Responding To Failure: How To Move Forward After A Missed Lift
It’s PR time, or at least, you hope it is. You load that bar, building the anticipation of finally locking out a number you’ve dreamt of. It’s exciting. It psychs you up. You can’t wait to taste the satisfaction of achieving your next milestone. You get under the barbell, quiet the loud voices of anxiety and doubt in your brain, take a big brace, give it everything you have, and...
You can’t stand back up with it, no matter how long you fight for it.
Fuck. It’s a devastating, soul-crushing feeling that can evoke heavy emotions- and potentially lead you down a dooming spiral of self-deprecation and criticism. That can be your outcome of a missed lift, or you can use it as an opportunity to improve and return a stronger, sharpened athlete. And the best part- you get to determine which path to take. Failure doesn’t define you, but your response to it does. Read below to learn how to approach a missed lift and use it as a tool for aspiration- rather than devastation.
The three reasons failed lifts occur
As the great Dave Tate once said, there are only three weaknesses in a given lift: physical, mental, or technical.
Failing a lift reflects these underlying weaknesses- it’s a data point to examine what you may be lacking in your training. Because the reality is, you only fail a weight if you’re not in the proper conditions or level to make it, for whatever reason.
Let’s examine each of the possible deficits that occur- and bear in mind that a missed lift may be due to a combination of all three. Sometimes you just need to implement a small tweak, but oftentimes, there are many factors at play.
A) Physical
The most obvious reason you may have missed a rep is that you weren’t strong enough for that weight. The load was too heavy- beyond your current capabilities- or even too much for a given day. If you notice continual plateaus and stagnation in your strength progress- your food intake, body weight, recovery, and/or programming must be considered- but more on that later.
On that note, a significant aspect of physical weakness in a lift is fatigue level. Fatigue is a necessary part of lifting, but an overload of it kills your performance. Your body must be adequately recovered to express its highest levels of strength. Once you approach that top-end, attempting weights above 90%, conditions must be nearly perfect to succeed. If fatigue has accumulated over many weeks, you may notice yourself failing/struggling with loads even below your 1RM, which is a sign that it’s time to deload/address your recovery/etc. It may not be that you weren’t strong enough to do the weight- just that you weren’t strong enough on this particular day, which is an important distinction. Top-end strength is inconsistent because of the factors required to make it happen- especially once you reach a certain level. But remember that as Powerlifters, we train for one day: the platform, and any day in the gym is simply a data point. Don’t let it determine or discourage your overall progress.
B) Mental
The mental aspect of lifting is the second half, specifically at supramaximal loads. Finding the “right” headspace, psyching yourself up, remaining focused throughout the lift, and committing to a heavy grind- require a lot of exertion and energy. You must be 100% dialed in, psychologically, to make a PR happen. Sometimes, simply doubting yourself, becoming distracted, or being afraid of a weight can cause you to miss a rep- which is frustrating. Building up mental confidence at heavier weights is a continual practice and takes time. It shows a high level of mastery as a lifter- because the skill only comes with experience. If your technique was dialed, you're feeling recovered, and you’ve done the work to make the lift happen- your weakness may have been mental. It often takes a lot of practice and fine tuning to see what works best for you, but more tips on that topic later.
C) Technical
Especially at higher percentages, technique matters to a greater degree in your lifts. Take a look at most high-level athletes- they’re extremely proficient and intentional in their movements, and this is not by accident. Efficiency and strength are interrelated; if you lose positioning or sacrifice your technique, it can be impossible to grind a lift out. A slight change in positioning or compensation could've cost you that rep. So, if you find yourself constantly struggling with making your reps while maintaining proficiency at heavier weights, or there’s a chain in your link that wants to slip out every time- that’s insightful data in your programming and cueing, and hammering those weak points will make you a better athlete.
Now that you’ve got an idea of the three primary reasons a lift may have failed, the next step is to identify why *you* missed it.
2. Identifying what your reason was
Go back & retrace all your steps leading up to the lift attempt, even the night, days, and weeks prior. What was your nutrition like, how did you prepare for this lift, what was your headspace like going in, how was your execution of the rep, etc.? Ask yourself all of the following questions to help find the solution that will strengthen you further:
Did you get in your head? Were you physically prepared for your feat of strength- but immediately doubted your abilities beforehand?
How were your fatigue levels? How long has it been since you’ve taken a deload? Did you sleep and eat well the day prior?
Were you just not strong enough? Was it too big of a jump from your warm-up sets? Did you use proper judgment when gauging RPEs?
Did your technique falter? Did you lose upper back tension when the lift got difficult and then fail it?
These reflections allow you to identify the root of the issue, so you can be aware of your patterns & work to change them with future attempts.
