I asked a friend at the gym to spot me on the incline bench press. I told him I was going for 3 reps of 135lb. Last week, I was only able to do 2 reps of 135 lbs before failing on my third rep.
I found the strength to bang out 3 solid reps. I went for a fourth but needed help on the last rep.
Once I re-racked the bar, my friend told me that he thought I had more juice in me to push out some more reps. I agreed with him, but I told him that I wouldn’t have been able to finish the reps. He still encouraged me to push out everything I had because he would’ve assisted me in the failed reps.
He shared that whenever he pushes to failure, he always asks his spotter to give him one or two extra assisted fail reps because he gets more of a pump and feels like he’s actually reaching failure.
Your body is programmed to prioritize safety and prevent injury, so it tends to avoid exertion levels that could result in harm. By asking for a spotter, you’re able to override this built-in survival mechanism. You can push your limits more comfortably and safely.
I never considered doing that because the idea of pushing to and past failure felt dangerous. And it certainly is when you aren’t doing bench presses with solid form, with safety bars, or with a spotter.
But hearing him explain why – I was like – I’m going to try that next time.
Having people like him in the gym is part of what makes it the best place to learn how to deal with failure, both physically and mentally.
You have people to support you when you fail. They are there to help you when you can’t carry the weight and there to encourage you to keep pushing when you feel like you can’t.
