Choosing a random spotter

Kie_Hughes

So we all have days when we have to train on our own as our gym partner is in work or occupied elsewhere. But today is the day you need help more than ever. It's chest day and if u don't get this heavy set out then u mentally torture yourself that your weaker today than you was the previous week so you have to get the set out. You realise you need to pick a random spotter out the gym and just from looking round it doesn't look good which affects my confidence. I start an elimination process of if the bar on the flat bench comes down on me are they doing a somersault and following the bar down resulting in them both landing on top of me? I eventually pick someone after a 2 minute debate of heavy breathing and fidgeting and approach them cautiously with "hey mate, you give us a touch with this?" What does everyone else do in this situation?

BalletAndBarbells

2 options:
1) bench in the squat rack with the safety rails of the rack set just above chest height so you can bench a full rep close to you chest but if you lose control the bar will rest on the rails and therefore not crush you! This pisses people off if the gym is busy and they want the squat rack for squats but is the safest option.
2) Take the clips off the bar so that if you feel wobbly on a rep you can push up with one arm and drop the weights to the side, the weights fall off the end you drop this making the bar much lighter! Usually one side struggles more than the other so this works but is risky if you completely lose power in both arms on a heavy bench!

I never ask for a spot but occasionally guys offer to help me since I'm a girl!

jimmmer

debsbiggs wrote: »

2 options:
1) bench in the squat rack with the safety rails of the rack set just above chest height so you can bench a full rep close to you chest but if you lose control the bar will rest on the rails and therefore not crush you! This pisses people off if the gym is busy and they want the squat rack for squats but is the safest option.
2) Take the clips off the bar so that if you feel wobbly on a rep you can push up with one arm and drop the weights to the side, the weights fall off the end you drop this making the bar much lighter! Usually one side struggles more than the other so this works but is risky if you completely lose power in both arms on a heavy bench!

I never ask for a spot but occasionally guys offer to help me since I'm a girl!

^This

Home bencher. Never had a spot. No training partner. No problemo.

Kie_Hughes

Ha ha I like your logic. The squat rack is always in use so that would definitely piss people off.

I don't think leaving the clips off would go down well either because if I dropped 50kg upwards to one side I'd probably get catapulted across the gym by the other side ha ha.

BalletAndBarbells

See I'm a girl just getting going on the lifting front so I can only bench 50kg and therefore I would only be dropping 15kg and some of the weight of the bar! I have tried it because I need to feel confident that I can fail a rep without hurting myself!

jimmmer

Kie_Hughes wrote: »

Ha ha I like your logic. The squat rack is always in use so that would definitely piss people off.

I don't think leaving the clips off would go down well either because if I dropped 50kg upwards to one side I'd probably get catapulted across the gym by the other side ha ha.

I set the pins an inch or two above chest height in the rack.

Basically, once I've set up my arch, my chest is above the level of the safeties, so i can bench normally in a full ROM.

If things go south and my back flattens against the bench, I'm saved. I'll be p***ed off that I missed a rep, but I'll still be alive...

Kie_Hughes

jimmmer wrote: »

Kie_Hughes wrote: »

Ha ha I like your logic. The squat rack is always in use so that would definitely piss people off.

I don't think leaving the clips off would go down well either because if I dropped 50kg upwards to one side I'd probably get catapulted across the gym by the other side ha ha.

I set the pins an inch or two above chest height in the rack.

Basically, once I've set up my arch, my chest is above the level of the safeties, so i can bench normally in a full ROM.

If things go south and my back flattens against the bench, I'm saved. I'll be p***ed off that I missed a rep, but I'll still be alive...

100% with you there. I hate missing a rep through failure and fatigue

Kie_Hughes

debsbiggs wrote: »

See I'm a girl just getting going on the lifting front so I can only bench 50kg and therefore I would only be dropping 15kg and some of the weight of the bar! I have tried it because I need to feel confident that I can fail a rep without hurting myself!

We all begin somewhere but it's the knowledge that we pick up along the way that helps us to succeed. I ain't no pro but I'm happy to receive advice as well as give it.

Willbenchforcupcakes

I don't miss those days. These days it's grab a coach to spot me or a teammate. It's a rare day when I need a spot and can't get one from someone who knows me.

Kie_Hughes

Iron_Miss_Canada wrote: »

I don't miss those days. These days it's grab a coach to spot me or a teammate. It's a rare day when I need a spot and can't get one from someone who knows me.

If only I had a team mate or a coach there whenever I needed a spot. Random spotters would become a thing of the past

Willbenchforcupcakes

Kie_Hughes wrote: »

Iron_Miss_Canada wrote: »

I don't miss those days. These days it's grab a coach to spot me or a teammate. It's a rare day when I need a spot and can't get one from someone who knows me.

If only I had a team mate or a coach there whenever I needed a spot. Random spotters would become a thing of the past

The thing is, I trust metal more than people. So I keep my safeties up and can unrack and bench all the way up to my max by myself. I only grab a spot when my bar speed is dropping too much and I more want someone telling me to reset and tighten my back between reps.