Everything You Need to Know About Spotting at the Gym

Everyone who’s lifted weights has put too many plates on the bar or struggled to get the final reps in their last set. That’s where a spotter comes in—to give the lifter some assistance to complete an extra rep or two of a set. The job of a spotter isn’t to take over the weights if they lifter fails or to provide encouragement to the lifter to finish the set.

To begin with, there are some exercises that you shouldn’t spot which include deadlifts and other power-centric Olympic lifting moves. The exercises that you may need a spotter for are the barbell bench press, barbell squat, and dumbell bench press.

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When spotting the barbell bench press, position yourself close to the bar and use an overhand grip. For spotting squats, you’ll want to stand behind the lifter with your arms places under the lifter’s armpit without touching. The dumbbell bench press requires you to spot at the wrists, grabbing them with your hands and driving the weight upward.

Regardless of which exercise you’re spotting for, make sure to keep your hands to yourself and only step in when the lifter can’t complete the sets by themselves. If you’re the one lifting, don’t try and lift more than you can, as it’s not the spotter’s job to complete the sets for you. Remember that you can always add more weights for your next set if it’s too easy.