Two days ago my workout called for me to do front squats. However, I wasn’t really focused that morning, and instead, I loaded up the weight I use for BACK squats.
For those of you who do both, you know that most of us can do a lot more weight in back than we can in front.
I did my warm up set, no problem.
I did my first working set, and was struggling, but finished.
I then did my second set and failed miserably. Thankfully I was in my squat rack, because mentally I was thinking I was going to do 6 reps. I ended up doing 1 and failing on the second.
Here’s the funy part – I still didn’t realize my mistake.
I asked myself, “why am I so weak today?” I really wondered if I was getting sick, or what the heck was going on.
I was so freaked out, I did something I haven’t done in months – I actually lowered the weight. (Of course, since I was doing the “wrong” exercise, I forgive myself that lapse.)
But the bigger lesson here is that I wasn’t paying attention.
And if I were in a situation without a rack or without a spotter, I could have really hurt myself.
Other Weight Training Attention Failures
This isn’t the first stupid thing I’ve done. And I’m sure you can relate with your own stupid stories.
One thing I see a lot is guys paying attention to the WRONG stuff.
Take mirrors. Mirrors are great for making sure you are using proper form.
But do you really need to turn your head for every set on every exercise to watch yourself in the mirror? Probably not.
I’ve definitely seen guys paying too much attention to the mirror that they actually lose balance.
And then there’s the guys are are gawking at women in the gym. Not only is that a little disrespectful to the women, it also distracts you from your workout. Lifting heavy stuff and distraction don’t mix. Stay focused.
Mental Focus and Workouts
At the most basic level though, paying attention means focusing your thoughts on your workout. I’ll be sharing some ideas about what to think about while working out on Monday.
In the mean time, are you willing to share your stupid-lack-of-attention stories?
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June 26th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Several years ago, I was doing 70 pound dumbbell curls, dumbbells with the octogon shaped heads. I have no idea how I did it, but in re-racking the weights i smashed the fingernail and tip of my middle finger in between the weights. Instant blood blister under the entire nail. Ever try and look cool as if nothing was amiss while you are in terrible agony? Of course, since I was at work, back at my desk I thought placing my hand in ice cubes and cold water for the rest of the day would help. An afternoon of pain and throbbing like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve learned to pay more attention since then.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Once (when I was only a beginner in weightlifting) I wanted to unload some of the weight that was on an EZ bar (yeah, I hate to admit I did isolation exercises back then). The problem is, the bar was pretty loaded and I was stupid enough to take the plates off from one side. Although I forgot the laws of physics, they sure applied here. The bar fell off the rack with a bang, and then came one of the gym “oldies” to yell at me. Yup, never done that since…
June 28th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
One time I went to the gym with my room mate. It was his first time going with me. I was showing him how to squat and I had him load up one side. I started doing the exercise and noticed that it started to feel unbalanced. The bar started falling to one side. Turns out he forgot to put the shoulder on, so the weight on one side just slid off causing the other side to fall. The next day my sides were sore because I was tensed up trying to hold up a leaning bar.
June 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
thanks guys for sharing – good lessons here, and all too familiar…
it’s probably a beach weekend for many readers, but come on – I know more of you have similar stories… nudge, nudge…
July 12th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Finished a tough incline bench workout with 100 lb dumbbells. Dropped them back to my lap (held apart), then in a distracted moment they shifted and smacked together. Unfortunately, something in my lap (yes, *that* something) was pinched in between the colliding dumbbells. My yelp could be heard across the street.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
@Tom – I am speechless. Obviously you are ok, otherwise I doubt you’d share the story!