Squat & Bench Check

[JStrong]

If you'd be so kind.

These are the 1 sets on 5-3-1. I decided in advance I'd get 3 reps on each. Bench was easier than I thought and squat was every bit as hard as I expected.

Bench 220 x 3. Set begins at 0:25.



Squat 350 x 3. Am I winking or is it the shorts? It feels ok. Set begins at 0:24.



Thanks in advance, my apologies for the lack of tighter editing--stupid iPhone.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Your bench spotter needs to be trained, but the bench presses were fine. Your knees are caving in badly in the squat.

[bpierce]

My wife and I are Novice SS'ers and she spots for me correctly. When she can't be there I hate asking other guys but I do....but there needs to be a spotter intervention. Even though I tell them what to do most seem to just ignore me and touch the bar or stand right over me in my line of sight anyways. Everything I read about poor spotting in the book was confirmed very quickly. Of course I am saying nothing everybody doesn't already know.

[kel]

My girlfriend spots me on bench and does a much better job than pretty much anybody in the gym. She had an exam and couldn't go at the same time as me on Monday, so I had to ask some random jackass. Big mistake, as even after I explained to him not to touch the bar unless I screamed for help, he got so close to the bench that his shorts were brushing my head and with every breath his shirt flew up.