TacticalBarbell.com

“you can’t lift that weight, and you’re gonna have to do the crawl of shame”

In Terry Crews’ voice. No I’m serious, I literally hear the voice in Terry Crews’ voice.

Seriously, I couldn’t have made this up even if I wanted to.

Anyway, in a nut shell, I’m facing a challenge. More of a mental block than an actual physical challenge.

On any given lift day, that same voice in my head is going “aww man, was that 5 reps?” or “are we done with 5x5? I’ve easily got another 2 sets. Ain’t no challenge.”. Essentially a cheerleader, and I have even gone on to do 1 or 2 more sets, or even sets of 6 before just because that's what the little voice tells me, and I felt more or less pretty good after that.

However; come week 6 at 95%, and the tune changes “aww man, you ain’t gonna be able to lift this, it’ll crush you and you’re gonna have to bail”. Even worse is when I’m in the hole, and I’m gathering every reserve to power out of the hole, the voice is saying “dang man, this is heavy, how’re you gonna standup”. When I do stand up, it’s going on “That was tough, how’re you gonna finish the next few reps, much less the remaining sets”.

Now I’ve seen the improvements that come from consistent lifting, and I instinctually know I’m gonna be able to finish the set; but I just can’t shut that voice up. Do any of you guys have that little voice, and how do you deal with it?

I’m not actively trying to think about it, but that voice comes on as soon as the first feeling of fatigue hits, or when I’m in the hole and I’m feeling the fight to stand up.

Oddly enough, it’s just squats when I hear the voice sounding negative. I don’t hear it sounding all negative during deadlift, bench press or pull ups - even on heavy days. Any tips or suggestions are really appreciated.

No; I really am not just typing a story that's entertaining for the sake of entertainment.

Srsly Barbadian, I'm not making this up. I've probably missed 1 or 2 squat reps so far this year, so it's not like it's killing my progress, but that little bit of nagging doubt prevents me from hitting that last set - the one that might fail or you might just make it. It's rather annoying.

Blackmetalbunny wrote:Srsly Barbadian, I'm not making this up. I've probably missed 1 or 2 squat reps so far this year, so it's not like it's killing my progress, but that little bit of nagging doubt prevents me from hitting that last set - the one that might fail or you might just make it. It's rather annoying.

BMB, It is very common. The mental part of training can really kill the whole game. Or it can bring it to the next level instead...

They call it mental toughness.. And it is VERY interesting topis indeed.
Hope we can have an open thread and blow some bubbles. I'll start with something like that:

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script= ... 3000100001

Well, you can take comfort in knowing you can rack that weight well before failure and still count it as a successful session.

Or break it down into mini sets; singles, doubles, triples

Geidi wrote:Well, you can take comfort in knowing you can rack that weight well before failure and still count it as a successful session.

Or break it down into mini sets; singles, doubles, triples

I would say it's not about the individual reps, but rather that it detracts from lift when I've gone into the hole in the squat. Like I said, most of the time, its encouraging know that I can do more despite what I feel at that point in time. What doesn't help is that I don't need it when I'm trying to finish off the set.

Joking aside..

It always gets tricky with the compounds when you get close to your maxes. I know that about myself that I really need to put myself together and concentrate before approaching every heavy set. I play a video of the movement sometimes in my head during the RI. What helps me a lot is concentrating in the proper breathing and bracing. It really helps me to build myself mentally before the move. And I know there will be shitty sets, missing reps and disappointments. That's the part of the game.

On the other hand..

It's just another day in paradise. Do you best and carry on with your day. Sometimes you get your best set, sometimes you have to embrace the suck. It is not the end of your life. It's just another day in paradise