high school bro dies bench pressing

[binö]

a gym owner told me the most fatalities @ gyms are caused by benching
sad

A Wisconsin high school football player has died in an accident while lifting weights at home.

Slinger police say 16-year-old Jake Pezon was home alone in his basement rec room Wednesday night and was bench pressing 185 pounds when the weights dropped on him.

Police Lt. Joel Schodron says Pezon's mother arrived home shortly after midnight Thursday and found her son unresponsive. Schodron says the teen was dead by the time first responders arrived.

Pezon was a junior at Slinger High School and played wide receiver and defensive back for the Owls. School District administrator Bob Reynolds says counselors are available Friday at the high school

 

[Arabian]

Very sad indeed.

 

[cuthroat]

Do I have to be the asshole to ask how 185lbs falling on this kid killed him? I mean did he have it up near his neck or something? I used to bench in my basement as a kid all the time and if I ever got pinned I just rolled the weight off me.

 

[just...v]

I was kind of wondering that myself. Maybe he was setting the weight back above him and missed? That is so sad...

 

[lartinos]

I was skinny when I was that age. No way I could have put that up.

 

[chewyxrage]

I benched alone all the time in HS. When I couldn't finish a rep, I tilted the bar to one side so the weights fell off

Maybe the dude had collars on the bar or as said earlier, the bar fell on his head or neck

 

[kx250rider]

This is always tragic to hear about, but let's put it in perspective: How many HS kids are killed in cars, on motorcycles, and even by violence? God bless his and other families of untimely fallen young people.

I wasn't there, so the last thing I'd do is disrespect the boy's family by second-guessing any judgement. With that said, there are a few safety rules which we must always observe when lifting alone (and lifting alone is sort of a bad idea anyway) :

1) Use a Smith machine if possible, or at least a half cage with safety stops set to hold the bar before it digs into you chest

2) Watch your pulse and BP, and STOP if you get palpitations, or feel weird. Nobody is "too young or too healthy" to have a sudden heart problem.

3) If you MUST lift without any safety stops, at least do as Chewy says; LEAVE THE CLAMPS OFF THE BAR!!!! Then if you tear or dislocate something and can't press up, you might at least have a chance to tilt the bar and let the plates off one side, which will catapult the bar with the other side plate off you. You might still get a busted rib or two, but at least you might live.

Charles

 

[-SD-]

My best guess is he went to rack it too fast, had eyes closed, and missed while totally relaxing from the effort and the bar frefalled and hit him dead on in the neck or head and crushed him. 185 coming down from the rack in a free fall to the head of neck would definetely fuck anyone up.

 

[PICK3]

When I was young and benched alone I wouldn't put collars on the barbell (knot Olympic).

If I couldn't get it up I'd tilt it one way and empty that side (very loudly), then repeat for the other side

 

[SouthernCharm]

Damn thats sad. I dont use collars and this is just going to reinforce my choice. Prayers for the kids family and loved ones.

Maybe this will come off wrong but I mean this as a good thing : at least he passed to the other side doing something he loved.

 

[needtogetarmy]

It doesn't take much to have the bar slip and hit your neck, especially in a home gym.

I ALWAYS do my bench in the rack so I have the bars right at my chest so if something goes wrong it doesn't kill me. It also allows me to max out to failure without needing a spotter. The bench benches up at Muscle Beach in Ocean View VA had the racks on the side and I like those but it was the only gym I have ever seen with them.

 

[digimon7068]

Do I have to be the asshole to ask how 185lbs falling on this kid killed him? I mean did he have it up near his neck or something? I used to bench in my basement as a kid all the time and if I ever got pinned I just rolled the weight off me.

stafon johnson damn near died at usc when he was benching 275 with a spotter...didn't have his thumbs wrapped around the bar and it slipped out of his hands and landed on his throat.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4512778

 

[mrplunkey]

1) Never use collars, even in a crowded public gym. When you can't get it up, dump the weight.

2) Never miss the supports. If the bench has a poor tab on it's back support, don't use that bench.

3) No smith machines or racks that could otherwise pin you.

4) No false grips. Those thumbs may not be able to support all the weight, but they can buy you the fraction of a second you need.

 

[needtogetarmy]

1) Never use collars, even in a crowded public gym. When you can't get it up, dump the weight.

2) Never miss the supports. If the bench has a poor tab on it's back support, don't use that bench.

