You spot like a jackass
Don’t take it personal, you’re just like everyone else cause they spot like a jackass too.
Plain and simple, 99% of people spot wrong. Yes, even the guy at the gym who goes around not really lifting but spotting everyone:
DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING…
In reality there are only 3 ways to spot someone:
- At the wrists/ hands for dumbbells
- Around the ribcage/ chest for squatting
- At the middle of the bar
#1. Spotting Dumbbells
Ever seen this before?
I know you have because that’s how the vast majority of people think you’re supposed to spot dumbbell exercises.
Hell, some of the certifications even teach it that way…but it’s stupid and dangerous.
Rememeber: You only need a spot to stay safe, not to lift the weight.
The danger with a dumbbell is that the lifter will lose the “bar path” the dumbbells will come out of line and head towards the face.
Quick Story from one of the first conferences I ever went to:
Tim Kontos (Head Strength Coach VCU): Teach your athletes to press the weight over their chests. Never allow your athletes to press the weight over their face.
Q: Why?
Tim Kontos: Because they suck and if they press weight over their face and screw up, which they will, they die.
So you’re going to stop someones face getting crushed by….Pushing On Their Elbows?…..
See my point?
If anything pushing on the elbows while someone is struggling will only make things worse and push them more out of the “bar path”.
What you should do: Spot at the Wrists.
Pic Stolen from Tony Gentlicore, click it.
Spotting at the wrists gives you, the spotter, some level of CONTROL over what’s going on when things go wrong.
If the dumbbells leave the correct “bar path” spotting at the wrists allows the spotter to “lock in” to the lifter and help the lifter control the weight, ride it down or lock it out and get out of trouble.
#2. Spotting the Squat
This is bad…
Whats bad here?
HANDS ON THE WAIST!
Here’s the truth: Spotting someone with your hands on their waist is worthless…
Hands on the waist gives you NO CONTROL over the lifter and more importantly, if the lifter gets into trouble, spotting at the waist is only going to make the situation worse. (See a pattern here?)
Here’s why: 99% of the time when someone fails in the squat it’s because they’ve “fallen forward”.
Usually this means the hips are shooting up out of the bottom faster than the shoulders which are not moving up but forward, and the lifter ends up like this.
Chest is waaay forward for the hips to be that high.
Now what do you think happens when you grab them at the waist and pull up?
DING! DING! DING!
You make the situation worse, the lifter gets “pulled up” and the shoulders/ hip angle gets further away from vertical and closer to horizontal.
This isn’t helping the lifter remain safe, it’s increasing the chance they will get hurt.
What you should do: Spot the squat by going under the chest/ ribcage and being able to lock into the lifter.
This gives you a LOT of control over the lifter if they should fail on the lift or get out of the groove too far. This position allows both of you to save the lift and more importantly keep the lifter and spotter safe.
Really good video that explains this from Diesel Crew:
#3. Spotting the Bench Press
After the liftoff..
Don’t:
- Hover over the bar.
- Stick your fore fingers out, put them under the bar and ride it up.
- Keep your hands on the bar the whole time.
- Touch the bar unless given the “safe word” or the bar moves down.
- Yell needless shit like “All YOU” at me.
- Grab the bar before I lock it out and “help” me rack it.
What I want you to do.
- Get the hell away from the bar.
That’s it.
If I give you the “safe word” or the bar moves down, grab that sh@t….other than that, stay away.
If you do have to grab the bar….GRAB IT…
None of that frat boy fingers under the bar or one hand in the middle bullshit…..that crap gets people hurt. Grab the bar with both of your hands and help me rack it.
Look at his hands, how’s he going to catch the bar if something bad happens? Hint: he’s not.
If you have to grab the bar, grip it as hard as possible immediately with both hands in an over/ under grip, just like you would for a heavy deadlift.
That grip gives you the most strength and control over the bar. <—-See the pattern yet?
One last word on spotting regardless of the lift….
As a lifter let the spotter know how many reps you’re going to do in the set and DO NOT DEVIATE!…
Don’t add a rep because you’re feeling extra strong.
If it’s a 3 rep set tell them it’s a 3 rep set and DO NOT TRY FOR A FOURTH.
If it’s an open-ended set, tell the spotter it’s a max reps set and you expect to get around whatever. Have an idea of what you can get beforehand. At least they’ll have a heads up as to what to expect and know when to expect things to go to hell.
Point is: Unless you’re unlucky Uri Geller is your spotter you have to communicate to the spotter what to expect, they MUST have at least some clue as to what’s going to happen.
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