It's true, azza, lots of people - women especially - underestimate what they can do physically.
The classic one for me is when they do it and
still say they can't. I was doing bent-over db rows (just 25kg, that's the biggest dumbell in my gym!) and this guy in his 20s with shot-put shoulders (from his zillions of dumbell exercises) and a flat chest came up, I've seen him around for months.
"What's that you're doing?"
I told him how it was done and what it was for. "Give it a go."
"Oh no I couldn't do that weight."
"Mate you have shoulders like shotputs, give it a go."
He bent over and pulled it in for eight good reps. "No it's too much."
"Try the other arm."
Same again. "No I can't do that."
"But you just did!"
He walked away shaking his head.
I've seen him there since May, the guy is the same size and strength as then. Yesterday I saw him again and gave him some advice about dips (he was going right down below parallel, good way to screw your shoulders). He asked what workout I was doing, I told him what and why, he was backing away as I spoke, off to do dumbell lateral raises with the same 7.5kg dumbells he was using in May. He never does bench or full chins, don't even ask about squats or deadlifts. On the plus side, he was at the Smith machine using the bar to do prone pullups, so that's something.
I see quite a lot of guys who are more muscular than me in arms and back, and not really big guys overall, messing around on the assisted chins machine. It's right near the squat rack which is also one of the chins bars, I always say, "You're pretty strong, you should be able to do this, give it a go." They always say no.
I don't understand it. There are lots of things I can't do, and lots of weights I can't lift. How do I know? I tried and failed. But I will try again anyway.
Lots of people don't have that attitude. And so they spend months or years sweating in the gym and nothing happens, nothing changes. It's sad. Fair enough if you are happy as you are and want to just maintain it, it's the ones who
want to change but
keep doing the same stuff that freak me out.
"No, I can't do that."