There's more to spotting than simply
pulling up on the bar or pushing up on the elbows. There is an art and science
to effective spotting. Learn the best techniques here!
Spotting is an important aspect of weightlifting safety, yet it's not something
that is ever taught to gymgoers. Having a spotter gives you security and a
little extra help to push yourself harder.
Here are some guidelines and rules-of-thumb, both for spotters and for lifters,
that will make you a much better (and much safer) spotter.
1. Ask how the person you are spotting wants to be spotted. Some people, when
doing dumbell exercises such as the bench press, prefer to be spotted at the
elbows by pushing up from underneath with their elbows in your palms, while
others prefer the wrists (pulling up on them). Neither way is necessarily right
or wrong, it is a matter of preference.
2. Determine the rep range the person is going to be working in. If you start
spotting at five reps and they're doing ten, you've just ruined a set. If, on
the other hand, you had to start spotting at five and they said ten, they may be
expecting another five forced reps out of you.
3. Never take the weight away from the person (unless they really need it taken
away for safety reasons). This is especially true on barbell exercises when
you're spotting on the bar. Do not pull or push so hard on the bar (unless they
ask) that it takes the tension off the muscles. Good spotting means you just add
enough force to keep the bar moving. When spotting exercises such as curls, spot
by placing your hands under the lifters hands and pushing up on their hands
rather than lifting on the bar itself. This will ensure you don't take the
weight away as you spot.
4. Find out if the person is going to do any set extension techniques, e.g.
negatives, drop sets, forced reps, etc. You should know exactly what's going on
so you can be prepared for it. You don't want to mistake an intensity technique
for muscular failure that requires a spot.
5. Don't scream encouragement at the person without first making sure they want
that kind of thing. It can be very distracting and not everyone likes it or
needs it.
6. When spotting on bench press, be sure to wipe the sweat off your face
beforehand so you don't drip on the person during their set (not a nice thing to
experience). Also, don't lean over them excessively. This can be distracting.
7. As well on bench, ask if the person wants help lifting the bar off the rack.
Also, do not spot with one arm in a sort of one arm deadlift. This is a poor
balance point and the pull is often uneven. This unbalancing can cause failure
for the person lifting the weight.
8. Spot around the waist on squats, not on the bar. Lower yourself as they go
down and follow them up. Help them rack the bar if they need help but never push
them forward if they're not ready to move.
9. When it is possible for you to spot yourself (e.g. 1 arm exercises, standing
on a chair for chins, etc.), do it. You know better then anyone how much help
you need. On the other hand, if you have a tendency to go easy on yourself and
bail out too soon, get a spotter to force you to work.
10. When spotting on dumbell bench press, do not push inward on the elbows or
the dumbells may cave in on their chest. Always push up.
11. There are exercises where you shouldn't spot people, e.g. deadlifts,
hyperextensions, crunches, power cleans, etc. If someone asks you to spot them
on these, politely decline.
12. Sometimes a person may ask you to hand them a dumbell on exercises like
dumbell bench, incline presses, shoulder presses, etc. Pick up the dumbell with
your hands on the weight plate, not the handle itself. If you pick the weight up
by the handle and try to hand it over that way, you and the lifter will have to
try and somehow trade hand positions on the handle before they can lift the
weight. This is not safe at all even with light weights but especially with
maximal weights. An easy way to lift a heavy dumbell up to your shoulder level
so you can hand it over is to pick it up first on the outside of the plates with
both hands, then deadlift it to a standing position. Now rest the handle of the
dumbell on one of your thighs, kick that leg up, throwing the dumbell up to your
upper chest. Set it in their hand from there.
13. On some machines such as the pec deck, for example, it is better to spot by
lifting the weight stack itself (watch your hands!). This keeps the tension on
the muscle far better during the set. Do not place your hands underneath the
plates, however. Just grasp the weight plates on the sides and push up to help.
This should only be used for light help, not for full-power forced reps.
14. When using two spotters (e.g. for heavy squats or bench), have one at each
end of the bar and ensure they pull up simultaneously. An unbalanced load can
mean trouble.
15. If you need a spotter on every set of every exercise you do, you are either
working too hard or not hard enough. On one hand, doing too many forced reps
will rapidly overtrain you, while on the other hand, letting the spotter do much
of the work will prevent progress. Try doing a few sets completely on your own
(without any spot at all) to see if you are actually doing all the work. It is
not good to be overly dependent on spotting outside of what is necessary for
safety reasons. If you can't lift the weight by yourself then you shouldn't be
doing it at all. The exception to this is negative training and legitimate
forced reps.
16. A good spotting technique is the finger spot. If, for example, you are
spotting someone on bench press and the bar is slowing down and almost stopped,
use only your two index fingers underneath the bar. This is often more of a
mental boost for the lifter than an actual spot. At this point, apply just
enough pressure to keep the bar moving. If the fingers aren't enough, grip the
bar and continue to help just enough to keep it moving. This will make the
lifter do much more of the work themselves. They'll either love your spotting or
never ask you to do it again!
17. When spotting, ease up as the lifter moves past the sticking point and into
the stronger range of motion. For example, when spotting on bench, help just
through the sticking point, then, as the leverage improves, reduce your help as
the bar comes up, letting up completely as the bar comes to the top. To increase
the value of the set, you may even want to lean on the bar a little as it comes
to the top (check with your lifter first before doing this). This will help
increase lockout power.
18. If you see someone struggling with a weight, don't run over and yank the
weight up. This can be dangerous for the trainer and tends to make people angry.
Make your presence known but don't help until the trainer signals you for help.
If you see someone being crushed under a bench press, however, that is when you
should run over and help without asking.
19. When spotting, focus all your attention on the set, no matter who walks by
or who talks to you. You are responsible for ensuring the safety of the lifter.
20. Don't spot until it is absolutely necessary. The most productive part of a
set is near the end where the lifter is struggling with the weight. By helping
too soon, you will reduce the effectiveness of the set.
21. Don't base the amount weight you use totally on the strength of your
spotter. You should be using your own strength for your sets. This is not to say
you shouldn't have a strong spotter, though. Another exception is dumbell
spotting where the spotter must hand the weight to you. Obviously, you'll need
to find someone strong enough to be able to do that effectively.
22. Machines that have foot levers to help you get the weight into position can
be used to spot yourself. If you can get the coordination right, you can use the
lever to catapult the weight out of the bottom position.
23. Spotting is okay for beginners learning form and limitations but only for
safety, not for excess reps. This is one of the major mistakes beginning
trainers make when starting a training program. Overuse of forced reps, i.e.
unnecessary spotting, can lead to burnout and excessive soreness. In these
cases, spotting should only be used to keep the lifter safe, not to push them
harder.
As you can see, there's more to spotting than simply pulling on a bar or pushing
on the elbows. A good spot should maximize the results and safety of the lifter.
Remember these guidelines the next time someone asks you for a spot or the next
you ask someone else for a spot!
Author Bio
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU,
Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing
new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number
of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best
Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt
NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available at
fitness e-books.
