BRETT JOHNSTONE 29 JULY, 2011

Safety is the prime concern for all athletes during a weight/strength session as it is obviously counterproductive to be injured both in the short and long term whilst training. However, to improve, especially with strength and hypertrophy exercise, we need to observe the overload principle - which conflicts with our primary safety concern. This is where training with a partner or trainer provides both the safety aspects and allows the overload principle to be applied.

The spotter assists in the execution of the lift, protecting the lifter from injury whilst allowing the lifter to lift a little beyond his or her current capacity. Having a spotter also provides the athlete with greater confidence, thus allowing for a more focused effort.

The spotter should always be positioned in the most stable position possible, with a wide stance and feet firmly set. The torso will be upright, abdominals engaged and hands in a position that most effectively assists the specific exercise.

Communication between the lifter and the spotter is critical before, during and after the set. The lifter may require the spotter to assist in the 'lift-off', bringing the bar or dumbells into the correct starting position, but obviously the spotter needs to know this. The spotter should never assist with more than one or two reps, certainly not the entire set, as is sometimes seen. Especially in the case of bench press, as the latter usually provides the spotter with a good heavy set of upright rows from a compromised position.

Unless you are an experienced lifter attempting heavy squats, never use more than one spotter. When two spotters are used, team work and coordination are critical. If one spotter assists either too early, or with too much force, than the lifter may be unevenly deloaded and suffer torsion injury. Bench press and other lifts in the weight room can always be spotted by one individual.

This brings us to the lifts themselves. The squat has already been covered. The bench press and shoulder press are two other most commonly spotted exercises. The bench press spotting grip is an alternate hand grip, one hand pronated and the other supinated inside the lifter's grip. The shoulder press spotting grip for dumbells should be on the lifter's wrists. Olympic type lifts cannot be safely spotted. The lifter should already be experienced before attempting these and it is very dangerous for anyone else to be in the immediate area.

No spotter should ever touch a bar or dumbbell that is moving upwards. The spotter should always stand close enough to enable a rapid reaction, but at the same time out of the line of sight of the lifter. Essentially, the spotter needs to be able to accurately judge the point when the lifter is stuck and just how much assistance will be required. This will obviously change depending on the exercise and the experience/strength of the athlete lifting.

To summarize, a spotter should be an experienced, competent and patient individual who does not insist on "helping" just for the sake of participating in the set. Spotters exist solely to provide a safe environment.

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