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Questions and answers about sports

Gymspeak for spotting?

5 min read

Asked by: Jessica Lux

What does spotting mean in weight lifting?

Spotting in weight or resistance training is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely.

What is the purpose of a spotter?

A spotter serves as an extra set of eyes for drivers, equipment operators and individual workers on the site. Besides making sure that a truck that’s backing up doesn’t run into anything or anyone, spotters pay attention to cranes and other equipment operating under or near overhead power lines.

What are the differences of spotter and spotting?

Adequate Strength



Being able to adequately assist while spotting is essential to being a good spotter. A spotter doesn’t need to be able to lift the entire amount being lifted, but they do need to posses enough strength to assist the weightlifter in re-racking or removing the weight from them.

How do you spot while lifting?


Someone either holding on to their wrist or holding on to the weights. Themselves you don't want to do that stay underneath the elbows.

What are some recommendations for spotting free weight exercises?

Proper Spotting Techniques

  • Squats: For barbell squats, stand directly behind the person (about a foot distance) allowing enough space for you to step back with them after unracking the bar. …
  • Bench Press: There are two different points of assistance for a bench press. …
  • Overhead Press:


How do you spot while squatting?

I'm going to show you I don't want to set up too close to him because as he's sliding back into that hip Hinch spreading his knees apart. I might bump him knock him out of that groove.

What are the three main duties of a spotter?

OSHA 1926.1408 states a spotter must:

  • Dedicated to the task, who is in continuous contact with the operator.
  • Be trained and equipped to identify the minimum clearance distance from objects & hazards.
  • Be positioned to see hazards & effectively gauge the clearance distance.
  • Able to communicate directly with the operator.

Why you shouldn’t touch the bar when spotting?

Because anything else has failed so far. The spotter should never touch the bar unless it is moving DOWN or legitimately stuck. Once they touch the bar for any reason, the rep isn’t yours. The spotter’s hands shouldn’t be anywhere near your bar.

Why am I Spotting after working out?

Breakthrough Bleeding



Regular exercise can cause subtle changes in your hormone levels. The lining of your uterus may respond to these mixed hormonal signals by randomly shedding, which causes breakthrough bleeding. Breakthrough bleeding is a common type of vaginal bleeding that happens outside your regular period.

Do you ever touch the bar when spotting a back squat?

During the set, you may need to keep your hands near the bar, but it is important that you do not touch it—this is not a team lift!

Do spotters have to be strong?

Spotters must be strong and have good squatting technique themselves, as the spotting technique for multiple spotters on squats essentially has the two extra spotters performing a front squat on each end of the barbell.

Do you spot at wrists or elbows?

There are generally two trains of thought here. Some people spot the wrists, staying close to the dumbbells. Some people spot the elbows, and when the time comes to spot, they apply upward pressure to the elbows to help drive the weight up. But if you belong to the “spot at the elbows” camp, consider this.

Should you spot wrists or elbows?

Spot the wrists, not the elbows. If he loses control of the weights, the wrists are more likely to collapse and fall on his face, so be ready to catch them. Spotting the elbows only makes you do the work he should be doing.

What does it mean when you spot someone?

spot someone



Sl. to give an advantage to someone.

How can you tell if someone is shoulder pressing?

Phase which is the press as he starts to drive his hands up and gently. Just take my white hand away so he can lower the weight on his own if he's starting to wobble. Then by all means secure.

When spotting a bench press the spotter stands with a straight back?

D. Darell most likely did not check the gym equipment for safety issues before he used it. When spotting a bench press, the spotter stands with a straight back, hands under the arms of the lifter, and carefully watches the bar.

When spotting from behind on squat where do you place your arms?

To spot a squat, you need to stand behind the squatter with enough space between you and the squatter, with your arms hovering below their armpits or lats. As the squatter descends, you descend too, mimicking their movement. If there are two additional people, they can spot standing at each side of the barbell too.

What does the term miss the lift mean?

loads. Missing a lift can happen for several reasons; misgrooving the weight, having an off day, or ultimately being too weak. One thing that is crucial to training for myself is to learn how to fail and miss a lift properly. This means properly setting safety rack heights and being comfortable under heavy loads.

What is a failed lift?

Lifting to technical failure means grinding out as many reps as you possibly can, only stopping when you fail to complete a rep. The final rep, then, will have you actually failing at the sticking point. It’s objective: you lift until you fail, and so you learn exactly what you’re capable of.

Is it OK to fail reps?

Common wisdom states that you must lift to failure to get maximum strength and muscle gains. Lifting to failure can be done using either heavy weights and low reps or light weights and high reps. A new study showed that muscle gains were even greater in individuals who lifted just below failure.

Should you always do reps until failure?

Whether a one-rep-max or a set of multiple reps, there is some evidence to suggest working until you fail in the gym can have benefits. Training to failure may create more muscle stimulation which could boost improvements to muscle strength and size, Landsverk previously reported.