Light Day: A New Carrot to Chase

by Carl Raghavan, SSC | September 02, 2025

One of the best changes I’ve made to my clients’ programming recently (when the lifter’s ready) is turning the light day into something actually fun: a beginner’s Olympic lifting day. And before you say, “I’m too old, too stiff, and I move like I’ve got two left feet” – it doesn’t matter. This is Starting Weightlifting, the simple version. If you’re already power cleaning (which you should be), I’ll usually tack on a power snatch and a push jerk to kick things off.

Why do this? Because each training day should have a purpose. Medium day has a theme: hard. It’s tough, and it’s supposed to be. Volume squats and bench, maybe a lighter deadlift variation – it’s a bit of a grind. Heavy day is fun and a little scary: the lifter gets to chase a heavy set of five on three lifts, usually hitting a PR. But light day? That often turns into an afterthought. A box-checker. Something people feel like they can skip if they’re too tired or too busy.

But when light day has Olympic lifts – even just basic variants like hang power snatches from the hip or a push jerk thrown on top of a power clean – it becomes something more. It becomes a skill day, which makes the day fun and exciting. A practice day. A chance to learn something new. And we all know people love shiny new things. Am I right?

It also gives light day a sense of mission. Instead of just light squats, volume press, chins, and maybe some bullshit rows, now it’s about developing coordination, speed, and timing. It’s fun. It’s athletic. And crucially, it’s still light. These lifts, by nature, aren’t heavy – especially not at first. They’re technical. Which means they’re perfect for light day.

Here’s another fun discovery that came out of this: getting lifters to attempt a jerk unexpectedly made their power cleans better. Especially for the guys who used to catch the bar like a car crash. Before, the power clean was the end of the lift. A relief. Like “Thank god that bicep curling-jumping mess is over.” But now? The power clean is just the setup for the main event. And because they don’t want to make the jerk any harder (there’s a joke in there somewhere), they start racking the power clean better, without being told. Coach’s tip: sometimes the thought of a jerk can improve the clean. Don’t believe me? Go ask your wife (I guess that's the joke).

Even better, it plants the seeds of opportunity. Some of these lifters might never have considered Olympic lifting before. But now? They’ve tried a power snatch. They’ve nailed a half-decent push jerk. They’re building confidence. And if they ever decide to go deeper – maybe specialize in Olympic lifting, or even do a meet – they’ve already started paving the way.

The other benefit is broader: it expands your barbell vocabulary. Most people who come through Starting Strength have never done a snatch or clean & jerk. So even if they never become competitive lifters, they’ve still learned something new. They’ve developed new skills. And they might even enjoy it! Imagine that.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with this – watching lifters progress, surprising themselves (and sometimes me) with what they can do, movements they didn’t think were possible at the start. Truthfully, lifts I wasn’t sure they could manage either. But they’ve nailed them, thanks to a solid foundation in the fundamentals – built from a Starting Strength base. Learning to use their hips properly in the squat, pulling from the standard pulling position in lifting shoes, and executing a strong active shrug in the press. These basic human movements are essential, not just for strength, but for shaping future Olympic lifters too.

So if you’re a coach, or a lifter looking for a bit more from your light day, try this: add a power snatch and finish your power cleans with a jerk. Give light day a purpose. Give it some excitement. And give you or your lifter a new carrot to chase.