Are YOU a good spotter?

[Deejay_Spike]

When you enter a gym, you'll most likely see guys working out in pairs. one guy doing the exercise, and the other helping/motivating. Let's take a closer look at the latter one.

most people call him the spotter. but does everyone knows what a good spotter must do? or musn't do? from what i've learned, the main task of a spotter is to prevent injury to his partner. this is his MAIN objective. so, make sure that when you attack a heavy set of squats or bench, you have a spotter who can help you when or if he has to.
what's next to do? Motivation. you know what i mean when you feel the adrenaline rush from the motivational shouts from your spotter, may they be "COME ON GIRLIE, PANSYYYYYYY !!!" or "YOU CAN DO IT BIG MAN!!!", sometimes they can really help you make the lift or rep.
all the oher things are accessory, and vary from one training philosophy to another. i'm talking about helping the partner in loading/unloading, performing forced reps, negatives, handing the dumbells etc etc.

now that we somewhat know what a decent spotter must do, let's take a closer look at the bad spotter :

you're going for a heavy set of bench press, and you're looking for a spotter. bommer, there is only one decent looking guy in the gym, so you ask him.

FIRST MISTAKE : the spotter asks nada, nothing, rien, niks.

to be a good spotter, thou should know what you're partner is going to do. estimated reps, weight, handing or not, etc.

okay, now you start your set.

SECOND MISTAKE : the spotter is not paying any attention, he's instead looking at the hot chick, or even worse, chatting with her.

WHEN YOU SPOT, YOU SPOT. AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS FOR THE MOMENT! if your partner has a problem, it's often too late and he can get baldy hurt. do you want that? i guessed not, so put your dick back where it should.

let's assume for a minute he saw you struggling (oh thank god! or not?). he
A ) immediately grabs the bar, rips it from your hands and puts it back

LET HIM STRUGGLE AT LEAST A BIT! he may make the lift after all. if he doesn't, take the bar and tell him he can't anymore and put it back.

B ) starts shouting " IT'S ALL YOU!!!! IT'S ALL YOU!!!!" when in fact, he's doing bent over rows.

IF YOU HAVE TO HELP, HELP A BIT, take away a few pounds, but don't do it in his place.

Best thing is to pick a spotter that knows you quite well, so that he knows when/what to do. but for many this isn't the case, so let's now take a look look at the good spotter :

-"hey dude, i'm gonna hit the bench for a heavy one, wanna spot me bro'?"

="Yeah sure, how much? how many you think you'll do? okido then. want me to hand it to you?"

(Girl) "hi handsome..."

="can't talk. spotting."

-"god this one's tuff!!"

="GO GO GO GOOO HARDER !!!!!"
-------------A)
-------------="yeah you made it!! perfect!!"

-------------B)
-------------="okay you're exhausted. wanna go trhough some forced reps?"

--------------------------A)
---------------------------"yeah kay"

--------------------------="come on!, i'm not even helping that much!" (actually he isn't. just a bit)

--------------------------B)
---------------------------"No dude i'm dead"

--------------------------="kay then" *takes the bar and puts it back*


i hope you guys learned from it. i know i have to adjust some little details to myself.

[mattlant]

One more thing to add when being a spotter.

Make sure if you help with a rep to GO IN THE DIRECTION OF THE REP.

For example. If you are spotting on bench press, help with the weight in an UPWARD direction. I have had many people do this but pull back toward the rack instead of UP and it really puts a strain on you.

Matt

[ThreSh]

Best workouts I ever had in my life was with a personal trainer (a friend). He wouldn't move that damn bar if your life depended on it. he only spoted it from going backwards. Then after you are finally beat to a pulp he scream at you to do 3 more, and his spot was just enuff to keep the bar moving, you still did most the work.


Hes been lifting like for about 2 years. He is the only guy I know who will try a new max on his bench without a spotter and literally take 30seconds get the bar up. He swears at you if you spot him to much to hehe

[deaduarte88]

When you enter a gym, you'll most likely see guys working out in pairs. one guy doing the exercise, and the other helping/motivating. Let's take a closer look at the latter one.

most people call him the spotter. but does everyone knows what a good spotter must do? or musn't do? from what i've learned, the main task of a spotter is to prevent injury to his partner. this is his MAIN objective. so, make sure that when you attack a heavy set of squats or bench, you have a spotter who can help you when or if he has to.
what's next to do? Motivation. you know what i mean when you feel the adrenaline rush from the motivational shouts from your spotter, may they be "COME ON GIRLIE, PANSYYYYYYY !!!" or "YOU CAN DO IT BIG MAN!!!", sometimes they can really help you make the lift or rep.
all the oher things are accessory, and vary from one training philosophy to another. i'm talking about helping the partner in loading/unloading, performing forced reps, negatives, handing the dumbells etc etc.

now that we somewhat know what a decent spotter must do, let's take a closer look at the bad spotter :

you're going for a heavy set of bench press, and you're looking for a spotter. bommer, there is only one decent looking guy in the gym, so you ask him.

