Adjusting Spotter Arm Height from Ground

[icu222much]

I'm looking to purchase a half rack so I can squat and bench press in the garage. When I bench press I like to puff up my chest a bit and create a slight arch in my back before benching. I also like to bring the bar down to my chest. As I will be bench pressing alone I figured I will definitely need a pair of Spotter Arms. I am wondering if there is any way to adjust the exact height of the Spotter Arms so I can bring the bar down to my slightly raised chest but not so far down that I will crush my chest if I do fail my rep?

EDIT - I plan to position the Spotter Arms at a height between my chest and my neck. My concern is how would I adjust the height of the Spotter Arms if the holes on the rack doesn't allow the Spotter Arms to be positioned exactly where I need them to be.

[boxer_for_life]

You’d place the spotter arms below your chest to not interfere during presses, but higher than your neck so you can fail a lift towards your neck and slide your head out while the bar rests on the spotter arms.

Your need to test for optimal location with an unloaded barbell. You can mark the spotter arm height on the uprights for future reference if the uprights don’t have numbers.

[icu222much]

You’d place the spotter arms below your chest to not interfere during presses, but higher than your neck so you can fail a lift towards your neck and slide your head out while the bar rests on the spotter arms.

I plan to do what you suggested but I'm worried that the holes on the rack are not spaced closely enough to position the arms at the correct height.

[radrd]

I plan to do what you suggested but I'm worried that the holes on the rack are not spaced closely enough to position the arms at the correct height.

This is a possibility and you have to just try and see. That said, I didn't have an issue finding a good height with 3" hole spacing and most racks have 2" spacing. If you're really worried about it, find a rack with 1" Westside spacing. Here's an example:

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-hr-2-half-rack

Personally, I think 2" is enough and 1" would be annoying. Very easy to be off a hole.

[daniel327]

Your ribs are flexible and can cope with an impact from a failed lift. Just set the safety bars at the next hole below your chest height.

[RestoringTally]

My rack has holes that are 3" apart. I have two boards that are 1" (3/4" actually) thick that I place under my flat bench. This allows me to have my spotter bars at a height that I am comfortable with. If you are worried about your feet being further from the ground, use a piece of plywood.

Our ribs may be flexible, but 3" is a big difference between not being able to touch your chest to bruising your ribs.

[Lifts4longevity]

I'm just finishing up the safety arms for my new squat rack and I added 1/4" UHMW material on the top and outside of the safety arms, but I also have strips of 1/2" stall mat that I cut to shim the bar up if needed.

I am still designing the bar stops on the end of the safeties, so I haven't decided how to easily add/remove the strips of stall mat just yet. I have a few ideas though. You could easily add UHMW, plywood strips, aluminum strips, or even hose/tubing/bushings (etc) over the barbell shaft itself to shim the bar up off the safeties.

Also, if your rack doesn't have 1" Westside hole spacing, you can always layout and drill a hole between the factory holes, just in the single spot where you need the safeties for benching. A cheap home drill press would be best, but if you're ambitious (and careful!), you could drill 4 holes by hand w/ a holesaw or a small selection of bits successfully using a drill or impact gun.

[Corbets]

I have safety straps instead of metal safeties on my rack (Rogue RML-690). I find that this helps a lot, because I can adjust each side independently. The head side ends up a little lower than the foot side on the bench, so I can get the lowest point of the strap just at the point of my chest where I touch.

Also, I can work it out so that the strap is just about half an inch below my chest *when in an arch* so that when I lay flat, it’s actually above my chest.

That makes me feel pretty safe, and might be worth consideration.