Spotters – You Don’t Need One!
Ok, I better qualify that to ensure that what I’m saying is very clear – 99% of the time and 99% of you, do not need to use a spotter – ever! Who and when would the 1% be? Someone like a powerlifter going for a big 1RM on the bench or the squat for example. BUT, the spotter would be doing what a spotter is supposed to do – be there just in case. A spotter’s job is not to help you do the lift. Another example where I can see the use of a spotter – again, doing what they’re supposed to be doing, which is not helping you complete reps – is getting a hand off when you’re benching so that so you don’t lose your tight set up under the heavier loads.
So are we clear? Spotters spot. They’re there to ensure safety; to ensure you don’t get pinned under the bar. Speaking of getting pinned, that reminds me of something that happened to me years back. I was training at a great gym in Windsor, Ontario and was benching. My last set I was just repping out with 225 and on my 12th rep well, I thought I had one more in me than I actually did. End result? Failed on the bench with no spotter. No matter what – that bar was not moving anymore. So, I brought it back down and rested it on my chest. You know, to rest and try again. :lol: Nope, no movement. Now, I was in a bit of a predicament.
“Is anyone going to see me? How embarrassing.”
“I hope no one notices I’m pinned here under 225.”
“Wait a second, I hope someone sees me and comes to help.”
“Hello? Anyone? Help? HELP!!”
Anyway, eventually I got some help and survived the 225. :lol:
Back to my point though …
See, deep down I knew I wasn’t going to get that extra rep, (in fact, it wasn’t even deep down) but I went for it anyway. With training experience comes the knowledge of when you’re going to fail. You know, you squeeze out your 6th rep and you just know you’d miss your 7th. I say, rack it right there.
What does a spotter do in 99% of gyms across North America? Helps you complete reps – multiple ones – after you’ve failed. Two points here:
First, training to failure.
There are times and places to train to failure, but training to failure all the time, on every set, or even most sets, is quite simply STUPID.
Which means secondly, going past failure, and doing forced reps, is STUPIDER. Yes, I just typed ‘stupider’. :p
First off, what’s the point? I’ll tell you – ego. You see it with guys in the gyms all the time. The mystique of the 2-plate bench press -yay, 2 plates. So you have some 155lb guy with 225 on the bench and his buddy deadlifting it off his chest not just once, but for a set of 6 … and “it’s all you buddy”.
This isn’t a phenomenon unique to the bench press, or even guys for that matter. Here’s my point, if you’re after a set of 8 reps, and you need the help of a spotter to complete the last 3 reps – you went too heavy. You didn’t select an appropriate weight. You might think you’re doing it because your reflection in the mirror seems to indicate you are, but you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t need any help. In essence, you’re lifting less anyway. An example to illustrate:
100lbs on the bar. You want 8 reps. You hit 5. Your spotter helps you complete the last 3. You do realize you’re no longer lifting 100lbs right? Could be down to 95, 90, 85, or whatever, but you’re not lifting 100lbs. Your spotter is lifting some of it. So, why not just choose the right weight to begin with?
So not only are you not lifting the weight anyway, and not only are you training to failure (which has its own set of negatives when done too often) but you’re also doing forced reps, and potentially multiple ones – and there is NO POINT. The cons outweigh the pros – and especially if you’re dieting and eating at a deficit where recovery is at a premium. The inroads repeated sets to failure or worse yet, forced reps, make into your CNS recovery are much too significant to be worth any potential gain you might (not likely) experience.
Seriously – what extra gain does that half rep (since you failed and didn’t get the full rep) offer you? Another con is that if you’re grinding out, hitting failure, going past failure, you’re going to build up more residual fatigue from that set which will negatively affect your subsequent sets.
The majority of the time, training to one rep shy of failure is as close as you need to be and will offer just as much benefit as you’re going to get/need/want, etc. Sure, hit failure every now and then, but it shouldn’t be your goal. The point isn’t to kill yourself in the gym week in and week out. Cycling intensity is an important aspect to long term progress. To qualify that a bit further, failure isn’t always a bad thing – your accessory/higher-rep/bodybuilding-type sets can be taken to failure. It’s not like 12 reps to failure of preacher curls is going to be a big deal. Mind you, 11 likely would have been just fine.
So, your higher rep work can be taken closer to failure (in order to get all the fibers recruited) and your lower rep work, should not be.
Another rule of thumb – the more volume you’re doing the more you should be avoiding failure. THe less volume you’re doing, the more you can play with failure. (not forced reps)
So how heavy do you go? The reps or rep range you’re shooting for determines the load you select. Yes, over time your goal is to be adding weight to the bar, but when you can actually do so – on your own. Use the highest level of resistance you can lift for the designated number of reps with perfect form. And remember that how you lift how much you’re lifting trumps how much you’re lifting. You’re training muscles, contracting muscles under load. In physique pursuits, it’s not just about moving weight; it’s about applying maximum tension to the muscles you’re targeting. See the Q&A in this newsletter archive for more.
And never attempt a rep you cannot complete with perfect form. Ugly reps don’t count.
Check your ego at the door. Do your own reps.