Spotting
Barbell Buzz by Tim Caso
Barbell Buzz by Tim Caso
This ‘ n ’ That
I thought I ’ d go off “ the beaten path ” and talk to you about are often overlooked yet will enhance your fitness and safety in the gym .
Spotting , like any other practice in the gym , is an important skill . I learned this early on in my weight lifting career and was fortunate enough to have experienced lifters show me the ropes . Since then , I can ’ t tell you how many cringe-worthy examples of one-lifter-trying-to-make-sure-the-other-lifter-doesn ’ t-getinjured sometimes known as “ spotting ” that I ’ ve encountered . Probably the most egregious example of this is when one well-meaning gym-mate stands behind the lifter with his arms under the lifter ’ s armpits as that person is squatting . Question : do you really think that , if the lifter loses his balance or simply collapses under the load , that the “ spotter ” will be able to catch both the weight and the lifter and pull him to safety ? Unless he ’ s being spotted by Captain America or The Hulk , you can count on an accident . A better way : when a lifter is squatting , have two capable assistants stand on either side of the lifter with their hands clasped tightly and held right underneath each end of the bar . The spotters will maintain this hand position as the lifter goes through his repetitions . If the lifter should fail for any reason , the spotters are right there to catch the weight . Another key is to always ask the lifter how many reps he will be attempting . If you are the lifter , be sure to tell your spotters what you intend to do . A great example of this coming together was when my training partner was squatting heavy and was going to attempt 455 for ten reps . He made nine and a half . No worries – we had one spotter on either side ( I was one of them ), and we caught the weight and pulled it and him up . One final note : in a situation like this , always keep your hands on the bar and guide ( as opposed to push ) it back to the rack .
Chained to Your Work
I ’ ll admit that I was a bit skeptical about incorporating chains into my routine . The theory of attaching chains to the barbell is that the bar would be lighter on the way down while gradually becoming heavier on the way up . Yeah , yeah , yeah . I was very old-school , a bit parochial in my thinking , and “ we ” ( a reference to old my Olympic Lifting club ) never used them – and we were really , really good . So , my close-minded thinking went , how good could chains be ? However , that old Mikey commercial ( you know : “ try it , you ’ ll like it ”) kept ringing in my ears . So , finally , I broke down , went to Home Depot and bought the heaviest gauge chain I could find . I was scheduled to bench press that night so I rigged the chain to my bar and hoped for the best . Of course , thinking the whole time that “ this is really stupid .” Guess what ? It turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks ! It was great and a completely different “ feel ” to the lift ! Even though I didn ’ t go particularly heavy , I felt sore the next day . It takes a little getting used to , and I would only recommend it to someone who ’ s been lifting for a while . But , who knows ? Try it , maybe you ’ ll like it !
Steel Notes Magazine 25