I know what you are thinking after reading that title: "No way", "That's not possible", "This guy is crazy", "This guy is selling some scam". What I am going to show you has really worked though. Will it work for everyone? Of course not. I will tell you however that with the right mindset, anyone can accomplish more than what they thought they could.
This post isn't about a magical formula, a secret tip on deadlift form, or some mind blowing trick that you have never heard of. It's simply learning how strong your mind is and how to correctly push yourself mentally.
I had a teammate that I have played with since 2010 in the Rockies organization text me last month. He asked me how much I deadlfited and as I proceeded to tell him, he was stunned. He then told me he deadlifted 275 lbs that day for 5 reps and "felt like he was going to explode". He thought he had pushed himself to the brink and that 275 was all he had. For some people, this may be the case, but with Bruce, I knew he had more in him and just needed to be pushed. Bruce either: 1. Didn't have people around him lifting much heavier weights than he did or 2. Didn't believe it was possible for him to lift anymore weight.
I knew he was capable of lifting more, so I urged him to up his weight. This encouragement showed him that other people were lifting far more, and that it was definitely achievable for him too.
The mind is such a powerful tool, but can mistakenly be used for a crutch as well. We all need to learn how to use it as a tool, not a crutch. When working out sometimes, we use our mind as a crutch and this holds us back from lifting heavier weights, doing one more set, or finishing out that last rep. The key is to breaking this barrier that continually keeps us from our full potential. When we use our mind as a tool, the results become greater and the amount of weight you can lift takes off! I wasn't correcting his form or his program; I was correcting his mental state when he deadlifted.
Bruce initially text me on December 19, then text me again on December 22 (3 days later), and said that he had deadlifted 315 lbs for 5 reps that morning. That is a 40 lb increase in 3 days! Any of us that have been lifting weights for any period of time know that he didn't gain that much strength in 3 days, it's just not possible. Bruce had learned to break the mental barrier, push outside his comfort zone, and be willing to fail. Sometimes we are so scared to miss a rep and fail that we never push ourselves to even see what we are capable of! I am excited for Bruce, but I knew he still had more in him so I continually encouraged him and challenged him to keep pressing in. On December 30th (11 days later) he broke through another mental barrier and deadlifted 385 lbs for 5 reps! In case you didn't calculate that, that is a 110 lb increase in less than two weeks!
[Bruce deadlifting 385 lbs for 5 reps.]
If there was simple physical trick or magical program to this I would be a millionaire instantly, imagine the craze this would create! There isn't anything physical that can produce these results that quick, it just isn't possible. The power to get results like Bruce did is what you already have inside of yourself-- your mental toughness.
When you step in the weight room you need to prepare yourself mentally. Before a lift you need to get in a mental state where nothing else can distract you. You need to challenge yourself, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and see what your body truly can do. Your goal is to complete the lift for x amount of reps and you will be able to do it. I am tired of seeing guys being scared in the weight room and just hanging out in the comfort zone. If you decide to do this you will never get stronger and you will never be the best athlete you can truly be. I challenge you to push yourself mentally and see how strong you really are.
Ken Roberts
kenrobertstraining@gmail.com
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