Failures have the potential to be a catalyst for self-development, and ignoring the “why” behind them robs you of this opportunity. You want to avoid constantly missing reps, so addressing your reason will evoke more productive training in your future.
3. Your next steps
Once you’ve pinpointed the reason behind your missed rep, you must carve a plan forward, to progress. Definitely individualize your future actions based on what your weakness was, but here are some common solutions:
A) When should you attempt it again?
When you’ve missed a lift, the desire to re-attempt it again will arise immediately. As athletes, we crave the satisfaction of redemption.
However, this decision isn’t always an intelligent one. Re-failing a lift multiple times, mustering up fatigue and discouragement- is a situation we want to avoid.
I will say that the best practice is to never re-attempt a lift more than once. The first time may have been due to some slight misexecution that you can fix, whereas the second fail is a sign that it’s not in the cards today. Don’t approach this situation like an emotionally charged child; it’s important to be honest with yourself & tap into your logical side.
Generally speaking, if your missed lift was either due to:
a) an easy technical fix (you were uneven on the bar, you forgot your bar path, you failed to create upper back tension) that you feel confident in improving with a simple cue, or,
b) a mental failure (you doubted yourself, you were afraid of the weight, you let the pressure get to you), and you feel certain you can fully show up with another attempt,
AND the weight is a reasonable PR jump (within 5-15 lbs of your current max, let’s say),
You may be able to succeed in the following rep. Additionally, if you didn’t necessarily fail the weight, but it wasn’t up to standard- soft knee lockout, touch-n-go bench, etc., but moved well, there may be some merit to re-attempting it.
You have to trust your instincts here. As you advance as an athlete, you begin to learn your body & your limits to a greater degree. Also, as you & your coach spend more time together, they’ll know your capabilities better, too, so the accuracy of judgment can be pretty successful. Be objective with yourself, which can be difficult when your heart's crushed from an unsuccessful lift.
If you decide to go for it, give yourself plenty of rest beforehand, visualize the rep, and ensure you’ve got spotters handy.
B) Structuring your training around a technical weakness
Failures can be helpful data points & teachers for your needs as a lifter. That’s one of the benefits of testing your maxes every so often: it adds insight into what you need- specifically- to improve.
If you failed a lift because of:
loss of upper back tension in a squat,
poor spinal position in the deadlift,
improper bar path during the bench press,
You'll want to address these faults to support your overall strength. Technical inefficiencies can break your lifts, so spending time attacking them can provide the confidence and proficiency you need to complete a PR in the future.
Of course, sometimes the weight is too heavy, and you solely require more training to develop your strength to achieve that number.
After identifying your technical deficiency, discuss it with your coach and choose variations to help you improve. Proper cueing is also essential, but incorporating movements that inherently force you to focus on your weaknesses, can further drill them into your body/brain. Examples could include pauses/eccentrics to improve deadlift positioning, and close grips/Legolas benches to improve lat tension/bar path.
C) Building mental confidence
Mental confidence when lifting could have its own entire blog post, but put briefly, the only way to overcome self-doubt and uncertainty under the bar is to face it head-on.
You cannot increase your self-belief by avoiding the thing that scares you.
Remember that everyone requires & benefits from a different headspace during their lifts. For some, it’s a lot of hype, yelling, backslaps, and ammonia. For others, it’s quiet peace- maybe listening to classical music, taking a few deep breaths, and zoning out all surroundings. Take some time experimenting with different styles to find which is most conducive to you- and know that each lift may benefit from its own energy, too.
Visualizing is a powerful tool for improving athletic performance. Creating an environment of success, anticipating a difficult task helps you adequately prepare for it. The day before a PR attempt, imagine the scene in your brain- from the moment you approach the bar, feeling the weight in your hands, to locking it out. Replay this achievement in your head, ingraining its outcome- and then when you go for that rep, it feels practiced.
Use the lighter weights as a rehearsal for finding this mental space- so it'll be second nature when the weight gets heavier. Expose yourself to greater loads more regularly, adding more to the bar when it’s called for, so you can begin to normalize the feeling.
Seek adequate support from your coach and/or teammates. Express your needs to these individuals so they can give you the guidance you require. Utilizing your resources is essential to your success. After all, having a team on your back can benefit you most in these moments of struggle.
Mental confidence takes practice, but if you know what to work on, you can set yourself up to feel increasingly dialed over time.
D) Managing fatigue, improving habits outside of the gym
As mentioned above, overloading fatigue is a killer of strength. Ideally, we want to address this issue before attempting a big lift, but sometimes, that’s not always possible or practical. So, when you miss a rep due to fatigue, it’s time to look at other contributing variables. That way, when the next opportunity to go for a heavy attempt arises, you can get ahead of your recovery & ensure your body is as prepared as possible to execute it.
