Benching with no spotter

[miked8c]

Now I know no one on this board condones it and I can't argue with the benefits of having a spotter when trying to push out that last rep whilst struggling against muscle failure. But I usually lift at home and I want to incorporate a 5X5 bench plan, however without a spotter I wont be able to push myself hard enough to make gains.

Is there a technqiue that I can use to, in a way, self-spot myself without fcking up my shoulders, or is there something I can put on my bench to act as a spot dummy, likey the j-hooks on the power rack( I only have a bench, not a power rack)? Or is having a spotter the only realistic way to do this?

 

[Foxxxy]

add your own version of two steel rods on your bench press stand. just make it so you can easily put it on without much effort.

 

[bruce9241]

Just toss it to the side if you can't get it.

My gym has bench racks that have two hook settings. One high and one low so if one can't get it they can put it on the low hook so no problem. I usually just toss it to the side though.

 

[Tblock1]

If you're going light (under 200) you can usually just bring it slowly down to your chest, and sit up, rolling it onto your legs. Then get up and put it back on the rack. Or just drop the weights to the side

 

[b fold the truth]

Take a couple of saw horses and set them up as safety spotters.

 

[grubd]

Just toss it to the side if you can't get it.

My gym has bench racks that have two hook settings. One high and one low so if one can't get it they can put it on the low hook so no problem. I usually just toss it to the side though.

Toss it to the side? If you can't bench it up how are you going to throw 300 pounds around to get it off yourself.

 

[Ox-Sandra-Loan]

Toss it to the side? If you can't bench it up how are you going to throw 300 pounds around to get it off yourself.

I did it years ago with 315 stuck on my chest....dont use collars, and then just tilt it to one side until plates start falling off....once they do, you'll swing around real quickly to the side that still has weight on it, so be careful not to hurt yourself.
Its not a highly recommended method, but it'll work in a pinch.

 

[gstacker]

Years ago I used to build my own equipment I welded a fat washer right in the middle of a bar and attached a cable to it and when the bar hit my chest the cable would pull down a weight stack and release a pin and the counter weight it off of me asisting whatever I loaded it to be 50lbs was usually plenty... It was hella cool I wish I still had it to show u guys

 

[dark-knight]

Years ago I used to build my own equipment I welded a fat washer right in the middle of a bar and attached a cable to it and when the bar hit my chest the cable would pull down a weight stack and release a pin and the counter weight it off of me asisting whatever I loaded it to be 50lbs was usually plenty... It was hella cool I wish I still had it to show u guys

that there is a kickass idea

 

[joe d]

saw horses is the answer. get some heavy duty ones and cut the legs short. then for adjustments get some 2''X6'' to stack to adjust from the floor.

 

[zedhed]

YEP! Im a third one for the sawhorses. Cheap and easy and can use for rack pulls, power shrugs etc. Get some sawhorses.

 

[ExtraMile]

if you have a power rack just set the pins to like an inch below chest height that way if you fail you can just tip the bar back to infront of your face and the pins will stop the bar about 1 inch above your face as your chest is usually higher than your face if that makes sense.

 

[C.K.]

Easy... pause before your final rep bounce off your chest and explode its cheating but beats getting stuck under the bar!