The mental part of lifting...how do you overcome it?

[grand666]

Yes I know I'm a pussy and should find my balls. But I can't help to get scared of the bar.

My back is doing fine so far. Just a few weeks ago I was starting again at 115lbs and now all of a sudden I'm back to 235lbs squat later today. I can't help but get scared of the weight. Funny thing is once the bar is on my back and I did one rep, I'm fine. But for some reason I get damn nervous just before I have to do my set. The shit that goes through my head is what scares me. What if I get stuck, what if my back gives out, what if my hip starts to hurt, what do I do when I can't lift it blah blah blah. The weight is at that stage where the bar bends a slight bit when I pick it up and on side I feel like a badass and the other I get scared.

I have been going up 10lbs ever since I started light and now I'm not sure how long to continue putting 10lbs on. How do you judge the difference between a good set that's hard and you grind it out, and a set that is too heavy and you need to jump smaller increments?


I'll be posting my form checks. I finally have my shoes and they feel great!

[squatsocks]

sounds like your father failed you

and i have no advice for you, sorry... i don't even understand how one could be afraid of the bar

[Corrie]

grand666, have you ever actually failed a heavy rep before and had to bail out of it?

If not, it might be good to practice it a few times. I work inside a power rack and even then I'd get nervous about failing a rep. It finally happened and I realized that it wasn't as bad as I expected. I failed the rep and I just lowered it to the pins. I was making it out to be a big thing in my head when it wasn't.
So if you haven't actually failed a rep before it might be good practice.

Other than that you just have to tell yourself to man up and go for it. One thing I like to do to psyche up is to tell myself that this is only X pounds heavier than I lifted last session and I made that weight so I know I can make this weight. Then you just force yourself to go for it.

[yorick]

Your bar bends with 235 lbs on it?

[grand666]

sounds like your father failed you

and i have no advice for you, sorry... i don't even understand how one could be afraid of the bar

haha funny he actually did by never being there. so let's not sob about it.

grand666, have you ever actually failed a heavy rep before and had to bail out of it?

No I haven't. I had to start over because I hurt my back a while ago. and hip. Longs story.

If not, it might be good to practice it a few times

Watch out for my form check video that I'll post tomorrow morning. The gym at my job has a smith machine with the hooks on the front posts to put the bar on. THen these weird catch bar things that point forward. I can probably set them up so I can fall forward and drop the bar on it. You'll see what it looks like when I post my form check, I'll come post the link here too.

Your bar bends with 235 lbs on it?

No I should've rephrased it better. (stupid foreigners and their vocabulary). When I pick up the bar with the weight on it, my buddy told me a while ago, before my back issues, that the bar moves a sligth bit before the weight comes off the hooks. Not by a lot you can barely see it, but that was enough to scare me, and make me feel badass. ha. My form will be posted so you guys can see. Probably won't notice it on the video.

[PaulBeech]

Squatsocks is such a daredevil full of manly bravado. The mental game is a huge part of lifting. If you don't get nervous/scared/excited then you are possibly a)mental b) lying c) not really that into lifting d)a psycho. Overcome. EliteFTS have written a few articles about the mental side of it all.

[Chebass88]

This will probably get some negative reactions from die-hard Rip fans - but I don't think it is in discord with the Book of Rippetoe, either.

First, maybe you don't need 10lb increases. As I understand it, the key to the novice lifting in Starting Strength is that your increases are commensurate with your ability to recover. For a small time, that can mean a 20lb increase, a 10lb increase, or a 5lb increase per session. Or even a 2.5lb increase. For all the language about "NDTFP" - as long as you are making an increase - you are getting stronger. The SS model (novice) lets you take advantage of small incremental increases until the weights are fairly heavy & it is too difficult to recover within 48 hours. If you need to use a 5lb increase between training sessions - use it. People get down on the Stronglifts programming (mostly because of the proprietor & his silly website), but many people have gotten strong by doing 5lb increases. Don't worry about NDTFP - just incrementally add more each time.

Second - practice dumping a squat. For your working squat of 235lb, I would use a weight of 95lbs or 135lbs. Once your mind knows that you can safely dump a squat - it isn't so much of an issue. The last time I tested my maxes, I had to dump 465lb on the pins. The biggest pain in the ass was unloading the bar & setting it up again. If you can dump it on the modified smith at your gym - cool. Just make sure you are comfortable doing it, so you aren't surprised when you have to do it. IF you DUMP IT - do NOT squat from the pins out of laziness. I did this & hurt my lower back significantly a couple of years ago. This is for advanced lifters working on strength out of the hole.

Third - if you cannot dump a squat, you need to change your programming or find equipment so you can dump it IF NEEDED. This could mean using an "add-a-rep" method & getting to a certain number of reps before increasing (say, 3x10 or sets of 20, etc.). This way, you are incrementally getting stronger, albeit without spotters or a power rack to enable you to handle heavy weights. If you can do 225x7 safely, chances are you can get 225x8 the next session without any safety concerns. Personally, I find the add-a-rep method easier to add weight than increasing the working sets. This is not in accordance with the writings of Rippetoe in terms of the novice program, but it is discussed in PPST2.

Count how many times you have squatted successfully. You can do this. The more often you do it successfully, the more confident you can be. Personally, I squat between 40 & 70 reps per training session, twice per week. At 140 reps/week or 7280 reps/year - I can put a bar on my back & know how it should feel. I'm no longer hesitant about it because I know that I've done it successfully a bunch of times.

[Chebass88]

Read the Tommy Suggs article on this website as well.

[yorick]

Squatsocks is such a daredevil full of manly bravado. The mental game is a huge part of lifting. If you don't get nervous/scared/excited then you are possibly a)mental b) lying c) not really that into lifting d)a psycho. Overcome. EliteFTS have written a few articles about the mental side of it all.

I don't think I've ever been scared. Nervous, maybe, when attempting a PR. But it's that cockteasing kind of nervous.

[grand666]

The SS model (novice) lets you take advantage of small incremental increases until the weights are fairly heavy & it is too difficult to recover within 48 hours.

So far this is something I don't know how to judge. I don't know what it feels like to not properly be recovered. Sounds stupid I know. Are you tired? Muscle soreness? What are some pointers?

do NOT squat from the pins out of laziness

Do you mean getting under the bar again, while in the hole and trying to push it up? Hell no I would never try that.

Personally, I squat between 40 & 70 reps per training session,

That's great man. So many reps, you use the "add-a-rep" method then? My work sets now are 3x5 like they say. I never tried this method before so I'll give it a go sometime. thanks

Replies are great thanks guys.