Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Spotting Dumbbell Bench Press Correctly — At the Weight

I constantly see athletes spot dumbbell bench presses incorrectly.

Most people want to spot a dumbbell bench press at the elbows. This is flawed for a few reasons:
  • If the weights get dropped from the up position, they can hit your arm, chest or head. This is not good.
  • If a lifter is using heavy weights, and a spotter is pushing up at the elbows, the lifter who collapses at the arm risks breaking his/her elbow or the spotter's toe if the weight falls.
When we spot a barbell bench press, we spot at the weight. Why would it be different for dumbbells?

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