Why You Should Always Have a Spotter to Help You Lift Weights
What is a spotter? A spotter is someone who watches you carefully whilst you are lifting free weights. If you don’t have a spotter and you slip, or your muscle snaps or gives way under the intense pressure, then you risk doing yourself some serious damage.
You could even kill yourself. This has actually happened and does so regularly!
Let me give you a couple of personal anecdotes.
When I was 16 I was performing some dumbbell pull-overs with 45Kg. I was lying with my back on a bench. It was stupid really, my triceps were dead from bench press, shoulder press and tricep extensions. But I had just accepted a bet.
It went ok until the 10th rep, and I got sloppy. My tricep suddenly gave way, it didn’t snap, just exhaustion, and the whole weight landed on my face. This caused the first weakness in my neck.
The second accident was just last year, some 20+ years later. I was bench pressing 65Kg, which isn’t a lot, but it was at a 45 degree angle. This time my shoulder popped out and it was only the muscle that stopped it completely giving way. Again, I nearly dropped the whole thing on my chest. I managed to roll it off and limp off to bed (it was late at night at home.)
In neither instance was a spotter watching what was happening.
A spotter will keep you safer that if you try to do it alone. He or she can also encourage you to go for that last rep or two. Imagine lying on a bench and you have just lowered the bar to your chest. You wouldn’t risk it if you thought it wasn’t going to go up again, eh? But with a spotter you can do that negative rep and they can help you lift it off again. More work, more growth.
If you don’t have a spotter available then you really are putting yourself at risk. A good alternative is to choose something like home multi-gym equipment. That means that if you do drop it, it will more than likely land safely.
June 02 2010 11:38 am | Exercises