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Spotting
is an important aspect of weightlifting safety,
yet it's not something that is ever taught to
gymgoers. Having a spotter gives you security
and a little extra help to push yourself harder.
Here
are some guidelines and rules-of-thumb, both for
spotters and for lifters, that will make you a
much better (and much safer) spotter.
1.
Ask how the person you are spotting wants to be
spotted. Some people, when doing dumbell exercises
such as the bench press, prefer to be spotted
at the elbows by pushing up from underneath with
their elbows in your palms, while others prefer
the wrists (pulling up on them). Neither way is
necessarily right or wrong, it is a matter of
preference.
2.
Determine the rep range the person is going to
be working in. If you start spotting at five reps
and they're doing ten, you've just ruined a set.
If, on the other hand, you had to start spotting
at five and they said ten, they may be expecting
another five forced reps out of you.
3.
Never take the weight away from the person (unless
they really need it taken away for safety reasons).
This is especially true on barbell exercises when
you're spotting on the bar. Do not pull or push
so hard on the bar (unless they ask) that it takes
the tension off the muscles. Good spotting means
you just add enough force to keep the bar moving.
When spotting exercises such as curls, spot by
placing your hands under the lifters hands and
pushing up on their hands rather than lifting
on the bar itself. This will ensure you don't
take the weight away as you spot.
4.
Find out if the person is going to do any set
extension techniques, e.g. negatives, drop sets,
forced reps, etc. You should know exactly what's
going on so you can be prepared for it. You don't
want to mistake an intensity technique for muscular
failure that requires a spot.
5.
Don't scream encouragement at the person without
first making sure they want that kind of thing.
It can be very distracting and not everyone likes
it or needs it.
6.
When spotting on bench press, be sure to wipe
the sweat off your face beforehand so you don't
drip on the person during their set (not a nice
thing to experience). Also, don't lean over them
excessively. This can be distracting.
7.
As well on bench, ask if the person wants help
lifting the bar off the rack. Also, do not spot
with one arm in a sort of one arm deadlift. This
is a poor balance point and the pull is often
uneven. This unbalancing can cause failure for
the person lifting the weight.
8.
Spot around the waist on squats, not on the bar.
Lower yourself as they go down and follow them
up. Help them rack the bar if they need help but
never push them forward if they're not ready to
move.
9.
When it is possible for you to spot yourself (e.g.
1 arm exercises, standing on a chair for chins,
etc.), do it. You know better then anyone how
much help you need. On the other hand, if you
have a tendency to go easy on yourself and bail
out too soon, get a spotter to force you to work.
10.
When spotting on dumbell bench press, do not push
inward on the elbows or the dumbells may cave
in on their chest. Always push up.
11.
There are exercises where you shouldn't spot people,
e.g. deadlifts, hyperextensions, crunches, power
cleans, etc. If someone asks you to spot them
on these, politely decline.
12.
Sometimes a person may ask you to hand them a
dumbell on exercises like dumbell bench, incline
presses, shoulder presses, etc. Pick up the dumbell
with your hands on the weight plate, not the handle
itself. If you pick the weight up by the handle
and try to hand it over that way, you and the
lifter will have to try and somehow trade hand
positions on the handle before they can lift the
weight. This is not safe at all even with light
weights but especially with maximal weights. An
easy way to lift a heavy dumbell up to your shoulder
level so you can hand it over is to pick it up
first on the outside of the plates with both hands,
then deadlift it to a standing position. Now rest
the handle of the dumbell on one of your thighs,
kick that leg up, throwing the dumbell up to your
upper chest. Set it in their hand from there.
13.
On some machines such as the pec deck, for example,
it is better to spot by lifting the weight stack
itself (watch your hands!). This keeps the tension
on the muscle far better during the set. Do not
place your hands underneath the plates, however.
Just grasp the weight plates on the sides and
push up to help. This should only be used for
light help, not for full-power forced reps.
14.
When using two spotters (e.g. for heavy squats
or bench), have one at each end of the bar and
ensure they pull up simultaneously. An unbalanced
load can mean trouble.
15.
If you need a spotter on every set of every exercise
you do, you are either working too hard or not
hard enough. On one hand, doing too many forced
reps will rapidly overtrain you, while on the
other hand, letting the spotter do much of the
work will prevent progress. Try doing a few sets
completely on your own (without any spot at all)
to see if you are actually doing all the work.
It is not good to be overly dependent on spotting
outside of what is necessary for safety reasons.
If you can't lift the weight by yourself then
you shouldn't be doing it at all. The exception
to this is negative training and legitimate forced
reps.
16.
A good spotting technique is the finger spot.
If, for example, you are spotting someone on bench
press and the bar is slowing down and almost stopped,
use only your two index fingers underneath the
bar. This is often more of a mental boost for
the lifter than an actual spot. At this point,
apply just enough pressure to keep the bar moving.
If the fingers aren't enough, grip the bar and
continue to help just enough to keep it moving.
This will make the lifter do much more of the
work themselves. They'll either love your spotting
or never ask you to do it again!
17.
When spotting, ease up as the lifter moves past
the sticking point and into the stronger range
of motion. For example, when spotting on bench,
help just through the sticking point, then, as
the leverage improves, reduce your help as the
bar comes up, letting up completely as the bar
comes to the top. To increase the value of the
set, you may even want to lean on the bar a little
as it comes to the top (check with your lifter
first before doing this). This will help increase
lockout power.
18.
If you see someone struggling with a weight, don't
run over and yank the weight up. This can be dangerous
for the trainer and tends to make people angry.
Make your presence known but don't help until
the trainer signals you for help. If you see someone
being crushed under a bench press, however, that
is when you should run over and help without asking.
19.
When spotting, focus all your attention on the
set, no matter who walks by or who talks to you.
You are responsible for ensuring the safety of
the lifter.
20.
Don't spot until it is absolutely necessary. The
most productive part of a set is near the end
where the lifter is struggling with the weight.
By helping too soon, you will reduce the effectiveness
of the set.
21.
Don't base the amount weight you use totally on
the strength of your spotter. You should be using
your own strength for your sets. This is not to
say you shouldn't have a strong spotter, though.
Another exception is dumbell spotting where the
spotter must hand the weight to you. Obviously,
you'll need to find someone strong enough to be
able to do that effectively.
22.
Machines that have foot levers to help you get
the weight into position can be used to spot yourself.
If you can get the coordination right, you can
use the lever to catapult the weight out of the
bottom position.
23.
Spotting is okay for beginners learning form and
limitations but only for safety, not for excess
reps. This is one of the major mistakes beginning
trainers make when starting a training program.
Overuse of forced reps, i.e. unnecessary spotting,
can lead to burnout and excessive soreness. In
these cases, spotting should only be used to keep
the lifter safe, not to push them harder.
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As
you can see, there's more to spotting than simply
pulling on a bar or pushing on the elbows. A good
spot should maximize the results and safety of
the lifter.
Remember
these guidelines the next time someone asks you
for a spot or the next you ask someone else for
a spot!
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