Squats really heavy at low weights

[NobodyWillNotice]

HOly shit, nice one man. But that's a respectable weight.

I remember failing squat reps when the bar was at 75kg.... in the year 2009.
I remember completing a set of 5 at 117.5kg and then walking away from the gym and taking a "deload" for the next few weeks because the set was so damned hard that I had no idea how I was going to repeat it two more times in that workout nor add 2.5kg to it the next time I came into the gym to squat. Basically, I pussied out.

When Rip and others say that the reason most people don't get strong is because it's hard work and people don't like hard work, it rings very true for me. I dread squat day every week. It's a constant mental battle for me to turn up to the gym and add weight to the bar and get under it. Every rep of a set of 5 from the first to the last feels like a 10RPE and that I won't be able to get the next rep. I never have a day where it feels easy. It feels heavy all the time, every time. Even on my "light" squat day I feel like I'm going to get crushed by every rep.

95% of the reason I'm not way stronger now is because of the times I've pussied out along the way because it was hard and "the bar felt heavy".

And my bench... I microloaded my bench sets of five 1.5kg or 1kg at a time all the way from 75kg up to 123kg.

Just embrace that it's going always suck for you. It's never going to feel easy. Welcome to the world of shit genetics. Just keep adding weight when you hit your 3x5. Minimize any fucking around with different programs. Minimize any time you have to take off from the gym. And you'll get there.

[NobodyWillNotice]

Also... the spotter looking toward the camera in my 2nd and 3rd sets went off to squat 220kg for 6 reps himself like it was nothing (from my perspective, though I'm sure it was hard for him) after I was finished squatting. And he's 8 years younger than me.

I try to see that as motivation, rather than a reflection on my own lifting.

[Mugaaz]

I remember failing squat reps when the bar was at 75kg.... in the year 2009.
I remember completing a set of 5 at 117.5kg and then walking away from the gym and taking a "deload" for the next few weeks because the set was so damned hard that I had no idea how I was going to repeat it two more times in that workout nor add 2.5kg to it the next time I came into the gym to squat. Basically, I pussied out.

When Rip and others say that the reason most people don't get strong is because it's hard work and people don't like hard work, it rings very true for me. I dread squat day every week. It's a constant mental battle for me to turn up to the gym and add weight to the bar and get under it. Every rep of a set of 5 from the first to the last feels like a 10RPE and that I won't be able to get the next rep. I never have a day where it feels easy. It feels heavy all the time, every time. Even on my "light" squat day I feel like I'm going to get crushed by every rep.

95% of the reason I'm not way stronger now is because of the times I've pussied out along the way because it was hard and "the bar felt heavy".

And my bench... I microloaded my bench sets of five 1.5kg or 1kg at a time all the way from 75kg up to 123kg.

Just embrace that it's going always suck for you. It's never going to feel easy. Welcome to the world of shit genetics. Just keep adding weight when you hit your 3x5. Minimize any fucking around with different programs. Minimize any time you have to take off from the gym. And you'll get there.

I think the one thing that you didn't mention is that pussing out can be the result of insufficient mental strength, desire, or poor self image. If you have the desire it's certainly possible at some point your hips get stronger than your mind, but you can fix it by continuing to train, which you did. Maybe you get to a point where you are now stronger than your self image and you need to adjust to the person you've become. I know that SS has increased my mental strength considerably.

[Crockett]

Does resting between reps really help you, OP? I've never found that to be the case for me. I get tired holding the weight on my back like that. And I think it kills my intensity when I start thinking of the set as this slow, methodical procedure. You should during the entire set remain rigid, tense, electrified. At least, that has been my experience. In fact, this can make such a difference for me that whether or not I complete a set can sometimes depend on how aggressively I unrack the bar at the beginning of the set.

[BigB]

I'm a noob, I have no idea what I'm doing, but.
I have/had the same issue as you. Always pausing at the top when the reps got heavy. Having a hell of a time with 'light' weight. Not making the progress that other people make.

What I found out, though, that standing there for a second or two is nearly as taxing as doing a rep, and just prolongs things.
If I pause on my 5 rep set, they are all grinders. But if I don't stop to pause, it's significantly easier.
The hard part is getting over the mental barrier where you feel like you need to rest.