Every single weightlifter has had that one session that did not go their way at all. Whether practising with dumbbells at home or lifting Olympic bumper plates during a competition meet, something is not clicking, and you are not able to get the form or strength that you know you are capable of.

Some weightlifters talk about “bombouts”, and whilst they can apply to almost any part of life, they are especially common in the all-or-nothing world of competitive weightlifting.

A bombout can be really discouraging, but it is also a natural part of any fitness journey; it can often help people to bounce back even stronger, as long as they reflect and take the right lessons away from their experience.

What Is A Bombout?

In its broadest sense, a bombout is any failure in a competition, or simply to fail to complete something you endeavoured to do, but given that you either lift a weight or you don’t in weightlifting, the definition is a little bit more specific.

The classical definition of a weightlifting bombout is to fail every single one of your scheduled lifts. Under Olympic (and thus most competition) rules, you get three attempts at the snatch and three at the clean and jerk, so a bombout is failing six total official lifts and failing to place entirely.

In some cases, the term is used to imply a serious relative drop in performance. Mark Henry, a highly decorated American weightlifter who had held a number of world records in powerlifting for 30 years, famously bombed out during the 1996 Summer Olympics due to an unfortunately timed back injury.

Outside of competition, a bombout in weightlifting is when an athlete fails to complete a lift that they know they can do or has to pull out of a routine that they know they can succeed at on any other day.

Why Do They Happen?

Bombouts can happen for a variety of reasons, but they are a completely natural part of any fitness journey. We do not gain strength on a linear path; there will be days where we plateau, and even days when we seem to go backwards.

There are a lot of different reasons for a bombout, which range from weaknesses, injuries and microtears, to mental blocks, strategic errors or technical issues with form.

Weightlifting is often conceptualised as a battle between yourself and the weight, and a big reason why they are so common at competitive meets is perhaps that it is the most all-or-nothing of any athletic discipline.

The record will not show any of the reasons why the barbell did not leave the ground and remain hoisted aloft according to the rules of the particular lift; it will only show success and failure.

Sometimes it can be a question of mentality; some lifters worry more about avoiding failure than succeeding, and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, particularly if they overthink the technical aspects of lifts like the clean-and-jerk.

Meanwhile, there is a strategic element when it comes to working out more generally and competition lifting specifically, and in many cases of bombouts, the cause is simply choosing a difficult starting weight and being unable to lift it three times. 

As you cannot lower a competition weight if you fail it, that means that the first decision you make can lead to a bombout.

What Can You Learn From A Bombout?

There is a saying that is often credited to Nelson Mandela, that you never actually lose; you either win or you learn. A bombout can be devastating, particularly when you are just starting out, but there is so much to learn from every single one that can help you become a better lifter going forward.

Whilst the statistics will not display the reason for a failed lift, reflect on what happened and figure out why it might be. Typically, the cause is physical, mental, technical or strategic, so we can work on each of them in order.

Physical weakness is about following the fundamentals of muscle-building; train hard, eat clean and rest well to allow the body and the mind to build itself back up. If you are not sure of your strength when you start a competition meet or workout, gauge yourself before pushing yourself.

A lot of bombouts are caused by nerves, mental blocks or fears of failure. Try to shift from a mindset of avoiding failure to one of powering towards success. Focus on resilience and discipline, and do not let one mishap define you.

If you were disqualified for a form violation, find out exactly what the issue was and focus on your competition form during your next practices and workouts. Maintaining form not only will help you succeed, but also will help you avoid injury.

Finally, the opening lift, either during a workout or competition, is one of the most important decisions you can make. Make sure it is a lift you are confident you can do and practice all of its technical aspects and components to the point that you feel confident that you can succeed at it the majority of the time.