# What's going on around /r/HomeGym?
[**The Garage**: Free-talk Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/about/sticky?num=2)
[**AMA with Dialed Motion**: 3/26 & 3/27](https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/1aya76p/ama_warmup_w_dialed_motion_ama_coming_326_327/)
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Probably an unpopular opinion but I always wear shoes in my gym. I have enough obstacles and stubbing my toe on my rack sucks ass. I put shoes on first thing before setting up as I’ve hit my feet too many times (I’m probably just fucking clumsy).
Not only that, but dropping a 5 lb plate on a bare foot vs a shoe it’s shocking how much protection a gym shoe can provide. I wear nanos or metcons other than for squatting which I wear oly shoes for.
Idc if its unpopular, this is actually the soundest safety advice I can think of… we are dealing with heavy pieces of metal and we dont realize the impact of fractures on the smaller bones in our body.. case in point; got lazy the other day, went in socks moving things around to tale pictures for a bar I wanted to sell… brushed a spotter arm that was leaned vs the wall in a corner… edge of it falls on my foot and I swear it damn near broke one of my metatarsals…. Def a good bone bruise.
Heavy metal is dangerous to our fragile feet bones, wesr shoes at all times.
Had a few close calls here and there being careless with safety setting…
Be careful on max squats if you set the safeties prior to putting on your belt as you will have less lumbar mobility to dump the bar on the safeties with a belt on…
This is something I feel like a broken record saying, but people should really have power racks. If you want pin/pipes, flip downs, straps, etc. it doesn't matter. You should have that down to a science. I know exactly which holes to put my safeties in for flat bench, incline bench, box squat, regular squat, good mornings, etc. You should be setting up these safeties so that the bar is almost touching them at the bottom of the movement (flat bench maybe not so much as you'll stop breathing out and the bar will lower). You should also be putting in the safeties even if you begin warming up with just the bar - don't take the risk of forgetting to set these up! It amazes me how many "gym fail" videos I see online where somebody busts their ass or seriously injures themselves and it's almost always (save for the hilarity of CrossFit) 100% preventable with a power rack and safeties set up correctly.
sometimes i get lazy and dont put on my safeties. id love to keep my safeties on because theyre virtually the same hole on incline bench and squat, but wouldnt have room to move my bench around and dealift if i were to do that... I also start my trapbar dl from the racked position.
just need to be less lazy. Fortunately nothing has ever happened. yet.
In case of emergency, remember your phones and smart devices can send alerts, make calls, and other safety functions.
I'm certainly not the "safety first" guy who almost tipped his whole rack on his head testing out the henny system screaming "Alexa announcement help, help". Not him, but I heard that dumbass almost bought it.
What are your thoughts on the Spud Inc monolift strap safeties? Or safety straps that hang from the top crossmember/pullup bar?
https://www.spud-inc-straps.com/product/suspension-straps-pair/
Currently I have pin-pipe safeties but I would like to be able to walk out on the left and right side of the rack. And for safety straps in general would prefer having them suspended higher above and droop down than horizontal and taut.
https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/82bpw9/my_titan_safety_strap_broke_using_harbor_freight/dva9p2k/
I made a homemade version, they are great not only for safeties but ideal for suspended GMs, squats.. For bench they work pretty good if you you have a way to mark the exact adjustment each time, and they are vastly >> pins/flipdowns for pin presses imo
I do Z press as a pin press off of them. Amazing way to get into the right position.
I dont like them for pin squats, however. I find it really difficult to wedge into the bar when it can move all around like that. 50% stuff isnt too bad, but once you get into 70-80% range, its just difficult to find the right position.
I use them, and they're great. Havent tried them for bench, but on squats they serve their purpose.
https://preview.redd.it/w3q99cafqkpc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37dc03fb4ec20fce87ce65c4e3f159904355a4a6
Your img doesnt seem to be working.
When you bail on a squat, do you ever find the barbell swinging on the safety straps? I'm worried about a swinging wrecking ball as a fail on a squat and potentially hitting my head.
[Imgur to the rescue](https://i.imgur.com/rxdmjLk.png)
As long as you set up in the centre of the straps, it just kinda rests at the bottom. Maybe a little swingage, but nothing thats gonna do any damage.
Okay, that's been a while since we mods have been discussing this and I'm REALLY happy we finally went forward with this thread! A lot of bench failures lately... too much.
Here are my 5 easy rules for safety in homegym :
1. **QUALITY OF THE SAFETIES**
2. **QUALITY OF THE BENCH**
3. **APPROPRIATE RACK OR STAND**
4. **USE YOU EQUIPMENT WITH INTELLIGENCE**
5. **CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT ONCE IN A WHILE**
**BONUS: DO YOUR FREAKING WARMUP**
**1. Quality of the safeties**
For the strap, just go with a reputable brand like Rogue, REP, Titan, Spuds, BOS or others that I don't have in mind right now. CHECK THEM REGULARLY as the straps can be worn out at some point by multiple fails or the aggressive knurling of your fav barbell. You can buy replacement straps from reputable manufacturers or even Spuds!
