Ive recently moved from a gym with a lot a experienced lifters to a quieter more local one with a more health and fitness vibe and noticed some bizzare practises when spotting, some annoying, some downright dangerous.
In all spotting you should remember that (in the words of Mark Rippetoe) you are there for safety, not to assist in the lift. You may help your friends ego by helping him get that 100kg up on the bench, but at best you are hindering his or her progress and at worst you are putting them in danger by letting them think they can lift more than they can.
The one other role the spotter has aside from safety is encouragement, however i suggest that you dont really do much of this unless you know the lifter as it can be quite off putting otherwise.
So here's my quick guide to spotting a few of the more common lifts, feel free to point out an mistakes
The Bench Press (all variations)
Probably the most often badly spotted movement. How many times have we seen people 2 man this lift turning into a press and upright row combo. There are 2 phases to spotting the bench, the hand off (or hand out) and then the press itself.
The hand off can be quite technical, especially for powerlifters as a good hand off can be the difference between a good lift and bad lift, but lets stick with the basics. In order to be clear of the rack the lifter may be pressing the bar from several inches away from it, this means in order to move the bar from the rack to the start position the lifter may be taking the bar front above or behind their head, this means it can take a fair amount of effort or even be dangerous with heavier weights to get the bar into the start position without a hand off.
On a pre determined count, both the spotter and lifter take the weight off the pins and move the bar to the start position above the lifters chest (the exact spot will vary on the type of bench press, ie incline,flat, decline and wether or not the lifter is pressing as powerlifter or bodybuilder, as a powerlifter will press more from the lower chest/upper abs to be able to move the maximum weight, whereas a bodybuilder may press slightly higher up the chest to get more pectoral recruitment and a better stretch). This needs to be done smoothly, keeping the height at the lifters full extension. Overlifting the bar or letting it drop can throw a lifters rhythm, this is where a regular training partner really helps as you get to know where your partner needs the bar and it becomes second nature.
Once in the start position, with the bar steady and the lifter with locked elbows, you need to communicate with the lifter to determine when to let go of the bar, the lifter may say 'yup' or 'ok' but whatever it is, make sure the lifter is ready to take the full weight.
Once you have let go, get away from that bar, dont put your hands under it, over it, near it... its not your lift, you are there for safety reasons only. The only time you should get involved during the lift is if the bar travels back towards the lifter on the positive part of the lift(as they press away from the chest),if they clearly are not able to move the bar upwards any further or at the lifters request (usually signalled by such cries as 'oh shit...take it, take it).
On the last rep (as signalled by the lifter) you should assist in guiding the bar back to the rack, again as smoothly as possible.
And your done, not only have you given a good spot on the bench, youve probably earned some respect and trust from the lifter who will be happy to return the favour.
Spotting isnt just an invaluable safety aspect of gym training, its also a handy icebreaker if youre new to a gym, life becomes much easier once you have a few people around you that can assist when needed and of course its nice make a few new mates in the gym.
Will follow up with the Squat, but for now id best do some work
I hate nothing more than when you ask someone to spot you and the lurk over you with their hands all over the bar!..it's like they're urging you to fail.
