My first failure
Judas_Queen
Posts: 251 Member
So i had my first failure on Saturday and it felt great 
OHP of course.. what else!
27.5kg which I think is a darn good number anyway! I managed 4,3,3,5,5 (I don't know why, don't ask me, but my 4th set is always amazing in all exercises and 5th is sometimes even better!)
I was so proud of myself! I've never worked to failure before!
The mother in law has this fear of failure thing that bugs me.. she finished all 5x5 at the same weight and was bragging about it at the weekend but had pretty bad form.. she was leaning back pretty far and there is only so much i can do to get her to stand straight!
So tomorrow its 27.5kg again on the OHP for me, I'm going to swing it so she stays there too because she's going to hurt herself otherwise!
AND BENCH YESTERDAY... my nemesis!
I did all 5x5 at 35kg! Now the last couple reps of sets 2-5 i was spotted but not really assisted so YAY ME!!!!
AND... I can see muscles developing.. i was flexing for the OH last night
I
LOVE
LIFTING!
X
OHP of course.. what else!
27.5kg which I think is a darn good number anyway! I managed 4,3,3,5,5 (I don't know why, don't ask me, but my 4th set is always amazing in all exercises and 5th is sometimes even better!)
I was so proud of myself! I've never worked to failure before!
The mother in law has this fear of failure thing that bugs me.. she finished all 5x5 at the same weight and was bragging about it at the weekend but had pretty bad form.. she was leaning back pretty far and there is only so much i can do to get her to stand straight!
So tomorrow its 27.5kg again on the OHP for me, I'm going to swing it so she stays there too because she's going to hurt herself otherwise!
AND BENCH YESTERDAY... my nemesis!
I did all 5x5 at 35kg! Now the last couple reps of sets 2-5 i was spotted but not really assisted so YAY ME!!!!
AND... I can see muscles developing.. i was flexing for the OH last night
I
LOVE
LIFTING!
X
0
Replies
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Sweet!!! Congratulations on failing!! :laugh:0
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Great way to fail!
Maybe warm up with an extra set or two if you're hitting your stride on sets 4 & 5?0 -
The first fail is really annoying, but it's part of the process. And for some reason I hate failing on OHP than on the other lifts (I guess because it happens so early). On the other lifts, it some how seems like a more "natural" process to fail. And I don't mind deloading and working back up. OHP I'm a stubborn mule and keep trying it until I get it. :grumble:0
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spotting question - I don't have anyone to spot me
should I be aware of anything esp with benches?? 0 -
I had my first fail last week on OHP too. So, the session yesterday, I was intimidated before I even picked up the bar...lol. But I added a longer rest time between sets - and did just fine. Up I go. :-)
Failing on squats absolutely terrifies me.... What if I can't get up?!? It'll feel like the commercial.... Maybe I need one of those button necklaces to send out a signal for help...lol.0 -
spotting question - I don't have anyone to spot me should I be aware of anything esp with benches??
I don't lift with a spotter either. Squats I do in the rack which have safety catches if I fall down, bench I've done the "roll of shame" (there are demonstrations on youtube if you google it), rows can just be dropped on the ground, OHP you're not likely going to come close to getting it up if you're failing so you don't have to worry about dropping it on your face, and deads you can just drop on the ground as well.0 -
spotting question - I don't have anyone to spot me should I be aware of anything esp with benches??
Use a power cage with safety bars and never bench to failure.
I'm loosely checking into power cages right now (not at high enough weight yet for it to be crucial, but know I will need one eventually). I lift on my own in my garage, and I never ever bench to failure. Meaning if I have any trouble at all with a rep, I don't bother trying to get another one in. And if I need to deload, hey then so fricken be it. I like my body and am a bit allergic to pain and/or premature death via an olympic bar falling on my throat.
Same goes for all my lifts, really. I'm still nursing a lower ab muscle sprain I got 3 weeks ago (stupid thing is really slow to mend and acts up every so often), but I don't mind that because it reminds me to not push too hard anymore. Not worth it.0 -
Yes. I use squat rack but was the bench that scared me!0
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Bench is my worst.. I hate it... my upper body is so weak and everything feels like a struggle. But I've got a spot which is good if I didn't I probably wouldn't even be doing it, I'd be too scared! 0
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spotting question - I don't have anyone to spot me should I be aware of anything esp with benches??
Use a power cage with safety bars and never bench to failure.
I'm loosely checking into power cages right now (not at high enough weight yet for it to be crucial, but know I will need one eventually). I lift on my own in my garage, and I never ever bench to failure. Meaning if I have any trouble at all with a rep, I don't bother trying to get another one in. And if I need to deload, hey then so fricken be it. I like my body and am a bit allergic to pain and/or premature death via an olympic bar falling on my throat.
Just so you know, failing on the bench isn't like that (out of control falling bar), it goes down, rests on your chest, and then you just can't get it off, so you do the roll of shame and its fine. None of us are benching so much that its a big deal yet.
But what you can also do in a commercial gym is just ask someone to spot you on the last set.0 -
Just so you know, failing on the bench isn't like that (out of control falling bar), it goes down, rests on your chest, and then you just can't get it off, so you do the roll of shame and its fine. None of us are benching so much that its a big deal yet.
