Are barbell safety stands a must if you lift alone?

[jtvang125]

I workout at home alone and my rack doesn't have them built in. Are they needed or you'll be fine if you're careful and not be stupid? I've never dropped anything before but I have failed to get the bar back up onto the rack maybe 2 or 3 times. I had to drop one side and inch my way out.

 

[pauldun170]

I didn't use safety stands for 20 years. Squat rack or bench.
It's only recently that my gym had some on one of the benches.
They are a nice to have

 

[whm1974]

I would have them due to the stories of folks who were lifting heavier weights then what they actually can handle.And ended up getting severely injured.

Please be careful.

 

[mike8675309]

Training sets should never require a spotter. if so you are lifting too heavy for training. Get a friend to help spot when you go for 1RM. Don't clamp weights onto the bar when lifting alone. If you can't lift the bar straight to keep the weights on, the weight is too heavy anyways. That way if you move wrong or get a sudden pain you can tip the bar and have the weights fall off.

 

[deadlyapp]

Not sure if I agree with Mike's strategy. People have imbalances in their bodies and not all of them are purely caused by "too much weight" For example, I have significant hip impingement on my right side which forces me into a cant at the bottom of a squat. I can artificially fix it by moving the bar slightly or using my hands to position it, but that's not really solving the problem.

Anyways. If you have bumper plates, then safety bars aren't really necessary for most lifts. I would never bench alone and push into maximal or sub maximal lifts without safety bars though. If I'm alone I only bench with dumbells.

 

[Muse]

Don't go too heavy. I personally think it's not smart to bench more than you could do about 4 reps when you're at your best. It's just that going heavy can result in injuries, been there done that.

If you're lifting alone, don't put restrictions on the ends of the bar and if you fail at getting the bar up to the supports you can tip to one side and the plate(s) will slide off. I've had to do that a time or two.

Know your limits. I have very seldom not been able to squeeze out my last rep.

 

[Muse]

I don't think they are necessary, i never use them. I won't recommend it unless you are lifting too heavy as compared to your capacity which you shouldn't as it can cause sometimes serious injuries. Just be careful and use high quality bar weight locks.

I suggest not using the locks. If you can't get the bar off your chest, if you don't have locks you can tip to one side and the plate(s) will fall off and you can get out from under it withing help. I've done that a time or two in the gym when, yes, others were in there but I didn't have to holler.

 

[SNC]

You need to look at the safeties as something not only to protect you while doing heavy work like one rep max but in the event of an injury. You don’t have to be lifting anywhere near max to tear something. Hell I tore my upper pec picking up a piece of paper from the seat of the car. If I’m working with 3 or more plates I have someone there ready to grab the weight. A spotter needs to know he’s not there for looks. He had to be ready to pull the entire bar off of you at any point. When lifting alone, while under the bar, never ever use clamps. You need to be able to dump the weight off.

 

[Humpy]

While not a "must" I can't imagine having a home gym without a power rack. Its safer and more functional.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Not sure if I agree with Mike's strategy. People have imbalances in their bodies and not all of them are purely caused by "too much weight" For example, I have significant hip impingement on my right side which forces me into a cant at the bottom of a squat. I can artificially fix it by moving the bar slightly or using my hands to position it, but that's not really solving the problem.

Yeah, this is very true. I have a nerve in my elbow, that when I hit 275+ it sends lightning shocks all the way up and down my arm. While I never lost the weight, nor did my arm give out, I realized this nerve was just a disaster waiting to happen. Kinda of scary, really, as this never happened in my teens. Only started when I was around 30. But, honestly, if your arm just 'gave out' your spotter isn't likely to be able to do anything either, except move the weight off of you. But if you still have one good arm, even if that happened without a spotter, you could push it over with your other arm. In that event a spotter is better, but neither is going to stop the crushing impact should something just give out abruptly.

So while I agree with the above, I think if your sets are light enough, go for it. That said, I find push-ups better overall for me anyway these day. While I can't get as heavy as a weight, I feel they work the body a lot better and being near 40 now, my days of trying to get swoll are gone. Thinks like ANW are more important to me now than lifting iron.

 

[ArchAngel777]

While not a "must" I can't imagine having a home gym without a power rack. Its safer and more functional.

For regular weights, yes, but if you have bumper plates, a power rack really isn't needed. That said, I'd still advise one.

 

[Humpy]

For regular weights, yes, but if you have bumper plates, a power rack really isn't needed. That said, I'd still advise one.

Even with iron I'd agree a rack isn't necessary. I have a rack more for the function of being able to start a lift from any height and using the safety bars to limit where I stop. I really only think about safety when benching or maybe the chance of passing out under a squat.