3) No smith machines or racks that could otherwise pin you.

4) No false grips. Those thumbs may not be able to support all the weight, but they can buy you the fraction of a second you need.

I see people all the time using BS grips. Reverse grips are the stupidest thing to come out IMO. There are a zillion other ways to hit upper pecs.

 

[needtogetarmy]

When I was in high school I was at the local gym doing squats. I have no idea what happened but I got really weak on one rep and my legs started to give and I lost it and leaded forward. I could have gotten really messed up. One guy saw me and came up and ripped the bar back and it fell to the ground and saved my ass.

I didn't really have a clue about safety back then. I never do heavy lifts without safety things in check.

I saw a guy using no gloves, no shirt, in a hot sweaty gym (it was a ghetto gym where they didn't give a darn if your shirt was off) doing upper pecs with dumbbells, he slid to the side and dropped one but the other one hit him smack in the face. They were like 78-80 lbs too. He was fvcked up.

 

[PICK3]

exercising is bad

m'kay?

 

[-SD-]

I dont work out.

 

[just...v]

I see people all the time using BS grips. Reverse grips are the stupidest thing to come out IMO. There are a zillion other ways to hit upper pecs.

There is this dude at my gym that does the reverse grip and he does it with heavy weight, too (only what he can do like two times) it makes me cringe to watch him. He has a spotter, but he is easily distracted and always talking.

 

[digimon7068]

I see people all the time using BS grips. Reverse grips are the stupidest thing to come out IMO. There are a zillion other ways to hit upper pecs.

they're actually pretty useful as a sports-specific exercise...particulary for offensive linemen and d-backs.

 

[calveless wonder]

none of you guys use collars?

i was never worried about benching and hurting myself until i read this thread

 

[javaguru]

I use collars and I've rolled 315+ more than once...I'm more cautious with close grips because it's harder to gauge muscle failure but the weight is lighter than a flat bench so it's less of a concern.

 

[chewyxrage]

none of you guys use collars?

i was never worried about benching and hurting myself until i read this thread

I use collars when I'm dead lifting but nothing else, main reason why I use it for deads is that the weight shifts more than any other (shitty form or something, I know)

what's the point really? I always stretch out and tug in the weights before I bench or any movement (overhead press, etc) They might move an inch while I'm reppin' but I reset it w/ each set.

It's the rule in most gyms but rarely followed.

The place I work out in now is a community gym (ran by the city) and there is hardly anyone there.

 

[nydj66]

I never use collars on the Bench. It's a fundemantally flawed idea, lying underneath all that weight. There's just no acceptable alternative.

If I can't get someone to spot me I use the squat rack with the safety bars at chest level. And I never do decline bench; too easy to get light headed. There's a reason it's nicknamed the guillotine. Bars dips works well enough for me.

 

[RottenWillow]

1) Never use collars, even in a crowded public gym. When you can't get it up, dump the weight.

2) Never miss the supports. If the bench has a poor tab on it's back support, don't use that bench.

3) No smith machines or racks that could otherwise pin you.

4) No false grips. Those thumbs may not be able to support all the weight, but they can buy you the fraction of a second you need.

The collar thing is not really that big of a deal, but choosing to sort of drop the bar onto the supports or using a thumbless grip are both seriously fucking dangerous.

Don't know how many times I've seen dudes move the bar backward to the supports and just drop the bar 5 inches onto them rather than lower and guide the bar to the supports in a controlled fashion. And the thumbless grip? Christ...that's just nuts.

 

[RottenWillow]

I use collars and I've rolled 315+ more than once...I'm more cautious with close grips because it's harder to gauge muscle failure but the weight is lighter than a flat bench so it's less of a concern.

yeah collars won't kill you. Just inconvenience you at the worst. You can always manage to get the bar down past your chest and diaphragm, then sit up and push it off. It's when you lose control of the bar at arms length you risk a case of acute death.

 

[hardrock]

That's too young to die from anything, let alone a weight lifting accident. Truly sad.

 

[bakemeacookie]

this is why i use machines. probably fell on his head or neck.

c

 

[needtogetarmy]

none of you guys use collars?

i was never worried about benching and hurting myself until i read this thread

I don't use collars when I am not inside a rack so I can let the weights slip if needed (I had to do that once).

If I am in a rack and the pins are set to my chest or parallel when I am doing squats I'd rather have the collars.

