What do you do to get that extra rep?

[buell1965]

if u want a decent press make sure the drivers are all fresh..in the bench those are the front delts and the rear delts and last but not least the triceps..oh yea the pecs but not as much as u might think at least thats whats my dog said.

[Stonecold54]

what works for me is is thinking about my progress and how i will continue to get bigger etc. people making comments about how i have gotten bigger etc.. that is the kind of thing that drives me.

well yeah for small guys like you that is cool :P

[coffee-guy]

You've just got to dig deep bro - find what motivates YOU - of course you probably need to figure out "why" you're working out in the first place in order to do that - just know that only you can find whatever that motivation is - once you do though you should give it 100% or not at all...

[The_Grinder]

A lot of good mental motivation tips here. I am by no means a beast on bench but one thing I do that helps me pump out one more rep than I would usually do is really tighten my grip on the bar. I don't know if its a mental thing, a tension thing, or what, but when I feel like I am spent I will really grip the hell out of the bar and I can sometimes get 1 or 2 more good reps in.

[Bouncer]

motivational techniques are different for everyone.

for example, what stonecold and alwaysgrowing said just wouldn't work for me. thinking about someone else that is working out or visualizing the set wouldn't get me pumped up at all.

what works for me is is thinking about my progress and how i will continue to get bigger etc. people making comments about how i have gotten bigger etc.. that is the kind of thing that drives me.

[alwaysgrowing]

Chris, I have used this technique since i was in high school. and it always works.
Look at everything you do this way, and you'll always stay motivated. Just before your set, think that somewhere out there, there is someone almost identical to you, or someone you hate. He is about to get under that weight, and push out 8 reps. Now if you don't, if you quit, he is now going to be bettetr than you. So decide to push yourself, as far and as hard as you can. Because you know, you are better than them. Your determination is what seperates you from the boys. Thats what makes you want to join the marines.

I guarantee that when you are done, you will feel better.

[buell1965]

oh yea in a nutshell ...chest day rolls around triceps are still fragged among other things.what do i think about when or before a workout ?GETTIN THIS SHIT DONE .ROCK ON

[buell1965]

I don't know. I've been thinking about this since Monday. It pisses me off, because it seems like I'm really doing something wrong. But its only with Bench that I am really having this problem. Today I did tris and I started with Close Grip bench presses and I did 8 reps of 20 lbs less than I do on Chest day. To me that seems ridiculous. It really varies like that. My deads on the other hand have risen strongly over the past months. Along with everything else. I guess my huddle is the mental battle. I thought I had gotten over that a while ago, but with bench I suppose it hasn't gone away.


And Bouncer, if I didn't enjoy the gym I wouldn't go. I only sound so spitful about it because I'm frustrated I'm not really good at it...

did u say u started triceps with close grip bench and u did less wieght than u did on chest day.u may wanna consider revamping your routine...ok say u do chest and on chest day u bench right?.well guess what u come back next day or the second day (i dont know what your split is)and do triceps and u do close grip bench press right?well guess what the close grip aside from a few dynamic changes is bench press none the less.try doin triceps on chest day since u have allready prestressed them with pressing movements IE bench press,incline or what ever.i do a 3 on 1 off .day 1 is chest shoulders triceps day2 is back biceps abs day 3 is quad/ham and calves then a day off.guess what when day 5 rolls around ima fresh and everything is recovered.on your spitting problem try 3/1 ...spit to the left then to the right then straight on then swallow as your spit level drops u will sound less spitful....i kid i kid

[gymratin]

gotta have music - and (like bouncer said) ,more than anything, you gotta have a passion for it. i see too many people treating the gym like a social clubo or a meeting place or some shit, or people just "going through the motions" and im like, "why even bother"

shit, i cant wait to get to the gym, and after my workout, i count down to my next.

gotta get your mind right - gyms not for everybody. thats for damn sure

[Stonecold54]

