Mental Fortitude

Training
1

I’m stalling out on my 20-rep breathing squats… not because I can’t physically do it, but because my brain is getting in the way and telling me to stop before I hit 20. I just need the willpower to push myself through it. I’m coming up with all sorts of excuses from “you’re pushing yourself too hard, just back off and take it easy for awhile” to “why are you even doing this to yourself? you should just give up” to “Lifting just isn’t your thing. You gave it a chance, now you can quit.”

How do you guys push yourselves through all those excuses?

2

Practice

3

I sounded pathetic there. I tried cultivating a bit of anger, then went back out there did another 12 reps before giving up again. 12x195 and 12x190 today. Not quite the same as 20 reps, but it’s something. Still making excuses, but I should be good for 20x190 on Thursday and 20x195 on Saturday.

In the end, I think this program’s good for me, because it puts me face to face with all this self-sabotaging negativity, forcing me to deal with it. I just wish it was easier, y’know?

4

There’s all sorts of little tricks that work for certain people.
-“Just one more, then I’ll stop!”
-Counting down rather than up.
-Do them in clusters
-Works for me: Percentages. For 20 each one is 5%, 60% to me sound better than 12…but that’s just me.

Biggest one: Practice.
If you make 12 @ 190, then the next time you’re hurting tell yourself you gotta beat it.
Don’t tell yourself a number beforehand, as this is NOT your goal. Walk up to the bar KNOWING you’re gonna make 20.

5

I cuss myself out and remind myself that I’m stronger than those annoying people I work with daily that refuse to take basic steps to better themselves. Also that goddamnit I’ve faced some hairy situations and that a little pain in my legs isn’t going to stop me.

Maybe not a great attitude towards the job but it helps with lifting.

6

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful”

And if you ever forget… just hold your breath for a minute.

7

Try “breaking” the set into smaller increments. Do the first 10 reps. Stop take a few breaths, and tell yourself you have 5 more. Finish that 5, stop and then tell yourself you have 3 more, stop then tell yourself you have 2 more, then 1 more.

Learned it from Jim Wendler and Jason Pegg. I do this on my 4x9 days with smolov, I break up the set into “3s”. Every 3rd rep I stop at the top for a moment to take a breath and then start at 1 again. Works for me.

Or you can do the Norton walk.

8

How about you fuck all of that and just squat way heavier for fewer reps? Hell my brain would tell me to stop doing 20 rep sets of squats too.

“Chris wtf are you doing, rack this shit and make it heavier so we don’t have to do it so many times!!!”

“You know what, you’re right brain; let’s do some heavy triples.”

(If you want a more serious answer then listen to the guy who mentioned mentally breaking up the number. For real though, I never do 20 reps of anything lol)

9

I just did 5x10 for the assistance lifts on yesterday’s OHP workout…that was hell by itelf. I can’t imagine 20 reps all together at once. Ew.

I lifted for 5-7 years in HS and college and I dont’ think I ever did more than 2x12!

10

Competition usually drives me to do more. I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and compete regularly. I like to think that my opponents aren’t squeezing out those extra reps. They stopped at 10, so I need to do 20.

That’s just an example. Find something that will motivate you and encourage you to keep going. Maybe even lifting with someone, for motivation, if that’s possible.

11

I love death sets on squats nothing brings up my squat and conditioning in the lower body fastest. I always do one set of heavy balls out for high Reps set. Usually shoot for 20 but sometimes I get more. My technique is probably not for everyone as I seriously enjoy the discomfort I don’t know why but the more pain and discomfort the more effort I can put in… ie most PR I have made with Atlas strones have been after tshe skin on my forearms is raw as shit. Same with my squats youhave to learn to honestly embrace the suck. Get (insert favorite hardest music here) Blairing in your head and fucking squat until either the song is over or the bar is on the rack. Dont quit don’t think just do. Also I know alot of people are saying to break the reps up into smaller incriments this may work for you and them but I do not and refuse to count reps. Have someone else count for you or record it and count after the set is done.

This is not the most practical answer I am sure but 20 Rep squats are reffered to as Death Set Squats for a reason if you don’t wanna die at the end of the set you did not do them how you should. But take it for what its worth.
Loud music+ no thinking about anything but form+ EFFORT= atleast your goal in reps.

