Weight lifting without a spotter?

1. Next time don't bury the question in so many unneeded words.
2. Most exercises don't benefit from having a spotter. The three you listed, lunges, squats, and deadlifts particularly don't need a spotter. They have a squat rack or power rack that's 100000x better than the best spotter could ever be.
3. Why is being a bicep kissing dudebro something that prevents someone from being friendly and helpful? I'm a bicep kissing dudebro and I've never declined to help someone that asked. Your judgeyness is only slowing your own roll. Just because someone looks like you doesn't automatically make them friendlier than people that are different. Get out of your bubble

1. Next time don't bury the question in so many unneeded words.
2. Most exercises don't benefit from having a spotter. The three you listed, lunges, squats, and deadlifts particularly don't need a spotter. They have a squat rack or power rack that's 100000x better than the best spotter could ever be.
3. Why is being a bicep kissing dudebro something that prevents someone from being friendly and helpful? I'm a bicep kissing dudebro and I've never declined to help someone that asked. Your judgeyness is only slowing your own roll. Just because someone looks like you doesn't automatically make them friendlier than people that are different. Get out of your bubble

^ Every bit of this. Lighten up, walk up to a meathead, and ask for a spot. It's what we do. Hell, a few of us meatheads are actually married with kids and have jobs. Imagine that.

I spend a lot of time on the weight room floor talking about the chicks I plan to bang. Better not ask me for help.

LOL.


The only move that I really like to have a spotter on is bench press and I have no problem asking the "dudebros". Lunges and squats are done in a power rack with the safety bars set up at the correct height. The bar can roll of your shoulders to the back if you really get stuck. I'm not even sure how someone would spot a deadlift. You just put it down if you get stuck. Gravity is your spot.

that could be awkward....I can think of ways, but nothing that wouldn't be extremely awkward for both parties....

I spend a lot of time on the weight room floor talking about the chicks I plan to bang. Better not ask me for help.

LOL.


The only move that I really like to have a spotter on is bench press and I have no problem asking the "dudebros". Lunges and squats are done in a power rack with the safety bars set up at the correct height. The bar can roll of your shoulders to the back if you really get stuck. I'm not even sure how someone would spot a deadlift. You just put it down if you get stuck. Gravity is your spot.

Thanks! I did not know that those moves were done in a power rack. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and try it. It can be intimidating, I hear so many things about bad injuries.

watch some YouTube videos...ask someone to check your form...start out with less than you are capable of lifting and work on form first and then start adding weight. Form is important and will prevent injury. People who get injured generally have really ****ty form.

My standards are probably too low, but if someone is polite to my face and waits until I'm out of earshot to say horrible things about me, I couldn't care less. That's what I call civilized behavior. Call me whatever you want when I get around the corner, but as long as you help me get that weight up we be cool

What would you do in my situation? Stick to a workout in which a spotter isn't really required (with pneumatic exercise equipment), or risk lifting weights without a spotter? Suck it up and ask for a spotter anyway? Ugh.
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Maybe you could try asking one of the trainers to spot you if needed. The ones who walk the floor trolling for clients at my gym are always willing to help out

My trainer asked this guy if he'd spot me doing heavier weight for squats and his response was "umm...for her? no, I can't be trusted". And he was the only one she said I should trust. Now I'm like...what? Lighter weight I guess.

My best bet is that this guy "can't be trusted" to not hit on you or something. If you have one available, I'd use the power rack to spot you. It won't hit on you and can be trusted to weight limits that most of us would probably never reach!

As much as you don't want to ask the meatheads, please please please don't lift without a spotter. A man I know just recently died--they found him on the weight bench, with the barbell cutting off his air. He was only 24, and even thought he'd been lifting for years, he got cocky and thought he could do without a spotter. Don't risk it.

Can I just say I'm a 250+ lb female and I've never had a problem asking someone to spot me. Most guys and girls in the gym are focused on their workout, and I've maybe experienced one jerk in my 10 years of going to the gym. I think you're imagining things that aren't really there. I get that it can be intimidating, but they're just people. As for staring, I've seen some hot women in the gym and have looked...and I'm completely straight. It doesn't mean anything and it doesn't mean someone is a jerk because they look at something.

Oh, I really don't mind the looking. I do that too. We're all human after all.
I just have problems with misogynous comments and insults. You are right though, I might be imagining things. Not everyone can possibly be that "bad". Thank you for your encouragements, and congratulations on your weight loss!

Thanks and you too!

I lift and I've only used a spotter a few times, just never had access to one. Start with just the bar and increase from there, you'll learn soon enough to recognize when the weight is at your limit. Failing can happen squat racks have safety bars , deadlifts have the floor and bench worst comes to worst use the smith for it.
Who cares about the meat heads at the gym, you're doing this for you not them;)
check out vids online of what you want to do and if you're still uncomfortable book a couple of sessions with a trainer just to show you proper lift etc...

ETA: I may not be a guy but I surely check myself out when lifting byproduct of seeing muscles you never thought you had !

You shouldn't have any problems with spotters because first off, the only exercise that really is relatively necessary to have a spotter for in the gym is bench press. And secondly, you are a girl starting off, so you won't be doing much weight, which means just about anyone can keep the weight going, added to your pushing power. This assumes you are lifting responsibly (you don't go flaccid/limp when you cant quite do the weight and you dont pile on extra weight you have little chance/no experience moving to impress people do you?).

So, go ask some girl to spot you instead of a "dudebro". Frankly, I've had better luck with girls spotting me than average guys/ "dudebros". They have this propensity to not listen and lift too early/too late/not at all, do something strange like lean over and drip sweat on your face or pull back instead of up, or just try to show off that they are really strong and only lift with one hand off center, disbalancing you and not helping in effect or making the situation worse. I don't consider the more serious/experienced lifters "dudebros", they can obviously be the best spotters, they can both admire their biceps and know when to give a little or a lot of help and give encouragement at the same time. Girls tend to take the weight seriously, listen, and only lift a little, just like a spotter should. Plus again, if you are lifting responsibly, you shouldn't be doing a weight that cant be moved with a relatively small additional force (barring a catastrophic failure). I used to have a 120lb girl spot me when I was doing 425lb bench and really was the best help of any non-powerlifter I had spot me. And that was only because she didnt have the muscle power to encourage me to go past my limits and do negatives and catch the weight if I had a larger failure.

Use machines....resisitance is resistance.your body can't tell if u are pushing a car or pushing a house. With machines, u don't need a spotter. What is more important is making sure u allow your body the rest and time it needs to grow back stronger. The amount of time varies from people to people. You would to experiment.