No Spotter? No Problem

Why working out alone isn’t all that bad

Predator, John McTiernan, 20th Century Fox, USA, 1987

While a great many weightlifters will have a gym buddy, some will not. The task of bench pressing can feel daunting.

You don’t want to go too heavy in case you drop it on yourself. Believe me, it is not a nice experience.

However, while the barbell bench press is a staple of a weightlifter’s routine, there are ways around it. Furthermore, looking for alternatives can add some much-needed variety (for more on this, click the link) to your workout to avoid plateauing.

Here is how you do it:

1. Firstly, go light. There is absolutely no shame in it. Drop the weight down by 10 or 15kg and up the reps, doing 15 instead of the usual 8–10. This way you can put the work in without overloading the weight.
2. Secondly, go slow. By dragging out the descent for 4 seconds, you not only add tension to the lift (it will burn), it adds variety. Be sure to power the barbell up quickly to shock your pectorals, also going some way to add some strength.
3. Thirdly, use the smith machine. A lot of weightlifters shy away from using this, as it isn’t seen as ‘properly’ lifting the weight. However, for our purposes, the safety net of a smith machine does provide some comfort for the lone gym goer.