Barbell Safety

[stef]

by Matt Reynolds, with William McNeely

"At 8pm, on the night of July 28, 2014, my cousin Kenny was bench pressing alone in an empty, unsupervised corporate gym on a Smith Machine when something went terribly wrong...My family cannot be saved from tragedy, but I hope by writing this article, yours may be. There is a correct way to safely spot and perform the barbell lifts, even when lifting alone. This is my practical guide on how to do so."

Article

[jimk]

Stef,

Would love to post this in my corporate gym, where nobody spots anyone or uses safety pins and everyone collars the bar while bench pressing. As the article is copyrighted, how can I get permission from the Aasgard company to do so?

Thanks.

[bluebutton]

My condolences to the family and thanks for the useful write up.

[bustermonkey2]

Matt- I'm very sorry for your loss. This is an extremely important topic as too many lifters fail to recognize the dangers of safely lifting alone. I myself did some volume work on bench last week by myself, while unspotted and not in a power rack, and came close to not completing the last rep. I had cut my rest time intervals very short due to time constraints which made it much harder than anticipated. Although I got it up, it scared me quite a bit. I know better than that and it isn't worth the risk. I should have foregone the last set until another day or taken the time to set up in the power rack. I hope that your article opens the eyes of the lifters on the importance of safe lifting.

[Aslin]

A great article that's refreshed what I've picked up through the books and other resources over the years. Thank you.

My condolences.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Would love to post this in my corporate gym, where nobody spots anyone or uses safety pins and everyone collars the bar while bench pressing. As the article is copyrighted, how can I get permission from the Aasgard company to do so?

Print it and hang it up it everywhere and anywhere you want to. The more the better. Link to it on your website on FB page. Just don't republish it on your website.

[Adam Skillin]

Print it and hang it up it everywhere and anywhere you want to. The more the better. Link to it on your website on FB page. Just don't republish it on your website.

Required reading at my condo loft gym starting tomorrow. Great article. Wish it had come under better circumstances.

[Rockfella]

Condolences to the family. I am so glad I invested in a power rack.