On Spotting Bench Press
** The bench press is the most dangerous barbell lift. *The safest way to do them is in the power rack with the safeties set high enough to keep the bar off of the lifters neck. *They can be done this way without a spotter. *Frequently though the power rack will be in use and the lifter will have to use the bench press station. *If strong lifters are in the area the person doing the benching should ask one of them for a spot. *Frequently there won't be anyone in the gym strong enough to lift the bar off the lifter. *
Can a smaller person safely spot a heavy bench press? Here are some tips to make it as safe as possible:
** Determine what kind of "spot" is being requested. *Some lifters think of benching as a team sport and will deliberately use weights that they are not strong enough to lift. * When you hear a spotter say "it's all you bro" it usually isn't. *Do not spot these efforts. *If they have no idea how much they can lift on their own ask them to work up to a weight with some lighter efforts until the bar slows down or assistance is needed. *The last weight the lifter successfully completes on their own is a safe weight for the lifter / spotter system. *Also, if the lifter is not strong enough to unrack the bar on their own,they should probably use a lighter weight. "Hand offs" should not be necessary and are a point of failure that can be avoided.
** When a lifter is programming intelligently like this the spotter should only be needed to help with the last rep of the set and should only have to take a few pounds off of the bar. *The lifter and spotter should stay with the attempt until the bar is racked.
** Discourage unsafe practices like a thumbless (suicide) grip. *If the bar slips out of the lifters hands even a strong and alert spotter will probably not be able to catch the bar in time to keep it from hitting the lifter. *The worst of all possible worlds is a lifter using the suicide grip for the decline bench press where the bar is held directly over the neck. *Yes, this goes on in our gym! *Dips are a much safer and better exercise than decline bench press. *Also, encourage the lifter to lock their arms out before moving the bar over the neck area.
** If the above practices are observed there will only rarely be a problem. *There is a remote chance that the bar will slip out of the lifters grip or even of the lifter passing out. *In these cases the bar is going to land on the lifter (and I hope they weren't on the decline bench!) *So what happens now? *If collars are being used the spotter has to call for help and wait... or remove the collars and let the plates slide off the end of the bar by tipping one end of the bar up and getting out of the way when the load shifts after plates slide off the *other end. *This is why collars should not be used. *It is not the safest practice. *A lifter can usually get the bar off of themselves if they can tip the bar slightly and allow the plates to slide but every year someone lifting alone in their basement or garage dies from being pinned (there are usually many things wrong in those scenarios)