short and vertical, and if you split jerk, the front foot lands flat.
Back Squat: Bar across the upper traps, feet about shoulder-width with the toes turned slightly out, hips below parallel, then drive back up. It carries more load than anything else in the session, so brace the midline before you unrack rather than somewhere on the walk out. Keep the knees tracking over the toes as you come out of the bottom.
Front Squat: The same squat with the bar in the front rack: elbows high, fingertips loose under the bar. It asks far more of the upper back and thoracic spine than the back squat does, and it rehearses the catch position of the clean directly. The rep is lost the moment the elbows drop, so keep driving them up even as the weight gets heavy.
FAQs
Q: I have four lifts to max. How should I split them up?
A: If you still have lifts to test, follow the note in the programming: one or two lifts a day, spread across the week, in the order given: competition lifts, then strength lifts, then hang or block variations. Your legs are the shared resource here, and a back squat max on Monday makes Tuesday’s snatch a worse number, not a braver one. If you only get one day, start with the competition lifts, as the coaches’ note lists them first.
Q: How do I know I’ve actually found my max and not just stopped early?
A: Take small jumps near the top (two to five kilos, not ten) and rest three to five minutes between heavy attempts. The number you want is the heaviest single you caught in a position you’d be willing to repeat. Two misses in a row at the same weight means today’s max is the last one you made.
Q: My front squat is way behind my back squat. Is something wrong?
A: No, that gap is normal and largely structural, because the front rack loads the upper back and asks more of your thoracic spine and wrists. When the gap is unusually big it’s often elbow height rather than leg strength: the instant the elbows drop, the bar pulls you forward and the rep is gone. Spend your warm-up sets working the rack position.
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