I didn't read all the answers in-depth but what i do in my workout is definitely have music. I have to have my IPOD because then it makes the workout my own. I think if you listen to gym music (unless you have a really cool gym) then it distracts you when they change music or genres. then i always put the most important movement first, what I really want to focus on. after my cardio warm up and stretching and light weight movements (I listen to faster music at this point cuz I don't want to get jacked just the blood flowing), so after my cardio I set up all the weights on the exercise. I usually pace in front of the piece of equipment and get some more heavy music going. I think about my goals and what I want out of the set and that I am only asking my self to push for this set, and not think ahead to the rest of the workout. I visualize the last few reps and how its gonna hurt and then I think why I am doing it again to justify the pain. Personally some goals are vain and some are not. some might be to impress a woman, some are personal goals and some might be so I can help myself get better at something else. So then when I get that in my head I psyche myself up, I don't know how to explain it but I put on my favorite song of the week and I give myself goosebumps cuz I get so excited. then I do my set and push the shit out of it from first to last. that pretty much carries me through the entire workout. and its also why I don't do extended workouts ( no more than 30 minutes). I don't think its sustainable at that level for long so I don't want to be doing wasteful sets at the end of my workout where I can't push myself.

[Bouncer]

I don't know. I've been thinking about this since Monday. It pisses me off, because it seems like I'm really doing something wrong. But its only with Bench that I am really having this problem. Today I did tris and I started with Close Grip bench presses and I did 8 reps of 20 lbs less than I do on Chest day. To me that seems ridiculous. It really varies like that. My deads on the other hand have risen strongly over the past months. Along with everything else. I guess my huddle is the mental battle. I thought I had gotten over that a while ago, but with bench I suppose it hasn't gone away.


And Bouncer, if I didn't enjoy the gym I wouldn't go. I only sound so spitful about it because I'm frustrated I'm not really good at it...

just keep plugging along bro. certain things are going to lag behind. i think you have a tendency to think about something so much that it becomes a negative and it really stresses you out.

[NewbieChris]

I don't know. I've been thinking about this since Monday. It pisses me off, because it seems like I'm really doing something wrong. But its only with Bench that I am really having this problem. Today I did tris and I started with Close Grip bench presses and I did 8 reps of 20 lbs less than I do on Chest day. To me that seems ridiculous. It really varies like that. My deads on the other hand have risen strongly over the past months. Along with everything else. I guess my huddle is the mental battle. I thought I had gotten over that a while ago, but with bench I suppose it hasn't gone away.


And Bouncer, if I didn't enjoy the gym I wouldn't go. I only sound so spitful about it because I'm frustrated I'm not really good at it...

[Bouncer]

i really don't think about anything. i just love to do it. sounds like your enthusiasm for the gym just isn't there bro. take cars for example, you love them, you love to work on them etc. i like a nice car but i really dont care about them like you do. your passion is cars. my passion is bodybuilding. i get the feeling from you that this is defintily not your favorite thing in the world to do.

not saying you should give up. not by any means, just saying maybe you should stop putting pressure on yourself and just enjoy it.

[redsquirrel]

Music definitely helps me. If I'm getting ready to bang out some heavy weight, it always pushes me that little extra bit.

And, of course I basically talk myself into doing at least 2 more reps while I'm in the middle of a set....If I can do 10, what's 2 more?

I would also agree w/ FB on the workout partner. Even if you don't work out w/ a partner on a regular basis, get someone to spot you. Now, this isn't a pussymove by any stretch. But it's funny what happens when you have a spot. 1) You have the confidence to push through those last 1 or 2 reps since someone is there, and 2) You want to look good to your spotter that you can push the weight, and only need them there as a precaution

It's all subconcious...its kind of cool- especially when you surprise yourself

[mr8907]

how long have you been stuck? if it's been a while take a week off,or switch up to db's then don't bench the following week,when you return to benching you should be able to put up more.
and for not being able to push what you did the week befor i would just chalk that up as a weak day and move on,we all get them from time to time.