The Importance of a Spotter

Posted October 27, 2007 at 09:00 AM by Mark Scott

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Training Programs, Her Health, Injury & Rehab

When you are in the gym and attempting to lift as heavy as possible, whether going after your one rep max’s or otherwise, it is important to have a spotter with you.

A spotter is someone who is going to stand by while you do your lifting in case something happens and you are starting to falter on the lift.

The reason they are important is because with many exercises, there is a ‘sticking point’ where you can get down to that point, however cannot get back up.  Take for instance the bench press. You may not have many problems bringing the weight down fully to the chest, however upon trying to drive the weight up, that very first portion of the lift is just simply too difficult.  Remember that because of the joint position in this movement, you are going to be far weaker at the early portion of the lift than the later, making it a very good possibility that you are unable to get past this ‘sticking point’.

A spotter would be standing nearby however to give you a very small amount of help, likely which will enable you to get past this point and get the weight up to where you can push the rest on your own.

It is important to instruct your spotter not to help you until you are failing and ask for help as obviously you do want to get in as much of a workout as possible.  Also, they should only be helping a very minimal amount (assuming of course you are lifting within reason and not attempting lifts that are way out of your range and are obviously going to need a lot of help with).

Another added benefit of a spotter is that they can watch you and ensure that you are also maintaining proper form on your lifts as well. If they notice you getting out of alignment, a simple statement to tell you so will automatically make you more aware of your body position and allow you to correct it. Often when we are lifting on our own, we can be so focused and driven on hoisting the weight that we lose awareness of the exact position of our body. This is when injuries are most likely to occur. 

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