Mental block - Squats

workaccount

Ì seem to be getting worse and worse. I just cannot do them.

This evening I dropped 5kg from the last day and still dropped the weights after two reps. I failed miserably trying to lift what I did the last day.

I find the bench tough too but really enjoy that and look forward to doing it.

I just hate the squats and find the whole process takes every ounce of energy I have and that's before I have even pushed myself. I don't find the deadlift as bad at all; even though it takes all my energy I enjoy doing it and would look forward to it more than the squat.

It must be just a massive mental block and I have no idea how the hell I'm going to get past it.

Malteaser!

workaccount wrote: »

Ì seem to be getting worse and worse. I just cannot do them.

This evening I dropped 5kg from the last day and still dropped the weights after two reps. I failed miserably trying to lift what I did the last day.

I find the bench tough too but really enjoy that and look forward to doing it.

I just hate the squats and find the whole process takes every ounce of energy I have and that's before I have even pushed myself. I don't find the deadlift as bad at all; even though it takes all my energy I enjoy doing it and would look forward to it more than the squat.

It must be just a massive mental block and I have no idea how the hell I'm going to get past it.

This whole post sounds like a copy from my journal from three or four weeks ago...

It can be so frustrating when you're seeing the rest of your lifts go up (literally) from week to week, yet at the same time this one lift, stays the same or even goes backwards. Personally, I hated the thought of not improving or at least equaling what I had done in the previous session, I got a bit caught up in the numbers from week to week and it took a lot of persuasion for me to just accept that this getting strong malark can be a pretty slow process.

Are you sure that your form is spot on? It was amazing the difference just focusing on sitting back more made when I was trying to overcome the whole mental block thing. It just made it so much more comfortable and as a result in the space of a week I felt a lot more confident and the mental block just disappeared.

It may be necessary for you to just drop back a bit though, sometimes you hit a point when your body can go no further and you have to take one step back to take two steps forwards. Sometimes it can take a drop back and a slow build up over the course of 5 or 6 weeks to get past the level you originally got stuck at.

Colm_OReilly

How big were your jumps up until this point?

What weight did you start out at? What's your weight in your other lifts like?

Have you flexibility issues?

Were exactly are you struggling?

Jimmy Bottlehead

I do them because I know how good they are, but I truly hate squats. I'll try what you said Malteaser.

I find its a lot more tolerable with a spotter (a good one!)... even though I'm in a squat cage, I have a real fear of just not being able to come up from it. Normal??

Malteaser!

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I do them because I know how good they are, but I truly hate squats. I'll try what you said Malteaser.

I find its a lot more tolerable with a spotter (a good one!)... even though I'm in a squat cage, I have a real fear of just not being able to come up from it. Normal??

TBH, I don't think I've met anyone who truly liked squatting anyway!

Yeah I used to be terrified that I wasn't going to come up from the bottom and as a result a lot of my squats ended up high. In the end I just had to go back to a weight that was really manageable, one that I knew I could come up from, get that as deep as I could work up from week to week. In my head i was thinking, 'if I could do this last week, then I can do it with an extra 2.5kg on it this week'. And before you know it, you're back at a decent weight again but with a lot more confidence!

g'em

Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I really like squats. I didn't always, but now I find they're the most satisfying of all the lifts and I look forward to them. Conversely my love affair with DLs seems to be on hiatus right now and I'm struggling to get my groove back with them.

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I find its a lot more tolerable with a spotter (a good one!)... even though I'm in a squat cage, I have a real fear of just not being able to come up from it. Normal??

It's totally normal. But here's the thing - if you don't get up, so what? You're in a squat cage so just drop it. Even just once, do it on purpose. It's not a training technique and I'm not advocating doing it all the time, but just to show yourself that the safety bars are there for a reason and if you go down and can't get out of the hole they'll protect you. Just drop the baxstards and see what happens.

nothing!

Squats are (imo) the most psychologically terrifying of all the lifts. Understand and accept that, but do everything in your power to minimise the danger and you're half-way towards conquering your worries.

Roper

Get a good spotter. I have the same mental thing and even using a spotter for a while will increase your confidence using the cage.

Vegeta

Good post I'm the very very same

I hate them but can easily track that all my progress with other lifts happens when I have squatting in the programme. Don't know why but it just is.

I have to squat tonight and even thinking of it now makes me nervous (sad I know)

as soon as squats are over I can enjoy the rest of the work out.

Love dead lifting, benching, over head pressing, bent over rows, dips and everything else

Hate chin ups and squats

Jimmy Bottlehead

Cheers for the tips, everyone!

Hail 2 Da Chimp

One of the thing I found good was doing pyramid sets:
8-3-8-3-10
I found this helped me out when I hit a plateau with my squat...

workaccount

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

How big were your jumps up until this point?

What weight did you start out at? What's your weight in your other lifts like?

Have you flexibility issues?

Were exactly are you struggling?

I started off squatting properly in January at about 30kg. Went up to 35 and then 40kg. I did 40 for the first time in the last session and did not really work out my thighs that well at all seeing as I rushed it to get through the set fast. Any slower and I probably would have given up. My form has not been great but I think I have really got that right in the last two sessions.

First I tried 40kg last night. Theres no way I could do it. I dropped it after 2 reps. I tried 35 then and even dropped that after 2 reps. I just could not bear the thought of doing even the 35 for 8 reps!

Benching 42.5kg at the moment. I have only got the form correct on this in the last 3 sessions or so.
I really hit the pecs in the last session with the 42.5 and expected I may be able to lift a little heavier last night but could not.

How would I know if I had flexibility issues?

I am trying to follow mentzers hit by the way.


EDIT: To be honest...The way I am now i'd probably find it difficult to do a set even without any weights on my shoulders. Have I given up?

Canis Lupus

Just wind it back. Remember you're not in a race. Dial the weight back to something managable and start again.

Saabdub

I'd only worry about the weight your squatting if your a powerlifter:D. If your objective is to build muscle you should concentrate on lifting 50-70% of your 1 rep max. You'll still build muscle at 50%. Concentrate on developing good form and when the squats get easier, then raise the weight.

Saabdub