squats

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debrag12
debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so maybe I am wrong here, but I have always been told to face the bar when racking/un racking.
I have seen one guy at my gym with his back to the bar therefore racking 'blind', also today a trainer was working with 2 ladies and he had them do the same thing. He also had the bar set up outside the power rack and having them lift their max weight with no safety bars etc He in fact placed his own arms below one ladies, I can only assume so that if she failed and dropped the bar it would land on his arms.
Is this normal practice, maybe I just getting it all wrong.

Replies

  • Mayor_West
    Mayor_West Posts: 246 Member
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    I've seen some people do squats this way and even though I'd never dream of doing it, more power to them. I don't see any benefit at all, especially with heavier weights.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Reracking blind seems to have no upside to me.

    As to setting the bar up outside the rack: oly lifters often back squat and/or front squat from just a couple of stands without safeties. But they're pretty good at dumping a bar. In any case, lets hope the girls squat max is below the trainer's curl max...
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
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    So it's not wrong just different (back to bar not racking outside rack).
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited July 2015
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    jimmmer wrote: »
    Reracking blind seems to have no upside to me.

    As to setting the bar up outside the rack: oly lifters often back squat and/or front squat from just a couple of stands without safeties. But they're pretty good at dumping a bar. In any case, lets hope the girls squat max is below the trainer's curl max...

    It wasn't really the whole setting up outside the rack more the now safety for newbie and the whole blind racking.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    debrag12 wrote: »
    jimmmer wrote: »
    Reracking blind seems to have no upside to me.

    As to setting the bar up outside the rack: oly lifters often back squat and/or front squat from just a couple of stands without safeties. But they're pretty good at dumping a bar. In any case, lets hope the girls squat max is below the trainer's curl max...

    It wasn't really the whole setting up outside the rack more the now safety for newbie and the whole blind racking.

    Yeah, I'd be happy to squat outside a rack and dump a bar. It's not ideal and things can go wrong, but if you're not maxing out, you'll more than likely be ok.

    I wouldn't be happy about reracking blind though. If you're inside the rack, you might as well make full use of it as safely as possible and stepping backwards fatigued after a set of hard squats seems an unacceptable risk to me. Best to be stepping backwards with a loaded bar when you're still fresh before the set, if you see what I mean.

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