12

[quote]Zerpp wrote:
Try “breaking” the set into smaller increments. Do the first 10 reps. Stop take a few breaths, and tell yourself you have 5 more. Finish that 5, stop and then tell yourself you have 3 more, stop then tell yourself you have 2 more, then 1 more. [/quote]

Yeah. I’m already doing that. It’s worked well up until now.

[quote]csulli wrote:
How about you fuck all of that and just squat way heavier for fewer reps? Hell my brain would tell me to stop doing 20 rep sets of squats too. [/quote]

Lol… that’s kind of the point. Quote from another forum (but I’ve seen many many like it)

"Its all about breathing and mentally forcing yourself to keep pushing.
I can honestly tell you I wanted to quit so many times while on this program.
Give it a try I think you will be surprised and happy you did, perhaps find out how strong your willpower really is. "

It’s kind of twofold. 1) most people have had amazing success with it as far as a major component of a mass-building program, 2) it’s mentally taxing. As the reps get up there it becomes rest-pause style, and can take however long to finish… but even with that, I’m giving up.

On the other hand, I started at 65lb and added 10lbs every session up until now, 2-3x a week. Granted, I started very low, but I’ve added 120lbs to the bar. However, I’m going to go to 1.5bw on these, so I still have a bit to go. Can’t quit yet.

[quote]Reed wrote:
Get (insert favorite hardest music here) Blairing in your head and fucking squat until either the song is over or the bar is on the rack. Dont quit don’t think just do.[/quote]

Your whole post made me laugh, because I understand exactly where you’re coming from. I just need to figure out how to shut my brain off… since I know, physically, I can do more.

With running, hiking, swimming, I’ve pushed myself beyond the point of pain, and it mostly just comes down to not letting failure being an option. And when you’re stranded in the Colorado Rockies, or running out of energy when swimming across a lake after doing a 15mi run, you actually don’t have an option (both stupid things, retrospectively).

But with lifting, I don’t know how to push myself past that point. I had enough to get to rep 12 of a second set of squats, but not to get the last 8.

I might try again, later tonight though. Because it’s pissing me off.

13

Dont do it tonight in my opinion just wait to the next session and smash its ass hole in. Dont fucking quit. I have a slight maybe not the smartest idea in the world but its what I would do. Un rack the bar and step back way away from the rack that way there is absolutely nothing to stop the bar if you fail. Then your survive or die adrenaline will kick in.

Step back and squat your 20 reps that way its not just a option to sit the weight down or give up in the whole. Its your " you can’t stop in the middbe of lake" analogy for squatting if you stop in the hole your fucked and you don’t have the option to just put the weight down so you have continue on. Not the safest way to do it but hey that’s kinda the point. Get pumped up mad as fuck hit some nose tork if you have it and rip that bar in half.

14

Lol, I just bought the rack a few weeks ago from a “safety” standpoint. Up until then I was doing a Steinborn lift to do my squats, with no spotter or anything. But you’re right, I might just be using it as a psychological crutch. I’ll probably give that approach a try, if/when I need to. I don’t think I’m quite there yet.

15

Maybe a good call I honestly had to stop doing squats in a safety cage just for that reason I would squat heavy but I knew in the back of my worse that would happen is I hit the pins and make a loud noise maybe get a few looks from people. But for about the past 5 months all squats have been done free standing its literally me versus gravity and I don’t have a partner usually so its a whole mother lift mentally.

16

You just have to decide if you want to be a champion or just another guy. It’s that simple.

17

Just ask yourself why you want to give less than your best.

18

No mental games, go completely out of your mind. The weight is your fucking enemy and the heavier it is or the more reps you have to do, the more furious you should be with it that it thinks it can even try to keep you from winning. Focus on how heavy it is and how hard it’ll be to beat it but how you’re going to completely fucking dominate it ANYWAY.

19

[quote]iVoodoo wrote:
Just ask yourself why you want to give less than your best.[/quote]

My goal is to not be able to answer that question. Right now I have plenty of reasons.

20

titties… no lie, I just picture titties in my face. I lose count a lot, though.