Ok whew! All I have is Starting Strength and Rippetoe's description of what can happen, so now I'm probably more paranoid than I need to be. Then again, I'm can get pretty uncoordinated, so I take extra precautions. Cause 99 people would drop the thing on their chest, and I'll be the one who drops it on her head or something. :laugh:0 -
Judas-Queen - I love your attitude! I failed on OHP last week, and it actually was kind of reassuring - it gave me a ceiling, which I haven't hit in any of the other exercises (although I'm sure they are coming). This week I spent my entire rest period visualizing every upcoming set, and it helped me move past any anxiety I had about failing again. I also OHP in the squat cage, and just raise the safety bars. That way if I do have to bail, at least the bar doesn't have far to fall. )0
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I bench only in the power rack with the safeties. However, a workaround is to leave the collars off. If you get stuck you dump the weights off just one side.0
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Congratulations, OP!!0
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Judas-Queen - I love your attitude! I failed on OHP last week, and it actually was kind of reassuring - it gave me a ceiling, which I haven't hit in any of the other exercises (although I'm sure they are coming). This week I spent my entire rest period visualizing every upcoming set, and it helped me move past any anxiety I had about failing again. I also OHP in the squat cage, and just raise the safety bars. That way if I do have to bail, at least the bar doesn't have far to fall. )
I also OHP in the squat rack.. so i raise the safety bars too. I've not had to use them but it makes me feel reassured that I'm not going to be lobbing the bar anywhere further than about thigh height!
2nd attempt at 27.5kg tonight.. must psych self up!0 -
Just so you know, failing on the bench isn't like that (out of control falling bar), it goes down, rests on your chest, and then you just can't get it off, so you do the roll of shame and its fine. None of us are benching so much that its a big deal yet.
Ok whew! All I have is Starting Strength and Rippetoe's description of what can happen, so now I'm probably more paranoid than I need to be. Then again, I'm can get pretty uncoordinated, so I take extra precautions. Cause 99 people would drop the thing on their chest, and I'll be the one who drops it on her head or something. :laugh:
funny story, my husband is VERY worried about failing without me spotting him, and he gets very upset if I don't grab the bar immediately and yank it off him. I think because I have failed, all alone, pinned under a bar before, and had to be (so embarrassingly) rescued by some 19 year old kid when he realized I was stuck (but I could have done the roll of shame, he just saw me first) I'm not that scared of it because ...well. Its embarrassing but it doesn't really HURT. I mean I'm sure it hurts at higher weights, but at 65lbs it was just ...a little pressure. And your arms aren't actually TOTALLY powerless, you just can't get out of the bottom, so you're still keeping SOME of the weight off you.
But I think the horror stories are important...for boys. Because boys are VERY sensitive about how much (or little) they bench press and they are VERY likely to overload it and then they really might lose control of the bar.0 -
funny story, my husband is VERY worried about failing without me spotting him, and he gets very upset if I don't grab the bar immediately and yank it off him. I think because I have failed, all alone, pinned under a bar before, and had to be (so embarrassingly) rescued by some 19 year old kid when he realized I was stuck (but I could have done the roll of shame, he just saw me first) I'm not that scared of it because ...well. Its embarrassing but it doesn't really HURT. I mean I'm sure it hurts at higher weights, but at 65lbs it was just ...a little pressure. And your arms aren't actually TOTALLY powerless, you just can't get out of the bottom, so you're still keeping SOME of the weight off you.
But I think the horror stories are important...for boys. Because boys are VERY sensitive about how much (or little) they bench press and they are VERY likely to overload it and then they really might lose control of the bar.
Heck, if that's the case, I may actually just need to dry practice the roll of shame a couple times with the bar and I should probably be alright.
Yea I think women are more likely to take the absolute safest approach whereas the guys are more prone to overload themselves (I guess that's the manly thing to do or something).0 -
So I failed again... 5,5,5,5,2
Some of it was quite assisted too....
I think my upper body is really tired from Monday's workout still.. still got DOMS in my upper back from rows and my chest from BP. I think that probably contributed and I'm sure if I had rested a bit longer I might have finished all 5 in the last set but I wouldn't have been happy with my form. (It wasn't great anyway!!!!)
So I'm happy to do another session at 27.5kg on Monday and if I can't do all 5x5 with good form then I'll drop down to 25kg. I think I should have stayed at 25kg for a couple sessions anyway really, I wasn't over pleased with how it went although I did all 5x5.
Onwards and upwards though hey! I think deloading will be a good thing, I can perfect my form and come back better next time
If I have do deload to 25kg, do I just do the one session at that weight before going back up (providing proper form) and then go up to 27.5kg the next time? Or do I do it for a couple of sessions? I'm not sure what would be best.0 -
I go by how it feels -- I know that isn't very helpful.
If you pay attention to your body, over the weeks and months you will get experience with how a workout feels and what that means for the next workout. Sometimes I crush a certain weight and I know I can move up next time. Other times it's an exhausting, wobbly mess and I know I need to stay at the same weight next time. You just develop a feel for it.
I can't' tell you today what my weight will be two sessions from now, though. I can only look ahead one workout. Sometimes my body makes a big leap forward, other times it stays where it is for longer than I would expect.0
