Scared of the weight?

Post by **Jungledoc** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:02 pm

KPj--I collect moths. Sorry, but I think they're beautiful. More species than butterflies (I collect butterflies, too), and just as much color and variation. In fact, most people would assume that many moths are butterflies.

Brook--Just a thought. Do you lift in a power cage? If so, how about going ahead and putting the load down on the pins a few times, just to convince yourself that if the weight should be too much for you, you could put it down without hurting yourself?

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:21 pm

"Brook--Just a thought. Do you lift in a power cage? If so, how about going ahead and putting the load down on the pins a few times, just to convince yourself that if the weight should be too much for you, you could put it down without hurting yourself?" - Jungledoc

Good point.

PS.) You must get some strange insects in PNG. I don't collect insects, but I do photograph them, especially butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. I once photographed a praying mantis devouring a dragonfly at Gettysburg National Military Park.

brook011 · Post by **brook011** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:29 pm

Yeah I do, I'm just going to have to push for a heavy day on my legs coming up here. I am normally never scared of anything, its just weird to be worried about the weight.. and I love what squats do to my legs, really starting to get some big slabs of meat in my legs from doing them, and I don't stare at my backside, but its always tough to sit/take stairs after a good day of squats. Gotta suck it up and push towards 3 plates I guess.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:19 pm

Think baby steps. Don't worry so much about squatting X lbs. Focus on lifting 5 or 10 lbs more than your last PR and see how you feel. Five or ten pounds isn't very much, is it?

ellerbus · Post by **ellerbus** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:24 pm

Matt Z wrote:Think baby steps. Don't worry so much about squatting X lbs. Focus on lifting 5 or 10 lbs more than your last PR and see how you feel. Five or ten pounds isn't very much, is it?

That's good advice. When I was in college I got caught up in "how" much I was lifting. So I ramped up to 315 lbs on squats, ignored my form, and hurt my back in the process. Which made me "oober" scared to squat ... until 2 months ago (15 years later). Now I focus on my form, my core, and increasing over my previous PR's by 2.5 - 5% at a time.

jeffrerr · Post by **jeffrerr** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:29 am

My coach/teacher in college saw me squatting like 100kg (220lbs) one day and asked an interesting question "Isn't that what you lift on the bench press?" to which I replied "Yes, 3 sets of 8, why?" He then proceeded to teach me a lesson, that I was scarred of squats to no reason! He put me on a 45 degree leg press and said we'd work out my 1 rep max on there, he didn't tell me it had anything to do with squats. I ended up doing a 1RM of 325kg (715lbs) on leg press. Next weeks session he called me over to the squat rack and said today we were traing squats, he told me I wasn't allowed to look at the weigth, he would load I would lift and he would keep my form together and stop me if it was compromised. I ended up doing 3 sets, first I hit 14 reps on 140kg (308lbs), then 14 reps on 150kg (330lbs) and finally I got 9 reps on 160kg (352lbs) without knowing it, all with good form. So from then on my warm up weight was 100kg for 10 then 3 sets of 8 to 12 on 160kg (352lbs), I progressed up to doing 180kg (396lbs) for 3 sets of 8 to 12 before I left school and 10 years later here I am, a novice again, but still with no fear of pregressing the weight! I think for me it was the coach, without him showing me I was capable of so much more I'd have just gone through the motions without realising I was afraid of the weight!

That's just my experience!

John

P.S. I'm with KPj, moths are bad M'kay!