There is a guy who comes into Untamed Strength a few times per week.
I do not work directly with this young man but I talk with him often and I get to see some of his training sessions.
This guy works extremely hard and he is truly passionate about lifting weights.
While watching him train the other day I couldn’t help but think to myself
“This guy’s training sessions are so depressing!”
Day after day he comes into the gym and attempts the same thing over and over.
170 lbs. Barbell Overhead press for 5 reps…
It seems like EVERY time he’s in the gym he’s trying to accomplish this goal.
Sometimes he’ll come close with 170 lbs. for 4 reps, sometimes he’ll barely grind out 1 rep.
On top of this his Instagram feed is filled with videos of the same thing at a different gym! 170 lbs. for a few reps.
And it’s not just his overhead press, his Squats are becoming the same reoccurring theme of failure, frustration, and disappointment.
He’ll fail, get frustrated, try again, fail, get frustrated, try again, and on and on.
I can’t help but think “what happens if he does get 170 lbs. for 5 reps? He’s just going to experience the same problem once he attempts 175 lbs. for 5 reps.”
I understand and respect his determination but it is depressing to watch!
He’s not alone. I work with a lot of individuals who are currently stuck in their routine and have been for a long time.
“I can’t get passed 185 lbs. for 5 reps so I de-loaded back down to 170 lbs. for 5 reps and progressed from there only to fail 185 lbs for 5 reps again. I’ve been doing this for the past few months…”
It’s extremely disheartening to come into the gym day after day only to fail time and time again.
The gym should be a place you come to build yourself up. Destroying your confidence and leaving the gym feeling like a failure is not conducive to getting stronger.
If this sounds like your current situation it’s probably time to try out a different program. Gain back some confidence.
I asked our “170 lbs. for 5 reps” guy what his current personal best is with 125 lbs.
He said, “I don’t know, I’ve never tried 125 lbs. for max reps.”
“Well do that and set a new personal best.”
Sometimes taking a step back and trying something that you haven’t tried before is exactly what you need.
You should look forward to going to the gym and training. Getting under a barbell and expecting to fail is not the right mindset.
The gym is a place that you go to BUILD strength, not constantly TEST it.
Don’t be afraid to try a new program. Your journey of strength is a long process of figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t.
Stop being so stubborn. If your diet, recovery, sleep, and mindset are all on point but you’re still failing everytime you come to the gym, try something new.
You should enjoy being at the gym. If you don’t, it’s going to be very difficult to stick with it long term. Have some fun. Failing everyday is not fun. Getting stronger is.
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