Avoid Gym Fails With These Expert-Backed Spotting Tips
SPOTTING A FELLOW lifter in the gym might seem simple. One person performs the lift, while another person (or group of people, in the highest-risk situations like competitions) stands ready to take on the load. This is increasingly important as you work to apply progressive overload to your training and challenge yourself to work with increasingly heavier weights – essential to accomplishing goals like building muscle and strength. Just as importantly, working with a spotter prevents an outcome in which a failed rep results in an ugly accident. Success isn’t necessarily when the lifter nails their new PR. It’s when the harmony between the pair keeps the bar in control throughout the entire set, no matter what.
This classic depiction of this arrangement features one gym bro standing behind another, either at a bench or a squat rack, hollering encouragement with his hands hovering near the weight while the other strains to eke out a rep. That’s partly right, but that’s only one aspect of a spot well done. The actual lift is only the final piece of a more complicated process.
There are some important steps you need to take to master the art of spotting. When you take the time and care to follow through with all of them, the procedure will help to keep you safe, unlock the next level of muscle and strength gains, and might even provide some underrated perks for your overall experience in the gym.
Talk Through Your Spot
WHAT YOU AND your training partner do even before you step up to the bar is essential. The most important aspect of any successful spot isn’t how strong either person is – the key is actually communication. We have a simple first rule for smart spotting at MH, and it’s the opposite of the iconic first rule of Fight Club: DO talk about your spot.
Break free from iron age stereotypes about heavyweight lifters only communicating via grunts and flexing. Talk things through, whether you’re lifting with your best buddy or just the first person you made eye contact with on the weight room floor. You might even make a friend – not a bad perk to go along with your new PRs and bigger muscles.
The need to speak up goes for both parties involved, too. The lifter needs to share what their goals are, while the spotter needs to be willing to ask the right questions to clarify how, when, and where their help will be most needed. Never assume that the other person follows the same spotting protocols you do; exactly what these look like might vary from gym to gym, and if either party is a beginner, there’s a good chance the only thing they know about spotting comes from social media. Once you’ve had a conversation, you’ll be in a better position to move forward safely.
You can talk about anything before a spot, but focus on establishing these three basic points of information:
The Number of Reps in the Set
The spotter will know how long they need to stay engaged to keep the lifter safe.
The Intensity of the Lift
Knowing the expected level of difficulty for the reps will help the spotter understand if they’ll need to jump in sooner or later when the lifter starts to struggle.
Will There Be a Liftoff?
Pro-tip: Always take the lift off. Also, establish the count—are you moving on 3-2-1 lift? Who is counting? Get on the same page so the start of the exercise goes off without a hitch.
Check the Technique
AFTER THE CONVERSATION, the actual work begins. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Good form and technique is paramount for your training success. When it comes to spotting, that doesn’t just apply to the lifter. The spotter should also be locked in using proper form.
Good spot form consists of two factors. First, the spotter is in an athletic stance: Feet slightly staggered, bent knees, with hands at the ready near the bar or the lifter (depending on the exercise being performed). You should be ready to react the moment you’re needed, whether that time comes right after the liftoff or at the last few inches of the lockout. Second, the spotter is engaged. Don’t even THINK about looking at your phone – or even at the baddie across the gym floor – while you’re meant to be keeping your training partner safe. One distraction at the wrong time could result in the lifter becoming a barbell pancake. Focus on the bar and the lifter’s form, and only disengage when the weight is safely back on the rack.
You should also understand that there are different approaches for different lifts. To make things much simpler, we’ve broken these down between Upper Body lifts (mostly chest-focused movements like bench presses) and Lower Body lifts (squats).
Upper Body Lifts
Keys for Upper Body Spots
Get the Load Right
When you’re spotting a barbell bench press, this means that you gently lift the weight from the rack. When the lifter is using heavy dumbbells, help them by handing them one of the bells.
Get Your Hands Right
For the barbell presses, use a mixed grip (one hand pronated, one supinated) to grab the bar. For dumbbell pressing, your hands should be ready under the lifter’s elbows to give them some help up.
WANT TO DIVE IN DEEPER? Check out our full Upper Body Spotting explainer below.
Lower Body Lifts
Keys for Lower Body Spots
Arms in the Right Spot
There are two approaches here: The spotter puts their arms under the lifters armpits and supports them in that way, or they place one hand on the back and the other around the body on the chest (which will be the way to go for unilateral moves like split squats).
No Contact—Until Needed
You might feel the need to get close to the lifter and touch them the whole time, since you’re spotting them rather than the bar. Don’t. Only make contact with their body when you need to intercede. That leads into the next key…
Move With the Lifter
You can’t spot a lower body exercise properly unless you’re moving along with the lifter. If they fail, you’re able to generate enough force with the proper leverage to get the bar back to the rack safely, rather than trying to haul them up from above.
WANT TO DIVE IN DEEPER? Check out our full Lower Body Spotting explainer below.
Know Your Spot Job
NOW THAT THE spotter and lifter are on the same page and the spotter is in position and understands what they need to do, the last part of the equation is understanding when the time comes to intercede. While a failed rep and a bad spot can result in a terrible injury, an overzealous spotter who takes control at the slightest sign of struggle can be terrible for your gains.
This is a tough line to walk, especially when you’re spotting someone you don’t know very well. There are some key guidelines to follow to know when you should hold off – and when you need to step in and save the lifter from themselves.
When to Step in on the Spot
Communicate
The key is communication. Allow the lifter to cue the spotter to help with the weight. This is something you can talk about in the pre-spot conversation.
Let the Lifter Earn the Rep
Heavyweight reps can be a grind. Lifters won’t always push through with a smooth tempo – so let them struggle through the lockout until they ask for help, or…
When the Weight Descends, You’re In
The weight stops moving in the right direction. The spotter should make their move when the weight starts to go down. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be in place and ready before then – but you shouldn’t be over eager to take over before you’re needed.
More than anything else, a good spot is a healthy relationship. There’s communication, and both the lifter and the spotter want to help the other grow. If you practice safe spotting, you’ll make more than big gains. You’ll make a connection that can continue to pay off, both in and outside the gym.
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