Sometimes its better NOT to ask for a spot!

Jimbo · Aug 9, 2002

What a friggin experience. I’m doing chest/biceps today. I train using HIT style and my first move for the chest is incline presses. I did my 3x warm-ups and I found a friendly looking person. I ask him if he can give me a spot. We get to the bench and I get ready. I just finished my 5th rep and I brought the weight down. I start going up and I cant make it. IM asking the spotter to help me bring it up and he just stars. IM now getting pissed off and I start yelling at him to help me up. He puts one hand under and just kind off slaps it up a little. This friggin thing is starting to shake on me and I can feel the pain in my left delt from swinging/jerking the weight . I screamed "You dumb m/f get this up" . He puts both hands under and just kind of slaps it up a little more. I finally got under it and used my back and whole body to get the thing on the lower guards. I stand up and turn to him and he just smiles at me and leaves.

Next time I will use a little weight and will just do Rest/Pause. F*ck this!

hyper · Aug 9, 2002

Jeeze....You remained pretty calm...I do not think I could stay that cool.....that is dangerous.

Warpath · Aug 9, 2002

85% of the gym population doesn't know how to spot. period.

1) they do the tap jimbo was talking about.

OR

2) they rip that sucker up so fast there's no weight left to push, they curl, deadlift it up.

very very hard to find a good spot.

besides I'm scared to ask some of those kids in the gym using the squat bar to curl to spot me.......scary.

wolverine · Aug 9, 2002

hyper said:
Jeeze....You remained pretty calm...I do not think I could stay that cool.....that is dangerous.

Shit, that redefines the word calm! He was obviously trying to fuck with you if he smiled after all that. Me thinks he would have a busted skull if he did that shit to me.

MikeS · Aug 9, 2002

Damn that would piss me off. Then he SMILED and walked away?
Muthafuc***! If I get a new guy to spot me, I explain slowly exactly how I need them to spot. I have several guys I trust on spots and only use them generally. Of course this is trial and error to find those people. One guy was a partner, but continued to give lousy spots, waiting until near injury until helping, levaing me stuck (even at the bottom of a last rep deep squat) for too long. Id rather get too much help than too little and get hurt!
This is what it boils down to: A lousy spot spots you the way THEY think you should be spotted. A good spot spots you the way YOU ask to be spotted. I always ask the guy what he want spot-wise.
I actually use a couple guys from the boards regularly-they are good spots. Tazzy is my main partner. And when he is not there
Johnny Bravo gives me a good spot too.

biggerthanyou · Aug 10, 2002

I would have feed that little fucker his own teeth. then I would have smiled at him while he was pickin his dumbass up off the floor. that sucks bro. sounds like you need a partner to train with.
good luck and be safe...

bigger...

Paul Bunyan · Aug 10, 2002

I'm gald I have training partners for that. Whenever they aren't around and I start looking for a spot, people won't make eye contact and move to the other side of the gym. If I manage to rope one of those poor bastards into spotting me, I carefully explain what I want done and how I want it done. Never had a problem.

PB

stevehnsn · Aug 10, 2002

I definitely make sure to give a full explaination of what they need to do, and I NEVER ask people with stick arms. It's all about asking someone that you already know pretty well, and that you're sure will give you a proper spot. Definitely better with a straight up training partner though. All I know is that I used to get better spots by my exgirlfriend, than I would with some of those lame ass sons of bitches that try to lift where I lift.

titan · Aug 10, 2002

wolverine said:
Shit, that redefines the word calm! He was obviously trying to fuck with you if he smiled after all that. Me thinks he would have a busted skull if he did that shit to me.

My thoughts exactly. Cuz if you are a dick, and I am still breathing
they had best be thinking of running.

Doggtales · Aug 13, 2002

NUT SPOTTER

That reminds me of this one time, a dude was on the flat bench and had another dude spotting him. I think they were a couple of queers though. The guy spotting the guy had his nuts/ ass right over top about 2 inches from the guy's face on the bench. They continued the same routine for about 4-5 sets....that's why I think they were fags!!

physiqueartist · Aug 14, 2002

I feel your pain bro, I have had two injuries from bad spotters.
One was from Squating the other was from benching.

I was doing a medium set of squats with 650 for 10 reps, I asked the guy to spot me and explained how to do it. Got my set going and hit 10 pretty good so told him woudl try for a couple more on my 12 rep started to move it up aliitle slower then the other 11 so this yahoo graps me around the chest and gives me a bear hug. His pelvis stuck in my ass and it berought my hips forward, when this happended the weight came to far forward and ended up tryign a 650 pound good morning. The good morning was not sucessful and the weight came crashing down unto the rack. When I look up from the groudn this little punk i srunnign for the front door. Ended up strainign my lower back so bad couldnt do any squats for about 5 weeks.

One the bench thsi guy desides to do the famous one hand spot as he is looking at soem ladies in the club. When he grap the weight to spot me he grapped about where my right hand was and lifted up, all this did was put all the weight on my left side and my shoulder couldnt take it.

So i never ask for a spot unless I now for a fact the guy is a serious lifter!!!

Ry Roid · Aug 14, 2002

I would just give him a SPOT!!

Just smack him w/ a 45lb plate and he will have that spot on his head for a looong time.LOL If you go to a gym it should be to train and not to FUCK AROUND!!

RY