Engineering Project

Training Powerlifting
1

Hello, all.

I am enrolled in a Engineering Design Course at my University, and for an end-of-term paper, we have to write about a problem, then design something to help fix it. One category was sports injuries. This was one idea I had bouncing in my head since before I started college was this: A spotting machine.

Now, we’ve all seen this before: some idiot loads too much weight on the bar, it falls on him, and he can’t get it back up. (Note: This also works for some legit lifters who either A. Lift at a home gym, or B. Mostly workout alone who try for a max, but… can’t… quite… get… it…)

My solution for this problem is such: a special barbell hooked up to a pulley system, that when triggered, brings the weight back up . It would sit on top of a power cage, so it can be used for squats, and if a reverse mechanism is possible, deadlifts. I’m a little fuzzy on the details, since I haven’t gone into the exact mechanics of the idea 100%.

Now, as for the point of this post, I’m looking for information that would help me out, namely, the articles ON THIS SITE that have to do with bench/squat form/mechanics.

I have other academic resources available, such as JSTOR, and others, which I will look up at a later time as it’s almost bed time by me.

Thanks.

P.S. I’m a hardcore Darwinist, and while normally I’d scoff at the twiggy bastards trying to bench two plates to a side and end up harming themselves, satsified in the fact that the ‘Let Your Ego Take Over and Try To Lift More Than You Can’ gene is dwindling- I have a feeling that this will make me a ton of money.

P.P.S. How stupid am I for posting this on a public forum?

2

It’s such a good idea that it’s been done. there’s a product called ProSpot that does pretty much what you describe. The bar is hooked to a pulley system that is touch activated. If you let go of the bar the sensors in it activate brakes that stop the weight where it is. www.prospotfitness.com.

What nobody has done is create an adapter kit to fit something like this to an existing power cage, squat rack or bench - but folks are hopefully sensible enough to use the safety pins at the right height.

Look up anything by Dave Tate, Eric Cressey using the search function. They cover benching , squatting and DLing extensively.

3

i’ve seen that contraption. i have no idea if its the same brand, but its at a washington sports club near me. the barbell is free suspended from two small cables. there are two small plates on each end of the barbell where your hands would be and you squeeze them and the the cable pulls on the bar. i tried it a couple times for bench and actually found it very awkward.

4

Yeah, I saw that. That’s different, and lame, and differently lame. (cookie for reference)

My differences:

  1. As you said, ADAPTED for a power cage (or make xtra $$$ by throwing in the power cage!), not a machine in and of itself. The reason I use “power cage” because it can be used for anything.

  2. I was thinking of using a “call button” on the far out parts near the plates (or not, depending on how vital important wingspan is.

  3. Hopefully I’ll figure out a way in that my cables allow for "slack:, where one can lift the weight freely, and it’s not counter-balanced like a Smith Machine.

  4. If I can (not 100% worked out), the cables can be taken off the bench and used individually for dumbbells.

5

[quote]DtotheG wrote:
Yeah, I saw that. That’s different, and lame, and differently lame. (cookie for reference)

My differences:

  1. As you said, ADAPTED for a power cage (or make xtra $$$ by throwing in the power cage!), not a machine in and of itself. The reason I use “power cage” because it can be used for anything.

  2. I was thinking of using a “call button” on the far out parts near the plates (or not, depending on how vital important wingspan is.

  3. Hopefully I’ll figure out a way in that my cables allow for "slack:, where one can lift the weight freely, and it’s not counter-balanced like a Smith Machine.

  4. If I can (not 100% worked out), the cables can be taken off the bench and used individually for dumbbells. [/quote]

I reread my post and I see that it came off a little snotty. Sorry 'bout that, not my intention… Don’t much care for the look of that propspot thingie, but I actually wanted to wish you luck in developing your idea. I think health club chains would love it, mostly because of lowering their liability risk and particularly if you can get the price point below competing products.

6

I wasn’t talking about your post, I was talking about the ProSpot.