Short Essays...
At the Gym
This article is intended to be a series of short essays on fitness. I'll talk a little about strength training, aerobic conditioning, gym etiquette and whatever else occurs to me.
7/28/2008 - Strength Training
It never ceases to amaze me how many people lift weights with poor form. I don't usually like strength training machines (I prefer free weights) but maybe they are better for some folks because they can force you into a better range of motion. I see these guys at the gym who throw an absurd amount of weight on the bar, then move the bar a few inches up and down, and re-rack it with this great look of satisfaction. Puhleeze. That's just ego-stroking.
Yesterday I was at the gym and saw these guys putting a lot of weight on an incline bench, then with spotters on either end holding the bar the entire time, they pushed the bar up and down about 5 inches or so with a great deal of grunting and growling. If you need the spotters on either end holding the bar the entire time then apparently you can't handle that much weight! Take 25 pounds off the bar and do at least a couple of reps by yourself.
There are two reasons to have a spotter actually holding the bar:
1. Safety. You've done 6 reps and you're starting to fail on the 7th rep. Your spotter, wisely, steps in and help you get the bar back to where it can be safely racked.
2. Negatives. There is some value to handling heavy weight if you're doing negative lifts. That's where your spotter helps you get the weight up, then you very slowly lower the weight, then your spotter helps you lift it again.
These guys weren't using the spotters for either of those reasons. They just wanted to be able to say that they pressed 225 pounds on an incline press. But they didn't press 225 pounds on an incline press. They AND TWO FRIENDS pressed 225 pounds on an incline press and didn't even do that very well.
Proper form is important!
The guys I grew up lifting with wouldn't even count it as a rep if the bar didn't touch your chest on a bench press and then all the way up to full extension. Control the weight all the way down, pause at the bottom, then press the weight up. Down slowly, up fast. A spotter is a good idea, but he shouldn't touch the bar unless you're starting to struggle and need him for safety reasons.
Useful Links
1.1 National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association
1.2 Strength Training @ Wikipedia
1.3 Men's Health Magazine
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