Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

When I realized that we were going to have a home gym with free weights, I kind of panicked. If there was one thing that I learned in my weight training class, it was never lift weights without a spotter. That fear eventually was updated to never lift weights over your head without a spotter when I realized that some exercises are completely safe to do alone. Which are which, though?

I got The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Body Sculpting for just that reason. Each exercise has detailed lists for Preparation, Movement and Precautions. Here are the precautions from the Bench Press:

“Do not do this exercise without a spotter. It may seem funny on TV when someone gets stuck under a bar, but you definitely won’t be laughing if it happens to you.”

“Do not let the bar ‘bounce’ off your chest. Some competetive lifters do this to get the bar moving upward, but it is really dangerous. Your chest is not a trampoline.”

“Keep your back flat on the bench. Arching your back while pushing the bar up can strain your lower back muscles and cause injury.”

Fortunately, there are MANY exercises that don’t need a spotter, so if you are a lone weight trainer, you can tailor a workout for you that will make you strong and keep you safe.