Which planned compound lift do you fail at first if things go wrong outside the gym?

darklight79 · 09-13-2006, 07:43 AM

I mean factors like lack of sleep, stress, less than optimal nutrition for that phase. For me it's the bench press, always the $%$&^%* bench press.
For example, i had exams, i didn't get sleep for 2 days but i kept my nutrition up, got a damn long afternoon nap and lifted. I'm doing the Madcow SF, so i did squats, pendlay rows and bench presses today.
I still managed to progress on the rows and squats but failed to get in bench. Even when i did other programs, the bench usually fails first.

papi93 · 09-13-2006, 07:45 AM

Any horizontal (benching) or vertical pushing (shoulder pressing)movements always suffer.

darklight79 · 09-13-2006, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papi93

Any horizontal (benching) or vertical pushing (shoulder pressing)movements always suffer.

So it's not just me then? It's bench for you too? Cos i'm pretty pissed missing a 5 rep PR just now.

nitrored · 09-13-2006, 07:52 AM

I almost never miss squats or rows. Squats are always first and therefore get all my energy and focus. My rows, IMO, are compartively weak to the rest of my body and are experiencing 'noob gains', so I dont fail on those.

With deads Ill sometimes miss a rep or two... Ill eat more the day of my next attempt and just bump up the weight, so far this has worked everytime.

Bench and MP fail left and right...I take longer rests between these then anything else to try to get thru them.

darklight79 · 09-13-2006, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrored

I almost never miss squats or rows. Squats are always first and therefore get all my energy and focus. My rows, IMO, are compartively weak to the rest of my body and are experiencing 'noob gains', so I dont fail on those.

With deads Ill sometimes miss a rep or two... Ill eat more the day of my next attempt and just bump up the weight, so far this has worked everytime.

Bench and MP fail left and right...I take longer rests between these then anything else to try to get thru them.

Thanks. Good to know this is normal. But why are pushing movements usually affected? Don't deadlift and squats use more muscles and energy? And i usually do bench first, then squats and rows.

sirnext · 09-13-2006, 07:59 AM

For me it's squats everytime. Not sure why, but if things aren't going to plan, my legs just don't have any energy.

nitrored · 09-13-2006, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darklight79

Thanks. Good to know this is normal. But why are pushing movements usually affected? Don't deadlift and squats use more muscles and energy? And i usually do bench first, then squats and rows.

It's always confused me, probably has to do with squats/deads using more muscles to pick up the slack...

papi93 · 09-13-2006, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darklight79

So it's not just me then? It's bench for you too? Cos i'm pretty pissed missing a 5 rep PR just now.

Sometimes life gets in the way of lifting. You just have to gut it out and once you get more sleep and better nutrition, you'll be back. During times like this, you are probably not going to set any PR's so I wouldn't be too disappointed. Just be glad you got your workout in when most would have found excuses not to.

jason_bh · 09-13-2006, 08:12 AM

It's always the bench or military press for me. I went in Monday suppose to have gotten a new 5 rep PR. I was a pretty tired, but I went in anyways. I got 1 rep for my top set, whereas on Friday I gotten 3 no problem. Needless to say I was disappointed. Come to find out I was starting to get sick, so that's why I was drained.

I am not so sure anymore if I will work out when I fill that tired. I don't think that I benefit much from that.

AU stu. · 09-13-2006, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirnext

For me it's squats everytime. Not sure why, but if things aren't going to plan, my legs just don't have any energy.

same here...

nwfisher · 09-13-2006, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirnext

For me it's squats everytime. Not sure why, but if things aren't going to plan, my legs just don't have any energy.

Same here. It's the lift I struggle most with in general.

papi93 · 09-13-2006, 08:20 AM

Does anyone know the mechanism for failing at squats or bench presses but not the others?

ThickAsABrick · 09-13-2006, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papi93

Any horizontal (benching) or vertical pushing (shoulder pressing)movements always suffer.

Me too, although chest presses probably suffer a bit more.

nitrored · 09-13-2006, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papi93

Does anyone know the mechanism for failing at squats or bench presses but not the others?

For me I suspect it is a good part mental... I know if I feel weak I am going to fail bench, I probably psyche myself out. It could also have to do w/ how far along each person is with each lift, or how much progress they have made in that lift in recent workouts...
For example if someone is new to squats and using a reasonable progression they probably wont fail those. On the other hand, if someone has been benching since they were 12 and have been using around the same weight for months now.. they are probably more likely to fail at that.

