Why is it that, as young weightlifters, we believe every session needs to leave us absolutely wrecked or it’s a waste?
In all sports (and really, any high-skill pursuit), it’s common to have sessions focused purely on skill. These are usually on the easier side, with a simple, intentional focus. A few examples:
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Practicing three-point shots
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Dribbling drills in football or soccer
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Practicing a chord on the guitar
The list goes on.
If someone stood and shot three-pointers for thirty minutes, focusing solely on their follow-through, you wouldn’t call that a waste of time just because they didn’t leave the court exhausted.
Weightlifting, especially the snatch, clean, and jerk, involves high-skill movements. Yes, they need to be performed heavy with high standards, but not all the time, not year-round, and not in every single session.
To support these lifts, you need to build general qualities like:
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Skill
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Strength
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Power
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Hypertrophy
If you’re lifting heavy all the time, you’re leaving a lot of potential on the table.
If you’re training four times a week or more, almost half of those sessions should be easier. Easier doesn’t mean useless, as we’ve already covered. You wouldn’t say Steph Curry wasted his time shooting threes solo for half an hour just because there was no defence.
So, what does “easier” actually look like?
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Weightlifting derivatives: 50 to 70 percent (for most, closer to 50%)
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Strength movements: Very low RPE (3 to 4) with a focus on speed and position
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Power: Faster contact times
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Hypertrophy: Treated more like recovery work, not always as purely stimulating sets
If an athlete can learn what good practice looks like and learn to celebrate it, they’ll set themselves up for long-term success. They will have fewer injuries, more consistency, and a deeper enjoyment of the art that is the snatch and the clean and jerk.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
