No-Drop Sets and Mental Barriers
When I lift with my son, it’s like that saying about "watching your mother in law drive off of a cliff in your brand new car". You have mixed emotions.
When I lift with my son, I am so proud of him as he lifts heavier and heavier weights. But it is so depressing to not be able to keep up with his rate of progress. So the alpha male in me is always competing with him trying to out lift him, but the father in me is cheering him on hoping he’ll hit that point where he can out bench or out squat me. The day is almost here, and it gets tougher and tougher.
But we have fun when we do and in all of the light hearted fun of our workouts, we both learned a lesson the other day.
We were doing drop sets with cable rows to really get our lats pumped. So when it was his turn, he did as many reps as he could and I was supposed to then take the pin out and drop the weight to the next bar in the stack so he could do the next set with little or no rest at a lower weight. But because of the way the machine is set up, he couldn’t see the pin. So I thought it would be funny to pull the pin out and put it back in the same spot. So he goes for it and surprisingly, does about as many reps as he did on the last set until he can’t do any more. So again, I pretend to drop the weight but I slam the pin right back in the same place, same weight. But he doesn’t know this and he belts out another set of about as many reps. Now, I’m trying my best not to laugh and he looks like he’s ready to pass out, but as I once again pull the pin and put it back in the same spot, he thinks the weight has dropped and keeps going, amazingly doing as many reps as he did the set before. Finally, after another amazing couple of rounds of this, with his teeth gritted, his face red, his veins popping, breathing hard, I can’t help it and I burst out laughing.
He of course, didn’t think it was all that funny because his lats and biceps were on fire. But we were both amazed that he could do so many reps just because he THOUGHT he should be able to do them since he THOUGHT the weight was lighter. The power of the mind to take you to the next level is amazing.
So there’s times we don’t try harder because we’re just tired. There are other times when we don’t because we don’t believe we can do more. But when we do believe enough to at least go for it, we are often surprised and rewarded for that little bit of faith in ourselves. It’s like Roger Bannister’s running of the first sub 4 minute mile in 1954 (no I wasn’t around back then) . Up until then, most thought it was humanly impossible. Within 3 years of him breaking the 4-minute mile barrier, 16 others had achieved that record (http://www.sptimes.com/News/121799/Sports/Bannister_stuns_world.shtml). Once athletes believed it was possible, they did it.
We all have our own personal 4 minute mile barriers that must first be broken in the mind before it can be broken with our bodies. That experience with my son reminded me of this important truth and it’s helped me to hit the gym believing that despite anything, I can get better, stronger and more fit.
So I refuse to be conquered by barriers that are mental. I will be “Indomitable”
November 7, 2009 at 1:24 pm
You sly dog, you.
But just watch out…he may try the same kind of trick sometime and it won’t look good if you can’t keep up, haha
The mind gets in the way of a lot of things. It’s interesting how his mind worked while he was doing those sets and what it allowed him to do.
P.S. I would buy a brand new car specifically to let my mother in law drive it off a cliff…no mixed emotions there ;P
November 7, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Read ur story and it reminded me of my Dad and I. We don’t work out together like you guys, but I have been constantley attemoting to beat my Father’s weight lifting record and each year that goes by I am getting closer and closer. He keeps cheering me on, he is too old to lift seriously n e more but I have seen pictures of him in his prime and I am very blessed to have my father’s genes. Keep cheering your son on, i’m sure it motivates him like nobody else. =0)
God Bless
November 7, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Great post! Thanks for sharing this story…
November 7, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Goes to show that mind is even more powerful than the body…i.e mind over matter.
Great blog indomitable !
Btw I WAS around and watching (Dr) Bannister doing his sub 4-min mile …when you were still in your previous life !
November 8, 2009 at 4:25 am
ShanBL LOLno mixed emotions huh? too funny. Yah, I’ll be keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t try it back on me.
T-1-00-thx for the comment looks like you’re on your way to setting and beating lots of records.
Mharrislove- thx many, btw, in your avi your arms look bigger than my quad and that your about to curl that dumbell!
My friend Oldbutfitt- there’s no way your were around then- not as young and healthy as you look!