FIRST MISTAKE : the spotter asks nada, nothing, rien, niks.

to be a good spotter, thou should know what you're partner is going to do. estimated reps, weight, handing or not, etc.

okay, now you start your set.

SECOND MISTAKE : the spotter is not paying any attention, he's instead looking at the hot chick, or even worse, chatting with her.

WHEN YOU SPOT, YOU SPOT. AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS FOR THE MOMENT! if your partner has a problem, it's often too late and he can get baldy hurt. do you want that? i guessed not, so put your dick back where it should.

let's assume for a minute he saw you struggling (oh thank god! or not?). he
A ) immediately grabs the bar, rips it from your hands and puts it back

LET HIM STRUGGLE AT LEAST A BIT! he may make the lift after all. if he doesn't, take the bar and tell him he can't anymore and put it back.

B ) starts shouting " IT'S ALL YOU!!!! IT'S ALL YOU!!!!" when in fact, he's doing bent over rows.

IF YOU HAVE TO HELP, HELP A BIT, take away a few pounds, but don't do it in his place.

Best thing is to pick a spotter that knows you quite well, so that he knows when/what to do. but for many this isn't the case, so let's now take a look look at the good spotter :

-"hey dude, i'm gonna hit the bench for a heavy one, wanna spot me bro'?"

="Yeah sure, how much? how many you think you'll do? okido then. want me to hand it to you?"

(Girl) "hi handsome..."

="can't talk. spotting."

-"god this one's tuff!!"

="GO GO GO GOOO HARDER !!!!!"
-------------A)
-------------="yeah you made it!! perfect!!"

-------------B)
-------------="okay you're exhausted. wanna go trhough some forced reps?"

--------------------------A)
---------------------------"yeah kay"

--------------------------="come on!, i'm not even helping that much!" (actually he isn't. just a bit)

--------------------------B)
---------------------------"No dude i'm dead"

--------------------------="kay then" *takes the bar and puts it back*


i hope you guys learned from it. i know i have to adjust some little details to myself.

NOTHING beats a good spotter! i'm in okinawa japan and currently looking for one.. lol but seriously how hard is it to be a good spotter?? THIS post should be up inside every gym across the world!!

[arody169]

I see more marines live this "bad spotter" routine more than anyone I have ever seen in any gym, period. Of course, I am not on a marine infantry/special forces base...I am on a marine aviation base...

[Num3n]

best spotter ever right here, serious.

(first video he comes in at about 20 seconds)

[RootedEvo]

If someone I'm spotting says he/she wants to do 10 reps but can only do 7, then I SLIGHTLY help them pull it up and go back down every time after 7, to make sure they get all 10 in. I think that's very important for them to finish, with or without help.

Don't you?

[toooofar]

hate spotters who cant even lift ur weight, but insist on spotting u.... gay.

[swolepatrole]

hate spotters who cant even lift ur weight, but insist on spotting u.... gay.

If you're intelligent enough to put your ego away the spotter shouldn't have to lift your weight, only difference between the force you can generate and whatever is needed to get the thing moving. I've got no problem having a 150lb kid come spot me on a heavy-ass lift as long as he knows how to listen to what I want and look for cues that something's wrong.

[IC.]

I believe that the tools as well as the overall method of motivation varies according to the lifter's personality. Hence a more rebelious person is likely to drop the weights and get in your face for calling him a 'pansy' or anything similar. I have given a rather simple example but the idea is clear enough. A more obedient individual, on the other hand, may literally require to be pushed and, to some extent, bullied to achieve good results. There are obviously many categories that operate between and outside the range of the two I have so pettily described above, so knowing the person you are 'spotting' or knowing to person that is spotting you is indeed crucial.

[casvg5]

You should only assist a lifter in the positive part of the movement. Keeping the bench press example, you should only assist in the upward motion, and let the lifter take the weight on the negative. (there are circumstances where you would want to stay with the lifter on the positive and the negative, IE maxing out)

[GivemeSIX]

You should only assist a lifter in the positive part of the movement. Keeping the bench press example, you should only assist in the upward motion, and let the lifter take the weight on the negative. (there are circumstances where you would want to stay with the lifter on the positive and the negative, IE maxing out)

To the guys who are afraid of having someone weak spot them... your spotter shouldn't be getting a pump whilst helping you. Grow a pair, pull off some weight and lift if you are so worried about it.

The only reason I use a spotter is to make sure I don't injure myself

[Exdee]

I was in the gym monday and some guy was benching like 280lbs and asked a guy to spot him..

The spotter went over and stood above the bar, and asked nothing oO even with my lack of gym experience I knew this was a lil sketchy, so the spotter grabbed the bar and continued to hold onto it for like 3 reps..

On the next set the lifter asked for another spotter, who was much more involved asking how many he's doing, when he thinks he will struggle, was shouting motivation n such,

good guide I think it's really important to be a good spotted and not look like a douche

[magnumty]

i'm the worst.