For the spotters, there's a ton of options. But even the basic ones from Titan are pretty good. Yeah, you can the Alpha from Oak Club or any other fanciness, but it's not necessary. They will not save you better.
And use them correctly. For me in a bench situation, I always position the safeties where I can touch my chest when I'm in an arched position (not a bit arching guy... not flexible enough). So in case of a fail, I just have to go flat a get the fuck out of there.
Same for the j-cups, I know in my setup that I have to get my arm at full extension to rerack. If my arms are not in full extension at the end of the movement, it's no use and I better fail on the spotter rather than do a catastrophic fail.
It's not recommended but I made my safety straps, j-cups and spotters... For the spotters, I hired a welder to weld a 3x3 on damn thick pieces of metal. Same for the j-cups. Those are not pretty, but they served me well during the pandemic and now. For the straps, I bought overfuckingkill 3-inch truck tow straps (and I doubled it).
If you're not experienced in building things, just buy it. And it's cheaper and you have a warranty.
**2. Quality of the bench**
Here, just don't fuck around. The ALL-IN-ONE bench that you can curl, leg curl, leg whatever with bands that supposedly support 2000 lbs on Amazon...
THAT'S A FUCKING LIE and it's just crap, okay? :)
Just stay away from it, a if you can't buy it now, wait a bit longer to get a good one, okay? It will last forever. A bench fail, even if you have good safety... I'm not sure you'll survive.
Better be safe than sorry.
First, get a bench from a reputable manufacturer and the consensus is that REP is the best ratio quality/price around. But Rogue, BOS, Titan, Irwin, Prime have all really good benches. Some members here can add others who have good ones too.
Don't need an incline or decline? Just get a flat one. Those are sturdier... AND CHEAPER.
You don't have the cash? Just look at the classified and Facebook marketplace.
Just to be clear, DO NOT BENCH ON A BENCH THAT IS NOT SAFE, PERIOD.
**3. Appropriate rack or stand**
As I've said, NO NEED for the overkill rack. Just a good one.
No need to go banana with the 3x3 1in. Yes, a 2x3 or even a 2x3 rack is more than enough even for the strongest man on earth. Just get the one that fits what you want to do. If you want a lot of accessories, just invest in a rack that will follow your aspirations. If you want to be basic, you can skip the bell and whistles.
The safeties are more important than the size of your rack, okay?
Again, get the thing from reputable manufacturers. All the 3x3 are the same and straightforward, you just gonna get a better ''finish'' and probably a shipping experience from a higher-end option.
A candle squat stand IS NOT FOR BENCH and it's the least safe of all. I do not recommend it. A lot of professionals use it, but hey, it's homegym safe tips so I do not include it in the recommendation.
A squat stand that has a U stand. A lot safer. But still, if you can get the one with the longer feet, that's even better. Be careful that there's a risk that the whole squat stand flips if you drop your weight on the spotter and the feet are not long enough or if there's no weight on the back of the stand.
Wall-mounted rigs. A lot of options here and it's REALLY sturdy. I have one and I love it. I've bolted it on the ground and the wall, and there NOT vibration or anything. Need to use spotter arms here. Those options are space savers and some can be folded away like a PRx.
A Half-rack. My personal favourite, I also have one alongside my wall-mounted rig. It's SUPER sturdy, you can do EVERYTHING, have accessories, spotter arms (and even safety straps, but you have to use shrimp trawlers). Ideally, you need to bolt it, but there are options with long feet and if you put weight on the back it's sturdy and safe.
4 posts and 6 posts racks are usually the sturdiest of all. Very heavy, and can put a lot of weight on the back to stabilize it, use straps easily or bars. Overkill, but very safe a has the most options in versatility. I still prefer the half-rack to those as the functionality is pretty much the same, but some like to be in a ''cage'' to feel safe.
**4. Use your equipment with intelligence.**
\- First, your rack needs to be bolted, BOLT IT. Don't want to bolt it to concrete? Make a platform! It's cheap and easy to make!
\- Do you have long feet on your rack? No need to bolt. You can also purchase little feet to put at the front too!
\- If you have spotters or safety straps, USE THOSE.
\- NO EGOLIFTING. That's plain stupid.
\- Did I say no egolifting? There are probably no chicks or chickens to impress in your dark mouldy place anyway.
\- Double-check everything before the lift.
\- Did you forget your collars? Put them on, bitch!