Here are key aspects to consider:
Deloads: When did you last have a lower-intensity/volume training week? Generally, taking one every 4-6 weeks is necessary for most athletes that train hard, consistently. If it’s been longer than this, you probably need a couple of lighter days to remove excess fatigue.
Sleep: Are you consistently sleeping 7-9 hours per night? If your sleep has been lacking, your performance will show, so you’ll want to work on that habit.
Nutrition: Are you eating enough calories? Have you been dieting for an extended period? If you’re in a deficit, grinding out heavy lifts will be far more difficult-potentially even impossible. If your goal is strength, it may be time to take a diet break, increase your calories, and/or adjust your expectations. Beyond that, having proper nutrient timing (eating before and after your workouts), and eating enough carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, are also essential for your performance.
Training program: Have you been doing more work than you can handle? Are you training above the maximum volume/intensity you can tolerate? If the answer is yes, you may find yourself stalling progress and feeling perpetually exhausted in the gym. Frequency, volume, and intensity are all important programming variables to factor in when it comes to fatigue.
Stress: Are you burnt out or struggling with your mental health? Do you notice external stressors bleed into the gym? Remember that the load you take on outside of the gym will affect your performance inside of it, and you cannot fully recover during an overload of stress, which can directly impact your lifts.
Body weight: If you’ve lost a lot of weight- or are at a very low body weight/BF percentage, you may notice stalls in your strength. This circumstance occurs because, as Powerlifters, we require both adequate fuel & muscle mass- and healthy hormone levels- to produce strength gains. Additionally, once you reach a certain level at a given body weight- breaking plateaus becomes increasingly harder. Consider whether your current body weight is sustainable, and whether it’s worth it to maintain your weight and sacrifice strength.
How your body feels: Frequently, check in with yourself & your coach about how your body is feeling. Are you noticing aches and pains? Do you come to the gym feeling exhausted, like it’s a chore? Are you feeling the need to take more naps than usual? You know your body best- so immediately identify when warning signs occur- awareness will help you manage it.
Many factors add up to your fatigue levels, but considering each- and making it a priority to address them- will increase your athletic success. Especially once you get past that newbie stage, you must be cognizant of your decisions outside of the gym, too.
4. Don’t allow it to dictate your success/perception of yourself.
The final point I want to make is to refuse to allow a failure to define you.
Every great Powerlifter out there has experienced hardship along their path, it’s part of what makes them great.
The gym and the barbell are spaces to experience challenge and discomfort in a controlled environment- and watch yourself improve- as a result. You cannot truly uncover your potential if you never have to struggle.
Being an athlete is hard work. It requires significant levels of time, energy, thought, intention, and those efforts translate to the achievements you chase. Every accomplishment is earned, never given, and the failures along the way allow you to re-direct your path- and refine your processes- to continue improving.
It is okay to feel discouraged when you miss a PR you wanted. Allow yourself to process these emotions. Those who stay in this sport long enough to be met with failure develop a love for it, and PRs mean a hell of a lot more than the number on the bar. When you feel like your efforts have gone to waste, that you “should” be able to lift that weight, especially when it’s one you’ve been chasing for a long time- it’s discouraging. It’s upsetting, it hurts.
However, don’t allow these feelings to dictate your actions. If you operate from the mindset that you’re incapable, that a failed lift makes you weak, you'll spin your wheels down a hill of self-destruction and end up feeling more distressed than ever.
These moments can be turning points. I’ve seen it time and time again. A failed rep can be the breakthrough you required:
to finally learn a cue that clicks,
to motivate you to improve your nutrition habits,
to strengthen your mental approach in each lift-
And those lessons stay with you for the rest of your career, supporting every milestone you achieve in the future.
We often remember our failures more vividly than successes, so burn that memory into your brain with an advantage. Use it as fuel to the fire, igniting a deeper hunger for improvement, in the end, making you the best athlete you’ve ever been. That’s what a missed rep can become if you approach it with the right mindset.
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Failed lifts. We all dread their existence with contempt: the soul-crushing feeling of missing a weight your heart yearned for, is one we seek to avoid. Yet, this instance inevitably occurs at some point or another in your athletic career. When you experience a failure, the critical takeaway is to determine your next steps. There are a few reasons that failed lifts can occur- whether physical, mental, or technical, and it’s important to identify your cause. Once you’ve done that, develop an action plan to help you move forward, using this moment as a teachable lesson to improve you as an athlete. Remember, failure doesn’t define you, but your response to it does, so use that missed rep as an opportunity to make you better than ever before.
