It's all about confidence and reassurance

**swole_and_in_control** · 03-02-2004, 03:40 PM

Sorry the thread's so long, but I had to share with you all what I experienced today. Anyways, I am currently 195 pounds and before today my max was 350.

Well, I think I have finally figured out what powerlifting is really all about. I've been lifting lately with this guy who has totally enlightened me... I feel like I have been reborn. Today, I was feeling good and wanted to try and max. Never have I had a spotter that put so much confidence in me before, but I
finally realized how important it is to work out with someone else... its really a necessity if you ask me.. you need the support and with him he gave me confidence. So anyways I went 135 10x, 225 1x , 275 1x, 315 1x. These I had no problem with because I was used to pushing this weight up and I was not intimidated. But then I went ahead and put 25's on each side to bring it to 365. I had another guy spot me, because my friend was busy. I took the liftoff and brought it down. I took it up about three inches and had a hard time with it for about one second. The guy saw this and started to put his fingers underneath.... I saw this and thought he was helping me so I pushed with all my strength. I asked him if he helped and he said no... but I still didnt believe him. It seemed to me that he had helped me.. so I rested for alittle while until my friend came along. I told him what happened and he said he saw me from a distance and said that I started to doubt myself, but the spotter did not help at all. So, I tried it again anyways, this time with him spotting me. This time I took it down smoothly and exploded right off the chest... he had his hands underneath the whole time. I asked if he helped but he said he didnt even touch the bar... I ended up taking it all the way up with ease. I was ready to quit there, but he decided i should do more... I ended up doing 385 x1 and then 405 x1 after that... each time he had his hands underneath but didnt touch the bar. This simple hand trick made me think past my doubt and gave me the reassurance I needed to power it up. So, all this time ( about 1 year ), it had been this mental block I had put up.... I had been stuck at 350 for the longest time and in one day, I had benched 55 more pounds than I ever had in my life.

BOTTOM LINE: 50% of powerlifting is in your head. You have to have the will to do it, not so much the strength.

After I was pushing 315 up like nothing and 225 felt like 135... my muscles were truely shocked from the experience. I loved every minute of it!

**powerlifter** · 03-15-2004, 03:00 AM

- GAL -->

**Bound for Muscle** · 03-18-2004, 06:34 PM

yeah, it's really weird how much your mind plays in to your lifting...just a simple thing like tricking it into thinking it's getting helped can increase your lift

**PurePower** · 03-18-2004, 10:52 PM

read my signature...Arnold is tha man.

**samoth** · 03-22-2004, 12:09 PM

Ammonia helps me a lot.

I'll be maxing on chain-suspended GMs and not move the bar a bit. Take a quick rest to gather my motivation, hit an ammonia cap, and boom lock that bar out easy.