How to Spot the Bench Press

This is an aspect of resistance training that everyone should know how to do.

This is an aspect of resistance training that everyone should know how to do.

I do not care if you are a 13 year old beginner with invisible lats syndrome Or Seasoned large body who has muscles that barely fit into a XXL long sleeve t-shirt.

You need to know how to lift weights while being safe and how to be a spotter for others lifting weights around you.

Lets make a quick pro/con list about being safe.

Pros of Knowing how to Spot the bench press

• Not getting hurt

• Mental Confidence Boost

• Training Safe Around Failure

• Advanced Rep Schemes

Cons Of Not Knowing How to Spot the bench press

• Getting hurt

• Hurting the Person Lifting

• Ineffective Reps

• False Confidence When Lifting without a Spotter

Even without being in the gym at this very moment I can tell you what is being done that can leave you injured and, being injured will only hurt your progress not help it. So, Listen Up

First is going to be the easy safety stuff.

1. Don’t leave unused dumbbells under or around you or the bench when lifting. They can be a danger to your hands when setting down the weights.

2. Use Clips and Collars on your barbells. If the weight dumps off the bar it can really hurt you and those people standing near or around you. And fellas using the Collars/clips does not make you look wimpy or less of a badass.

3. Set up the safety bars and stoppers in your squat rack and smith machine. Every full rack has adjustable safety bars that serve just one purpose…to keep you safe So, use them. Again, fellas it doesn’t make you look more badass if you do a lift without safety bars set up.

Now for the really important stuff

Since the bench press is one of the most popular lifts in the gym for all the fellas trying to get swole I will first and foremost discuss how to be a good spotter for these lifts.

As you can see from the sweet video above, a good spotter is not always easy to find.

How to Spot the BENCH PRESS The right way

1. To properly spot the bench press you(the spotter) should be at full alert. This weight whether it is 45 pounds or 450 pounds is hanging over someone’s chest and neck. Pay attention plain and simple. Something could go wrong and that person is relying on you for their lives.

2. Make sure weight is even on either side and that the collars/clips and safety bars(in squat rack) are in place before you the lift starts.

3. Assist with the “lift-off” out of the J-Hooks with your hand in a full grip on the bar until the one benching shows full control of the weight.

4. Let go of the bar!

5. Don’t take your eyes away from the lifter and stay at full alert in case your help is needed.

6. Don’t keep your hands on the bar during the every rep; even if they are slowly executed.

7. Only re-position your hands around the bar when the lifter shows initial signs of struggle (on the way down or up).

8. Use a double overhand grip or an alternating one over/one under grip. Try and avoid the double underhand grip as your biceps and anterior delts will most likely not be strong enough to assist as much as they might need too.

9. Avoid Spotting only with your fingertips on the bar…they are not strong and serve no purpose in providing safety to the lifter.

10. If the Lifter is struggling to complete a rep then and only then will you help the rep along by pulling on the bar slightly so the lifter can finish the rep on their own once past the initial “sticking Point”.

11. Do not yank the bar up doing all the work for the lifter.

12. On reps that are slower do not assist the lifter in completing the reps. You are not their to do the work for them. Let them successfully and slowly struggle to complete the reps if they are still in good technique.

13. If you notice the bar Stalls and then Drops is the only time you should pull the weight up and do the work for the lifter as they do not have the ability to complete the lift and really do need your help.

14. If the lifter completes all desired reps then only at the top of the lock out should you assist with placing the bar back into the Hooks.

Here is an easily understood video sample.

How to Spot ALL Dumbbell Bench Press and any Dumbbell Pressing Variations

1. Pay attention this lift requires a lot more stability from the lifter in order to execute properly so, as a spotter you need to be on high alert. I would say even more so than the barbell pressing.

2. ALWAYS SPOT GRIPPING FROM THE WRISTS AND NEVER HANDS UNDER THE ELBOWS

3. Spotting from the elbows does not ensure the safety of the lifter because the muscles that will fatigue and fail first in the lift are not being supported.

4. The Triceps will fatigue quicker in the lift. Once the triceps fail, the elbow will no longer have the ability to keep the elbow from bending towards the head of the lifter.

5. Spotting the elbows only pushes the arms closer together and if they fail you are in no position to quickly catch the weight and keep it away from smashing them in the face.

6. Since the lift is done with each arm independently with weights the likelihood of one arm failing before another is greater and can be seemingly unexpected or catch you off guard and out of position.

7. Spotting from the wrists helps keep the lifter safer since you have the ability to control the weights. You can assist with a rep or help them safely dump the weights away from any position of harm for you and them.

8. Assist the lifter with the first rep up off of chest or up to shoulders with your hands on the wrists.

9. Keep hands around the wrists of the lifter without assisting.

10. Grip the wrists when you notice a struggle as an anticipation of the potential failure.

11. If the lifter fails near the bottom slowly bring the weights back to chest and dump the weight forward at either side of the body and make sure the lifter lets go when dumping the weights.

12. If they fail on the way to or at the top of the rep assure control of the dumbbells at the wrist spot and relax them back down and dump the weight when in a safer position.

Here are is a Video example of how not to spot a Dumbbell Press .

While it is not a bench press You can see how the spotter would provide zero benefit for the lifter if their triceps were to fail. The dumbbells would fall the same direction the spotter is pushing “trying to help the lifter” which is in towards him.

Originally published at fitletes.com.