One of the more impressive things I saw while attending my level 1 was one of the instructors demonstrating the snatch. He used a PVC pipe and it was effortless. He had a good first pull, picked up speed during the second pull, hit full extension, was fast under the bar, and then was able to pause at the bottom before standing up. All this in a pair of nanos (still should have been using weightlifting shoes but I will give him a pass). I found this very impressive and it made me realize that you don't have to lift heavy weights just to benefit from doing the Olympic lifts. I know I joke all the time about how we should max out but today we are going to look at the benefits of keeping the weight light.
1. Your mobility will improve: If you are working toward being able to execute a proper snatch, clean, or jerk then your mobility is going to have to improve in order to get there. Now obviously we want to make sure we are doing everything else(foam rolling, warming up properly, etc) in order to improve our mobility but working through the full range or trying to will also help us improve our mobility.
2. Improved stability: Holding the bar in the bottom of the squat or holding the bar overhead at the end of the jerk are two areas that are going to require a lot of stability.
3. Improved coordination: Do you remember the first time you tried doing a snatch, clean, or jerk? I do and I couldn't figure out how the heck I was able to get the bar over my head. In order for you to efficiently get the bar where you want it, you need to be able to move your body in the correct order or that bar isn't going anywhere. This comes from repeating the movement over and over. The more reps you do the better this will get.
4. Improved speed: Even with just a PVC pipe or a barbell you need to move fast in order to complete the lift. I often see people try to finesse light weights and end up missing them. Even at light weights, we need to treat it like a pr and move fast.
5. Improved power: Power is how fast a muscle can produce force. It is the combination of speed and strength. Even with using light weights in sets of 2-5 reps you can improve your power output which can carry over to many other things that we do in the gym.
Bonus: By using lightweight it will allow you to lift HEAVIER weight. Maybe you have specific lifting numbers you want to hit. Well, news flash working super heavy and failing lifts will just engrain bad movement patterns and lead to lots of frustration. So keep it light and you will reap the benefits whether your goal is fitness related or more specific to weightlifting.
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