Just on a side note I remember listening to someone who was at a gym and the owner lubed up the bars with graphite (or something else) so the plates would slide on easier. He said it was a nightmare because plates would slip off very easily too. Huge, stupid mistake.

 

[gorillahung]

I walked into a weight room once to find a dude pinned with a bar on his neck. I rushed over and pulled it off him. Luckily it had just happpened and he wasn't hurt bad.

 

[ceo]

I see people all the time using BS grips. Reverse grips are the stupidest thing to come out IMO. There are a zillion other ways to hit upper pecs.

reverse grip bench is more a tricep focused exercise. It is in my arsenal, but I only do it in a smith machine for safety reasons.

Oh, and I always workout alone.

 

[gorillahung]

reverse grip bench is more a tricep focused exercise. It is in my arsenal, but I only do it in a smith machine for safety reasons.

Oh, and I always workout alone.

In my powerlifting days I used to go to 275 for reps on reverse grip. They gave me great lockout power but I always used an experienced spotter.

 

[binö]

1) Never use collars, even in a crowded public gym. When you can't get it up, dump the weight.

2) Never miss the supports. If the bench has a poor tab on it's back support, don't use that bench.

3) No smith machines or racks that could otherwise pin you.

4) No false grips. Those thumbs may not be able to support all the weight, but they can buy you the fraction of a second you need.

5) Stop that bs feet on the bench...not only does it look super ghey but it's also dangerous. Drive with your legs nancy!

 

[stevesmi]

when i used to workout at home I would do heavy benching with no collars. the end result was a couple holes in my wall. rather have that then get choked to death. what a way to die, my dogs would of probably eaten me by the time they found me since I lived alone.

 

[Strongbow]

5) Stop that bs feet on the bench...not only does it look super ghey but it's also dangerous. Drive with your legs nancy!

I just asked CEO a question about feet on the bench. I really like my feet on the bench, I like lifting the weight not throwing the shit up off the bottom with my legs bro. I also only take it down to about an inch from my chest to keep from bouncing the shit up. I see bitches everyday where I lift bouncing the shit off the bottom and driving up with their legs, it really makes for out of controll pussy ass fucking lifts in my book. My bench is smooth and controlled, chest is keep under constant tension and I lift it with my chest not my legs and back.

 

[binö]

when i used to workout at home I would do heavy benching with no collars. the end result was a couple holes in my wall. rather have that then get choked to death. what a way to die, my dogs would of probably eaten me by the time they found me since I lived alone.

i'd never try a single solo.
so anything i can rep out, i feel confident that if i was pinned i could roll it down off my chest and onto my torso.
if the bar smashes your trachea you are gonna be fuct regardless

 

[Lancer55]

This is always tragic to hear about, but let's put it in perspective: How many HS kids are killed in cars, on motorcycles, and even by violence? God bless his and other families of untimely fallen young people.

I wasn't there, so the last thing I'd do is disrespect the boy's family by second-guessing any judgement. With that said, there are a few safety rules which we must always observe when lifting alone (and lifting alone is sort of a bad idea anyway) :

1) Use a Smith machine if possible, or at least a half cage with safety stops set to hold the bar before it digs into you chest

2) Watch your pulse and BP, and STOP if you get palpitations, or feel weird. Nobody is "too young or too healthy" to have a sudden heart problem.

3) If you MUST lift without any safety stops, at least do as Chewy says; LEAVE THE CLAMPS OFF THE BAR!!!! Then if you tear or dislocate something and can't press up, you might at least have a chance to tilt the bar and let the plates off one side, which will catapult the bar with the other side plate off you. You might still get a busted rib or two, but at least you might live.

Charles

Definately man, I work out alone and this has made me think about it some more, not gonna stop but will not leave clips on anymore.

 

[mrplunkey]

I just asked CEO a question about feet on the bench. I really like my feet on the bench, I like lifting the weight not throwing the shit up off the bottom with my legs bro. I also only take it down to about an inch from my chest to keep from bouncing the shit up. I see bitches everyday where I lift bouncing the shit off the bottom and driving up with their legs, it really makes for out of controll pussy ass fucking lifts in my book. My bench is smooth and controlled, chest is keep under constant tension and I lift it with my chest not my legs and back.

It does not surprise me at all that you're a feet-up, inch-off-the-chest guy!

I could so see that.