[AndrewK1]

If you're intelligent enough to put your ego away the spotter shouldn't have to lift your weight, only difference between the force you can generate and whatever is needed to get the thing moving. I've got no problem having a 150lb kid come spot me on a heavy-ass lift as long as he knows how to listen to what I want and look for cues that something's wrong.

Home run .

[ALLNECK]

Great post. I 100% agree with this info. Especially the only helping a bit part. Someone with a good spotter will grow more than someone without. Everytime i have a spotter i know its going to be an awesome workout where i can push myself.

[sockouk]

I would say I'm pretty good, according to my buddies I am.
Changed gym now and my new partner is f*cking terrible. He tries to spot me on the first rep!!!

[xxSHOWTIMExx]

excellent thread. good rep points to you!

[FryDude]

I often need a spotter on my bench, they won't even let me exert any energy on the 10th-11th or 12th rep. They'll just lift it wtf.

[iLiRaM]

I lift in my basement myself, and i bench with no spot. I think as long as you look back at your last day you benched and don't put on a retarded ammount of weight you shouldn't even need a spotter. And imho i don't see a point of maxing out unless you are competing or something.

[bertstare201]

I think I am not a good spotter just because I like working out on my own...I think more people you workout out with the less you workout...anyways...I was doing curls...this military guy was doing benchpress with dumbells...he asked me if I could spot him ....I was like hmmm.. sure..well he started lifting and I am just standing there lol..just waiting on him to go aaahhhh help me!..well after his 5th set he couldn't push anymore and just dropped the wait...I just looked at him and was like see you didn't need spotter lol

[Bostongeorge617]

An addition to that list is:

A good spotter knows HOW to properly spot on each specific exercise.

For example, spotting on a barbell benchpress is different from spotting on a dumbbell benchpress. With the bar, you can gently push the bar up from underneath to lend a small helping hand. (I generally use two fingers on each hand so the lifter knows they are the ones doing the real work) With dumbbells, you need to push from their elbows instead of grabbing the top of the dumbbell or their wrists. I've seen this type of dumbbell spot many times, and it makes me shake my head. While spotting on a squat is uncommon, if asked, you need to know the proper way to do it lest you injure both of you or just look like you are dry-humping them.

[E-PRO]

Also, when spotting bench, keep your hands about 1-2inches under the bar, you shouldn't help the bencher at all until he/she needs it.

[TheHitStick]

When spotting on Bench Press, it's good to have a "Power Grip" if you really do have to help him up. This will be more controlled and easier for you so you can have him do more work until he's done if that's intended.

[paulpker121]

Really liked the article, rep'd. When spotting bench, when they're only 3 reps away from finishing the set, I tell them for motivation.

[mamamia12]

Also, when spotting bench, keep your hands about 1-2inches under the bar, you shouldn't help the bencher at all until he/she needs it.

OMG i cant stand people that spot me unnecessarily, i was benching 290 for the first time ever last week and this prick jumps in to pull up the bar i was so furious i had it too now i have to wait till friday to try it again with my bro who can actually spot lmao.

[Bostongeorge617]

OMG i cant stand people that spot me unnecessarily, i was benching 290 for the first time ever last week and this prick jumps in to pull up the bar i was so furious i had it too now i have to wait till friday to try it again with my bro who can actually spot lmao.

QFT. I go all out when I bb bench, and I do it in a power rack, so I don't need no damn spot because THATS WHY IM IN A DAMN RACK. A few times people have seen me really trying to push out my last rep, and they want to run behind me and I have to stop with the bar midway up to growl at them to get away from me. Nothing beats struggling really hard for sweet victory at the top of the press, but then some n00b comes in and attempts to steal it from you with an unasked for assist.

[SEAviator]

Actually Im a great spotter...

The only thing that I ask from my spotters is just to make sure im doing proper form, and to aid me when they see I just cant get the weight up.. From there, I need them to aid me slowly..

I HATE!!!! people that instead of helping you, using little strength to make sure its still you doing the work, they just grab the bar and pull it up as fast as they can.. LIKE WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ironwake]

I normally have a spotter with me, my girlfriend... A spotter only really needs to take maybe 5lbs off any lift for your to complete it.

I hate when I have to find some random gym scrub to spot me, they'll usually help with my reps even though I'm not even struggling. I swear I could ask a guy to spot me on 135 for 10 and they would probably help me on the second rep

[BSBrown]

Wow you guys are all right. Nothing pisses me off more than a kid who cant spot me. I want someone who is going to stand and watch hands near but not touchin the bar. I tell my spotters not to touch the bar unless its on my chest not moving. Or if i try to go up but instead go down. Cause even if im moving the bar slow its still MOVING. my god. I think im a good spotter i dont touch unless they need help and if they do just use like 2 fingers and give as little as possible to help them. And usually if i know they are struggling but can still get it. Ill be like "dude im not going to help you. so you better get this rep! come on come on!"