Changing Self Limiting Narratives in Training

Changing Self Limiting Narratives in Training

Our minds love to tell stories. Our brains excel at creating stories to explain what's happening. The problem? These stories can often become self-fulfilling prophecies that limit what you can actually achieve in training and competition.

The narratives you tell yourself about your training don't just affect your mood. They shape your effort, your consistency, and ultimately your results. When you label yourself as "bad at bench press" or convince yourself you "can't handle volume," you're actively reinforcing the cycle you find yourself in.

Let's talk about how to recognize these limiting stories and replace them with narratives that actually serve your progress.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Most lifters don't realize they're operating under limiting narratives. These stories feel like facts because we've repeated them so many times. They become part of our identity as lifters.

Here are three common examples that show up constantly in powerlifting:

"I suck at [insert lift here]"

This is probably the most common limiting narrative in the sport. You miss a few squats, struggle through a training cycle, or bomb out at a meet, and suddenly your brain creates a permanent identity around that struggle.

The problem isn't that you had a bad day or even a bad block. The problem is the story you attached to it. "I'm bad at squats" becomes a core belief that affects every squat session moving forward. You approach the bar differently. You expect to struggle. And guess what? You do.

"I need to conserve energy for my top set"

This one is sneaky because it sounds reasonable. Why would you waste energy on warmups when the heavy stuff is what matters?

But this narrative creates a training culture where you never actually practice trying hard or lifting with any sort of fatigue. You coast through your lighter sets, and then when it's time for the real work, you take a big jump to the top set and it ends up being unstable and loose. You haven’t prepared your body for the load and it’s struggling to catch up rather than being prepared for the set. Even worse is over time you lose out on SIGNIFICANT training volume from making big jumps on warmups.

It's a deceptive idea because you think you’re being efficient but in reality it’s sacrificing long term progression for short term comfort.

"I can't train with volume because I can't handle it"

This might be the most self-sabotaging narrative of all. Yes, high(er) volume training is hard. Yes, it requires good conditioning. But jumping straight to "I can't do this" prevents you from building the capacity that would let you handle it.

The real issue usually isn't that you're incapable of volume work. It's that your work capacity needs development, and that takes time. But the narrative of "I can't" stops you from putting in that time. You avoid the thing that would actually solve the problem.

Why These Narratives Matter

Self-limiting beliefs don't just make you feel bad. They have real, measurable effects on your training.

First, they affect your effort. If you believe you're bad at deadlifts, you unconsciously hold back. You don't commit fully to the pull. You leave room for failure because you've already decided it's coming. This half-hearted effort reinforces the original belief, creating a vicious cycle.

Second, they limit your learning. When you decide you "can't handle volume," you stop experimenting with programming that might actually work for you. You never build the conditioning that makes volume sustainable. You stay stuck in the same training patterns that created the problem in the first place.

Third, they steal your competitive edge. Athletes who expect to succeed train differently than athletes who expect to struggle. They approach heavy attempts with confidence. They recover better because they're not carrying the stress of negative self-talk. They perform better under pressure because they have narratives that believe in themselves.

The gap between what you're capable of and what you achieve often comes down to the story you're telling yourself about your abilities.

The Diagnostic Value of Struggle

Here's where we need to reframe how you think about difficult training sessions.

Struggle is not failure. Struggle is information. Do not forget that training is SUPPOSED TO BE HARD AND CHALLENGING. If it feels hard, if it feels like a challenge, GOOD. When you’re body is banged up and your joints ache and your muscles are yelling at you, GOOD. That’s your body receiving the stimulus to adapt, now feed it and let it rest!

When a training session goes badly, it’s easy to get stuck in doubts and feelings of  "I'm not good enough. I can't do this. Maybe I'm not cut out for this level of training."

But what if struggle just means your body is adapting? What if missing reps tells you something about your programming, your recovery, or your technique, rather than something permanent about your worth as a lifter?

When you shift from "I'm bad at this" to "This is hard right now, good I’ve gotten better at hard things my whole life” you take away the permanence of being bad. You recognize it is only temporary. You confirm that you will get better over time with intentional practice and effort. You start problem-solving instead of catastrophizing. You make adjustments instead of giving up.

