Question for men who lift

I tend to mind my own business at the gym. It has worked for me well so far.

The question is what's best for the person who might need help, not for us.

Some people do get in deeper water than they can handle, so there's nothing wrong with offering help. If that feels awkward, just build a little rapport first.

Exactly what I said... goes both ways.

I wouldn't mind, having a spotter would be nice, I usually stick to dumbbells since i don't have a spotter

I would hope that I wouldn't be doing something stupid like trying to bench too much weight without having a spotter, otherwise it would just be a matter of Darwinism coming into play.

As far as the gender of the person spotting me, that is not an issue. At my gym there are some pretty badass women and they know what they are doing when it comes to lifting.

I personally wouldn't have a problem with you spotting or assisting me at all. I work out with several of the women in our gym and as a matter of fact many of them out lift me and I use that to my advantage. I particularly like to do squats with two of the gals because they make me work so much harder. About a year ago I would notice that they were pretty much squatting as much as me or at least very close so I decided to start squatting with them. I knew my male ego would add at least 10-15 pounds and I was right.
I am always inspired by the women in our gym. We cultivate that atmosphere where I work out. We insist that everybody leave their egos at the door.

Personally if I am on my last set and struggling, I will always ask for someone to spot. I feel like I need to get the last rep(s) in to complete the workout, or if I am on incline press, for example, it can be hard to get those dumbbells up at first, but after I'm good, so I'll ask if someone is next to me to help out.

As for someone asking me if I need a spot, I wouldn't be offended, but I think it is usually fairly obvious when someone NEEDS as spot. Some are too proud, but whatever, you're just being nice and lending a hand.

Always offer a spot if you think there's a chance the lifter will need one. It would be better to insult them than it would be for them to get trapped under a bar and possibly injured.

I train in my garage and have my kids spot me. They're not strong enough to get the bar off of me but one time I got stuck under a bench and my son ran back and forth stripping weights off the bar until I could rack it haha.

Such a sweet son! Agree with your point!

I could car less what gender is spotting me.

The few women at my gym that lift heavy can and have given me a spot as I have for them.

I noticed a guy struggling with his bench press yesterday. He looked like a beginner, because he was lifting less than I do(I'm still pretty much a beginner myself; been lifting for two months). I almost asked him if he wanted a spotter, but changed my mind at the last second. I thought he would feel insulted, having a chick offer to spot him.

My husband agreed with me, that it was a good thing I hadn't offered.
One of my fitness buddies(another chick) said it's better to have a spot than not, so next time I should offer.

Now I'm not so sure... Would you feel insulted? Or be grateful for the help?

I wouldn't have been insulted at all.


However.. most males would be.