Bit of advice needed.

Hells Kitchen

Just recently got into lifting seriously and i have a couple of quick questions some of the more experienced guys i'm sure will be able to help with.

1. What's the correct way to spot for a lad doing bench? I was in the gym this morning and a lad asked me and i hadn't done it before. I basically didn't touch the bar until he lost upward momentum on his last rep. He struggled on the previous one but never lost upward momentum. Then i gently gave it a lift to get him going again but he still did most of the work himself. Was that the right thing to do? I'd hate to think that i'd mess up a set for a lad by not spotting properly.

2. When doing squats does it matter that i use the padding? I've only just started squatting and using just the bar is really uncomfortable. I spent the bones of a month doing shoulder flexibility exercises just to be in a position to get the bloody bar on my back. It's still uncomfortable but the padding really helps.

Only problem is i did a bit research in different places and everyone was saying to get rid of the pad that it was bad for balancing the bar and more importantly 'only wimps use the pussy pad'. I got the impression that this was just fellas putting on the hardman act though.

I'd appreciate any advice.

rocky

IMO

1. you spotted correctly
2. use the pad if it's better for you

Brian?

1. You probably did the right thing. IMO the spottee should always tell spotter exactly what he wants. If you are asked to spot someone, have them explain exactly what they want you to do.

I would only get a spot when working near my max, the instructions would be: "Help me lift it off the hooks. When I start the lift don't touch the bar till I say so. When I say to take it, pull it off me and help me re rack." Some people however might want you to do assisted reps, which is basically what you did. The common mistake lads make is load up the bar and do all assisted reps where the spotter is doing a larger part of the work. If someone asks you to do this, tell them they're an eejit and walk off feeling superior


2. You're better off not using the pad, I am not 100% on why though. I have tried it to see and the bar never feels stable enough. Are you sure your bar position is right? Are you using a high or low bar position?



I prefer the low bar myself.

rjp123

1. for spotting while benching , i cam across this clip:
http://www.nsca-lift.org/videos/Bench%20Press%20w%20Spotter/defaultbenchpresswspotter.shtml

i would be of the opinion that you establish a plan with the lifter before you lift anything. I would also question the spotters position in the above clip especially with heavier weights.

2. i dont use a pad and feel that you would be far more aware of where the bar is when not using one. i would imagine that using a pad/towel would distribute the load across your back and it could be in the wrong position without you knowing. what im trying to say is that you could be lifting with the bar in an incorrect position and due to the padding not realise this.

woozyeyes

Im not sure if this is valid but how much are you squatting. I've only started myself. First day I squatted, I tried empty bar (20kg) up to 50kg and noticed the bar felt uncomfortable but not painfull. I went back to 20kg and started adding 2.5kg each workout cause my form was poor and I'm back at 50kg's now and have got use to the bar on the back.

I've also read on a few sites not to use the padding. Cant remeber why but I think one reason is that its slightly raised of your back and not as stable. Dont really know if its right or wrong though!