A missed squat doesn't mean you're a bad squatter. It means something in your training, recovery, or execution needs attention. That's diagnostic information you can use.

Recognizing Your Own Limiting Narratives

Most limiting beliefs operate below conscious awareness. You've repeated them so often they feel like truth. Here's how to spot them:

Listen for absolute statements about yourself. "I always bomb squats at meets." "I never recover well from heavy deadlifts." "I can't get stronger without gaining weight." These all-or-nothing statements are red flags.

Notice when you make predictions about future performance based on past struggles. Just because you missed depth on squats last month doesn't mean you'll miss it today. Past performance is data, not destiny. Seek out the challenge in being contrary to those past performances and always striving to improve upon them.

Pay attention to the stories you tell other people about your training. How do you describe yourself as a lifter? What explanations do you give for your struggles? These narratives shape not just how others see you, but how you see yourself.

Watch for the language of inability rather than the language of process. "I can't" versus "I haven't yet" represents fundamentally different orientations toward your potential.

Reframing the Narrative

Changing limiting beliefs isn't about positive thinking or lying to yourself. It's about replacing unhelpful stories with more accurate, useful ones.

Instead of "I suck at bench press," try "My bench press is a work in progress. I'm building the technique and strength it requires."

Instead of "I need to conserve energy," try "This is training and it is the time to push myself and make my body perform under fatigue.”

Instead of "I can't handle volume," try "My work capacity is developing. I'm building the conditioning that makes volume sustainable and improve my ability to do more."

Notice the difference? These reframes acknowledge reality (your bench needs work, volume is challenging) while opening the door to progress rather than closing it.

The Practice of Try Trying

There's a concept that matters more than almost anything else in training: the willingness to actually try.

Not just show up. Not just go through the motions. Actually try.

Many lifters have convinced themselves they're trying hard when they're really just managing effort to avoid failure. They stop one rep short. They back off when things get uncomfortable. They protect themselves from the possibility of not being enough.

But growth lives in that uncomfortable space where you might fail. Progress requires the willingness to find out what you're actually capable of, not what your limiting narratives tell you you're capable of.

When you change the story from "I can't" to "I'm building the capacity to," you give yourself permission to try trying. You show up to volume work ready to build conditioning rather than prove you can't handle it. You approach your weak lift as a skill to develop rather than a permanent limitation.

This shift in narrative doesn't just feel better. It produces different results.

Getting Support for the Mental Game

Here's the thing about limiting narratives: they're hard to see from inside your own head. You've been telling yourself these stories for so long they feel like objective truth rather than changeable beliefs.

This is where coaching becomes valuable in ways that go beyond programming.

A good coach can spot the limiting narratives you can't see in yourself. They can point out when you're holding back, when you're catastrophizing normal training struggles, when your self-talk is undermining your physical work.

They can help you reframe struggles as diagnostic information rather than personal failure. They can challenge the stories that keep you small while supporting the development of your actual potential.

Most importantly, they can hold a bigger vision of what you're capable of while you're building the belief in yourself to match it.

Your Next Step

If you recognize yourself in these patterns, start by simply noticing your self-talk. What stories are you telling yourself about your training? About your lifts? About your capacity to handle hard work?

Write them down. Look at them on paper. Ask yourself: Is this story helping me progress, or is it keeping me stuck?

Then start experimenting with reframing. Not fake positivity, but honest, process-oriented narratives that leave room for growth.

And if you're struggling to do this work alone, that's exactly what coaching is for. The mental game isn't separate from the physical game. Your mindset is part of your training just like your programming is.

At Osborn Performance Systems, we work with lifters on both the physical and mental aspects of getting stronger. If you're ready to challenge the narratives holding you back and find out what you're actually capable of, reach out. We'd be glad to help.

The difference between where you are and where you could be might just be the story you're telling yourself about your potential. Change the story, change the outcome.

Ready to reframe your training narrative? Contact us at opsgym.com to discuss coaching options.