Just some of my thoughts / guesses... making conversation till someone that knows comes in and straightens this out

sgtrobo · 09-13-2006, 08:53 AM

bench press all the way

you lie down, all nice and relaxed, you look up, start feeling comfortable, slowwwly reaaacch foorr the barrrr......zzzzzzzzz.........

the moment the weight is on my shoulders for a squat, I am 100%. The moment I walk up to the bar to do the pulls, I am 100%. But the bench press, hell, it's way too comfortable on that bench some days.

eiker_ir · 09-13-2006, 09:03 AM

i can't deadlift if i didn't get good sleep, i just can't.

DuracellBunny · 09-13-2006, 09:22 AM

I find the lifts that I am better at suffer the most as they are more fine tuned and dependant on firing on all cylinders. So any chest/tri/back/shoulders (in that order) whilst legs and bicep related exercises don't care so much.

So.... bench and military suffer most, then deads, rows and lastly squats - which don't seem to care about sleep/food in most cases for me.

darklight79 · 09-13-2006, 09:58 AM

Right. Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. I just wanted to know. So apart from the few deadlifters and squatters, it's mostly pushing movements.

I never use a spotter, but thank God some sixth sense was telling me to ask for a spot today. I failed at the 4th rep at 255.

Rolling that **** off my chest would've been painful as hell.

SDFlip · 09-13-2006, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papi93

Does anyone know the mechanism for failing at squats or bench presses but not the others?

you usually have a "groove" that you are the most strongest at in that exercise.

my guess is that in those 2 specific movement it's really hard to get back in that groove once you get out of it.

PickledFetus · 09-13-2006, 10:49 AM

The reason you guys fail first on bench presses is probably just because you've been doing bench presses a lot longer than squats and deadlifts. Madcow's site touches on this - the bench press is one of the most popular exercises, so most people have a much more advanced bench than their squat and DL. A lot of us (myself included) started off as bench and curl jockeys, so we just have to accept slower and harder gains on the bench.

IraHays · 09-13-2006, 10:54 AM

The thought of failing doing a squat scares me.

darklight79 · 09-13-2006, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PickledFetus

The reason you guys fail first on bench presses is probably just because you've been doing bench presses a lot longer than squats and deadlifts. Madcow's site touches on this - the bench press is one of the most popular exercises, so most people have a much more advanced bench than their squat and DL. A lot of us (myself included) started off as bench and curl jockeys, so we just have to accept slower and harder gains on the bench.

Good point. Something to think about. You got a link to that?

PickledFetus · 09-13-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darklight79

Good point. Something to think about. You got a link to that?

Its in the write-up for Madcow2's Intermediate 5x5 program. Scroll down to the "Possible Issues" section.

dbcb314 · 09-13-2006, 01:47 PM

da bench press

another example showing that bench press is the king of exercises... without 100% focus, you will fail and it will own you by possibly decapitating you.

Buffalohed · 09-13-2006, 03:05 PM

I might have misunderstood the question, but I voted deadlifts.

I may not get all my reps on bench but I will always finish the workout even if I am tired. Deadlifts are another story though. If I am totally wiped/hungover etc. there is no way in hell I can do deads, they blast the **** out of me. I mean I am breathing hard and lightheaded just from doing them normally.

I don't have a gym partner, and although I have no reserves about asking for a spot, I almost never use a real flat bench in the gym anymore, so I don't have to worry about failure.

gymratluke · 09-13-2006, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darklight79

I mean factors like lack of sleep, stress, less than optimal nutrition for that phase. For me it's the bench press, always the $%$&^%* bench press.
For example, i had exams, i didn't get sleep for 2 days but i kept my nutrition up, got a damn long afternoon nap and lifted. I'm doing the Madcow SF, so i did squats, pendlay rows and bench presses today.
I still managed to progress on the rows and squats but failed to get in bench. Even when i did other programs, the bench usually fails first.

I feel ya on the ole Bench press! Of all things Bench is my worst lift, even though I like it the most. Its hard for me to set PR's on it, and if anything like sleep, nutrition, ext, are sub par then I will definately have a bad bench day!