Only posted once before. But I had a bad experience in the gym this morning and was wondering if anybody else has experienced anything like it. I was doing hips and legs. After 4 sets of high pulls, I hit the squat rack, planning to do a few sets of doubles with a weight a good 40 pounds less than my 1RM. After a warm up set I put on my working weight. The first rep was OK. On the second I got to the bottom and the weight just froze. I couldn’t concentrate. Fortuneately, I had the safety pins in, but they were way, way lower than I needed them to be, so I had to crumple down on the floor to get rid of the weight. It was pretty pathetic. As I crawled out from under the rack, one of the floor trainers came over and started lecturing me on how to squat. Me! I blew him off, went to the nearest bathroom and just completely broke down. What bothers me most wasn’t the failure. It was the fact that the failure on such a light weight and being chastised in the weight room made me lose my shit. Is there some adrenaline-related excuse for this? I mean, what’s my problem?
I wouldn’t hazzard some sort of medical diagnosis but you certainly seem to be run down, emotionally at least. Maybe the stress of the holidays is catching up to you, hell you would know about that more than me. I don’t know what your training has been like but it’s worth looking into your journal to see if you’ve been overtraining. If that isn’t the case are you recuperating well enough? Take a look at everything and see what it is that seems to need fixing or what may help. In the mean time, relax, don’t take things too seriously. Life is a progression and it has it’s highs and lows. As long as you are improving over the long run one bad workout is certainly not the end. Enjoy life!
Excuse me? I apologize for appearing insensitive, but you broke down? - as in crying like a baby or having a tantrum throwing things and stuff. Come on Hoss! Some of the baddest SOB’s fail (even with so-called light weights) And as for the gym attendent - big deal he reprimanded you or whatever.Laugh at him and tell him you’d do better. Think about this - stress is counter-productive in everything, especially in strength and muscle growth. Get over all this crap! Now unless this occurs often, then you have a problem and you need help - professional help. Good luck!
What color skirt do you squat in ???
Ditto to the previous thread. I maxed out without a spotter several months ago. Got it. Went higher without a spotter. Got it. Dropped down for a heavy double and missed the second rep. Gym was full. Pretty stupid of me, especially considering I am 37 and know better. Weights all over the place. No big deal. There are about a million more important things in life, other than worrying about some loser personal trainers giving you the business. Use the pins in the squat rack next time, so if you lose it, the pins will stop the bar. Easy man…
Don’t sweat it anymore. Remember rule #2 in life: you’re not that special. we all fail. That being said the weight on squats was probably to high. 40 lbs. under a one rep max for doubles still could be high for strength levels depending on what you max is. Remember high pulls will fatigue some of the same muscles.
Also, set the rack right. If you think your life has a lot of stress in talk to a pro about it. It sounds a little strange what happened.
If you went to the bathroom and broke down over a bad squat session, I would say your problem is working out. You are taking lifting yourself way too seriously. So you fucked up a squat, who really gives a shit. Lighten the weight and get back under the rack.It’s that simple really. If some lug in the gym tells you how to squat tell him to fuck off if you don’t like it. If I had a tear for every bad lift I have ever done, I could fill a lake. So you just pick up and try again. I see Xanax in your future. There are far worse things that can happen in life other than a bad squat session. The solution to your problem, go join the Peace Corps and do some work in Bangladesh, bad squats and a dude at the gym bitching about your squats will never bother you again.
pat
Alright, let me get this straight. I did not run out of the gym crying like a baby and throwing chairs around, people. I just got all emotional and sick to my stomach. And I couldn’t finish my workout. To those who said something constructive, thanks. To those who just wanted a chance to get off a one-liner, well, thanks to you, too. You’ve given me the motivation to go back tonight and finish my workout.
Bad timing of my previous thread. I did not mean to say ditto to those two lame o’s that busted your balls. Everyone’s a tough SOB on email in a forum. Keep your head up man
Excuse me JPR? I am a tough SOB all the time! That is of course until my wife walks in the room then I am a weapy-eyed pussy boy.
pat
Matt, I wouldn’t worry about it, it happens sometimes. Could be that your body just said “no”…nothing to be ashamed of. You probably got shaken up from being embarrassed, that’s all. Happened to me once when I was benching, I got stuck at bottom, couldn’t get the weight up, and someone had to come help me. Then a gym employee scolded me for using too much weight (they’re worried about liability, that’s all). It was embarrassing as hell and I just didn’t feel like finishing my workout. Probably nothing wrong with you, unless you’ve got too much stress in your life and need some rest from training?
Pat…I wasn’t referring to you. It was in reference to the other two.
Pretty emotional? Are we getting the whole story here? What other ‘supplements’ are you on. Sounds to me like mental and emotional instability caused by testosterone and estrogen imbalances. Depression, rage, and psychosis are all plausible side effects of steroid use. Believe me, I’ve been there. This may not be the case, but it sure as hell sounds like it.
At the risk of sounding like a Sigmund Freud wanna-be, it sounds like there is an underlying factor besides failing on your squat. Like someone else said, maybe the holidays have been more stressful than you thought and this was just a catharsis so to speak. I know what it’s like to be embarrassed in the gym-I remember the first gym I lifted at the gym owner confronted me in the middle of my workout because one of his cronies told him I had said some negative things about his knowledge (or lack of it), and wanted to know what made me so qualified and blah, blah, blah. Looking back it is pretty funny, but at the time it was extremely humiliating as the gym was full at the time and everyone was listening. I didn’t go back to that gym ever again, and I stopped training and dieting for a week. Life is too short, my friend, to fret over the small stuff. Acknowledge, move on.