Most popular/most dangerous exercise in the gym?

[darkxshade]

Fortunately I go to the gym during my lunch hour on workdays twice a week and have co-workers to spot me. The only exception is on the weekend when generally no one is around to ask for a spot. I've never used collars for benching, foolish on my part perhaps but I've gotten used to it, a case of monkey see, monkey do because I honestly have not seen anyone else use collars for benching at any of the gyms I go to either. I do use collars for everything else though like squats, etc. So it's pretty much on the weekend that I'm most vulnerable to injury which is why I asked about the hypothetical situation of not being able to finish a set.

 

[NAC]

I don't see why lifting w/o collars is unsafe for most body building type exercises (bench, squat, press). I never use collars, and the weights have never moved more than perhaps a 1/4 inch. If you use a brain when choosing your weights - I don't see why it would be a problem.

For deadlifts / power cleans etc - you do need a collar, if only because when the bar is on the ground the weights will definitely wiggle.

Also, I have a power rack in my garage and love it. I was going for a new PR benching the other day. I unracked it, lowered it to my chest, and couldn't lift it. My chest was above the saftey bar. No problem - I rolled (pushed, slightly lifted?) it a few inches to my neck - and my neck was safely below the safety bar. Just had to kinda curl myself out from under the bar, which was perhaps an inch above my neck, resting on the safety bars. Again - I feel it was perfectly safe - I had a good grip on the bar - it wasn't going anywhere suddenly. And although I couldn't lift it - I had the strength to control where it goes. If you don't have the strength to lower it under control - you have chosen much to much weight.

 

[conorvansmack]

The moral of the Stafon Johnson story seems to be "spotter or rack." Brikis is right that no spotter is going to be fast or strong enough to catch a freefalling, loaded barbell before it causes some kind of damage, but he was able to lessen the effects.

NAC's description of using a rack for 1 rep max sounds like the instructions for benching alone.

As long as you're able to keep the bar totally level, there usually isn't a reason for using collars, but I tend to trust a small implement like a collar/clamp over my own ability to keep a heavy weight level 100% of the time.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: alkemyst
don't lift without collars.

It's freaking dangerous as hell...even if you are dealing with 135lbs, letting a 45lb plate slide off one side can cause a flying bar.

I clearly stated in my post that the recommendation to lift without collars was appropriate IF he had no power rack AND no spotter. Yes, general lifting without collars is not a good idea, but if you are bench pressing alone it is MUCH better to make a racket by dropping plates off the bar than getting trapped under several hundred pounds.

Originally posted by: alkemyst
Also just asking for a spot is bad news if you are going heavy...there is a big change Joe Asshat has no freaking idea how to spot.

If you don't know the guy, then it's a good idea to explain what you're doing and what you want: "I'm going for a set of 5, don't help unless the weight is not moving up, and if you do help, the set is over." Again, it's not the ideal - having a trusted gym buddy is better - but it's pretty effortless and MUCH safer than no spotter at all.

both are dangerous. Maybe ok in a home gym or with light weight....throwing plates off in a gym is fucking retarded and dangerous.

Going heavy with a stranger spotting is also dangerous.