How do you overcome

...the mental block?

Been training with weights for a while and noticed that my biggest issue has been breaking down that mental block. Friends, trainers, even my man has said I can lift heavier than I realize and the reason why I’m not able to is because I’m not believing in myself.

Take right now I’m deadlifting 135-what I feel is my max. They said I could easily push 185…HA! But how— Even when I added 10 lbs, I was struggling with the 145…could barely hit 4 reps so I drop back to 135 because it felt like I failed. Then there’s squats, my weakness. i’ve been improving a lot with better form while squatting deeper. but when I tack on more weight, I feel like I can’t squat deeper. I can’t get past the 25 plate mark and it’s frustrating me because I’ve been stuck at this weight for a while now when I want to progress. I tried 45’s and man did I struggle to rep 1.

I just can’t seem to break down this mental barrier…what do you do or what things do you say to yourself to break it down?

If you can only do one rep then just do one rep, eventually it’ll lead to two.. three.. four etc etc. Baby steps! Even at four reps, keep doing those four reps and it’ll eventually lead to 5 reps. There’s nothing wrong with pacing yourself, you aren’t a failure either.

Posted by haunt

If you can only do one rep then just do one rep, eventually it’ll lead to two.. three.. four etc etc. Baby steps! Even at four reps, keep doing those four reps and it’ll eventually lead to 5 reps. There’s nothing wrong with pacing yourself, you aren’t a failure either.

Thank you for your encouragement! but the mental thing has been a huge thing for me. idk if i'm psyching myself out of it subconsciously. but when i'm approaching the bar i'm seeing it as next to impossible. I'm asking how do i tell myself that i CAN do it. i feel like it triggers the more weight I add.

Posted by OnTheVirg

Posted by haunt

If you can only do one rep then just do one rep, eventually it’ll lead to two.. three.. four etc etc. Baby steps! Even at four reps, keep doing those four reps and it’ll eventually lead to 5 reps. There’s nothing wrong with pacing yourself, you aren’t a failure either.

Thank you for your encouragement! but the mental thing has been a huge thing for me. idk if i'm psyching myself out of it subconsciously. but when i'm approaching the bar i'm seeing it as next to impossible. I'm asking how do i tell myself that i CAN do it. i feel like it triggers the more weight I add.

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I get that lifting a heavier weight can be discouraging due to you being so comfortable with a particular weight but you won’t get anywhere doing that. I know you CAN do it, even if you have to say it in your head while your lifting then do that, if you have a friend or even someone that works there to encourage you, try that! I see ladies an inch taller than me deadlifting over 300lbs. If they can do these incredibly heavy lifts, you can lift heavy too. You got this.

Don't add so much. I lift in kgs so I don't know what plates you have in lbs but can you use smaller increments?

Lifting is primarily a mental game anyway. Just go into the lift saying "I can do this" rather than "its too heavy".

With your squats go lighter, go deeper and stay down for a second or two. Don't shoot straight back up. Learn to rely on your legs and glutes to get you back up. Make sure you are going below 90 degree angle. By the time you get to a heavier weight, going to 90 will be a breeze. And yes, if you can only do one, then be ok failing at 2! You'll soon get that second rep but you won't do it until you try it.

Understand it also takes time. I've been stuck on my squats for months now. Just know that with every attempt you are getting closer.



This kid is my inspiration.