This dude the other day asked me to spot him and liftoff with 275 on the bench.
so i say, on 3? he goes yeah, so 1—2—and then i lift the bar off but he goes whoa WHOA, and proceeds to bench it flared to his upper chest to about 4 inches from touching, then tried another rep and fails.
after i rack it i say sorry dude but he just sorta looks at me mean and walks away… what…
i don’t understand man, if he wasn’t ready i wouldn’t have been able to upright row 275lbs off the rack, i put it at a level where someone with good form would be comfortable… this is the first time something like this has happened, his bench is about 30-40lbs more than me but all he does is chest/biceps and back/triceps all week and i have never seen him squat or deadlift.
the fuck is this, now i have a buzzkill and bad vibes everytime this dude is in the gym
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
The purpose of the spotter is to hide the fact that the person doing the lifting can’t really lift the weight.
You’re supposed to cheer encouragingly during the set and then say, “it was all you,” at the end of the set even when it isn’t.[/quote]
Probably…
I used to get asked to spot people all the time in my old gym. After a few experiences like you’ve mentioned, I just gave up. My question is, why are you letting some random guy get to you?
While I agree with Lifticus regarding intelligent use of the count, in fact for some unfathomable reason many people by “on three” actually mean the beat AFTER three.
In other words, they mean the “go” of 1, 2, 3, go.
Of course it’s also possible he was mad for other reasons. But it could be that he was a poor communicator of his planned intention.
In my anal retentive mind 3 means 3 not 2 not 4. I usually workout alone and every once in awhile i will ask for a spot. But its just in case I can’t get it back up not to do it for me. More embarrassing and dangerous to dump the weights on the ground. And I damn sure can’t ab crunch with 225 on my throat, lol, cause I don’t have wicked hawt abs bro. Kinda defeats the purpose of lifting heavy if you need that much help.
i use spotters, but i tell them “dont do anything, i dont need any help i just want someone nearby so if cant get it up i dont die”.
its also important to have someone who speaks english doing it because all the foriegners ive had like to touch the bar the whole time and at parts where id usually pause and grind it out really slowly they just take over, pisses me off like no other.
Where in Ontario was this??? Just curious… Here in Ottawa I’ve had a guy when I pause just RIP the bar up and slam it back on the uprights, then say good set bro…
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i use spotters, but i tell them “dont do anything, i dont need any help i just want someone nearby so if cant get it up i dont die”.
its also important to have someone who speaks english doing it because all the foriegners ive had like to touch the bar the whole time and at parts where id usually pause and grind it out really slowly they just take over, pisses me off like no other.[/quote]
Try being a woman with a spotter regardless of what language they speak. The immediate instinct is to rip it up when you slow down and rescue you.
That’s why I like training with a team or people you train with somewhat regularly. When you do it as a team you get used to a certain way of doing it that everyone understands.
I like having a lift off because I can get set up better like I would for competition but I have to be very specific about what I expect. For instance, I tell people not to touch the bar unless I tell them to.
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i use spotters, but i tell them “dont do anything, i dont need any help i just want someone nearby so if cant get it up i dont die”.
its also important to have someone who speaks english doing it because all the foriegners ive had like to touch the bar the whole time and at parts where id usually pause and grind it out really slowly they just take over, pisses me off like no other.[/quote]
Ugh - About the grinding out part. My new training partner doesn’t get the concept that I don’t NEED ANY FUCKING HELP UNTIL I SAY I DO.
Just because I’m going slow doesn’t mean that I can’t do it. I really, really can’t stand that. Especially when going slow on a negative, and they automatically put their meaty fucking hands on the bar. It’s distracting and annoying.
“That’s why I like training with a team or people you train with somewhat regularly.”
I hear ya, that’s one thing I miss training heavy stuff in the barn.
Back in the 80s the circle gym in Camp Lejeune was a great place for serious comraderie. The adrenalin just flowed, it was like mob violence. Great times.
I just don’t think the guy in question is a serious lifter, otherwise he’d likely laugh it off and work on timing it right the next time with you.
[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
“On three” means exactly that… ON three, not before three, not after three.
[/quote]
Exactly. I thought Lethal Weapon cleared that up from that point on.
Personally, I expect most people to be idiots so if I ask for a spot, it’s going to be from someone who clearly looks like they know the ins and outs of a gym and can handle the weight if I get into trouble. Even then I usually just have them stand there with instruction to only touch the weight if I get into trouble.