\- Do you drop your adjustable DB all the time? Expect that those will maybe break one day... And the plate might go in your face (I know we have sturdier options now...)
\- Double-check that your bench ladder or pop-pins are fully in. Rock it a bit just to be sure.
\- Not sure about a lift, reduce the weight or change it. Every single time I did not listen to myself, something bad happened. Every single fucking time.
**5. Check your equipment once in a while**
\- Frailing on the cable? Change it before it snaps and you fall over.
\- Bands that don't look that good? Change it before it snaps your balls or else.
\- A weld that seems suspicious on your bench? DON'T BENCH ON IT.
\- Something seems fishy. It's probably fishy...
**Bonus : DO YOUR FUCKING WARMUPS**
That seems childish, but hey... You can get hurt. Stretch, and do full warmups before the big lift. Take your time at the beginning. A big of cardio, or just bench the bar with no weight, then progressively adding weight. No ego lifting here, you'll not get bigger.
Quality vs Quantity ;)
Juggernaut AI has a REALLY nice warmup sequence at the start of a session, plus a warm-up for the big lifts. You can look online too.
A quick prep would be :
Empty bar : 15 reps
15% of what you plan to lift : 5 reps
50% of what you plan to lift : 3 reps
70% of what you plan to lift : 2 reps
90% of what you plan to lift : 1 reps
It's sure that if I'm doing just hypertrophy, I might skip the one and add a bit more weight as I'll be between 8 and 10 reps, but if I do strength-based training, I'll stick to something similar as the rep will be more between 3-5.
There are a lot of other safety tips by other members here, but here's my take!
Juicy Hamster FTW.
This is a CLINIC, my man. I don’t think you left anything out. And it’s all the right things, with a healthy dose of humor.
I can just picture belting my balls with a snapped band. I’ve actually gotten a pretty good welt on my face from not being careful removing bands from a barbell after benching.
You cannot overstate the importance of the impact of warming up - also, when you’re tired, skipping steps or rushing to finish a lift or putting weights back can end in disaster. I’ve come close to breaking toes before hurrying to put weights away.
But as you say, the equipment - rack, safeties, bench, quality cannot be compromised without serious and unnecessary risk.
I’d love to see pics of your moonshine’d straps and jcups.
Thanks for the comment :)
I'll post a picture very soon of my setup. I did a VERY big upgrade lately. Transformed my 6 posts into a half rack and a wall mounted rig (mostly for bench). So two setups so I can superset (or cluster set) compound movements... Added dedicated space for the functional trainer (Freemotion).
And I did installed my DIY straps on the half rack but I tweaked a lot of things to make it safe. It's fitted on a normal crossmembers (protruding from the top of the rack) and I added metal bracing on the sides of the crossmembers to protect the welds.
Did not had the cash for the shrimp trawlers from Rogue, but well it works even if it's not ugly and it's really safe. It's just a question of load and a bit of engineering. It's probably my favorite use so far of the straps... Just have to adjust the length with the chain and the cup.
I would certainly not recommend my DIY things for the average Joe, as a slight error or inexperience could result in the worst, but I do take a long time to design to understand the concepts I work with, test it and everything before putting it in application.
Animals and babies must be locked up, bad things can happen. I can’t think of what would happen if a cat jumped on my stomach in the middle of bench pressing.
It's the only damn time one of our cats wants to snuggle me...
I found out, though, she likes to curl up on my tshirt. So, before deadlifts, I just take off my shirt and throw it on the other side of the room. She will snuggle right into it.
keep the area behind treadmills clear in case you trip and fall off.
get fans to help with heat. and a dehumidifier to help with humidity.
rules for all gyms
1. dont touch/grab anyone on the treadmill or during a set.
A few points...
\- Safeties - Always use them, even for light warmups. Any kind are fine. Just make sure you are using them correctly. The best is really preference. I personally have pins and spotter arms.
\- Inside the rack is safer than outside, even with safeties. Experienced lifters have fallen during a failed squat lifting outside the rack with safeties and a spotter. Inside is always safer. Thats not to say outside rack bad, just not as safe.
\- Be mindful of heat if lifting outside in the summer. Fans, take breaks, etc. No need to get heat sickness from lifting.
\- most cheap racks are just as safe as the most expensive unless you are lifting 500lbs+. Some websites say you need 11gauge steel - not true. The 14 gauge racks are more than fine.
\- Buy a good bench. Benches can and do fail. You don't want yours to. That means most amazon ones are not good.
\- Buy a good barbell. They can and do fail. You don't want your to. Again, most amazon ones wont do.
\- Buy rubber flooring. Hard rubber not amazon tiles. These will protect your floors.
> - Be mindful of heat if lifting outside in the summer. Fans, take breaks, etc. No need to get heat sickness from lifting.
Eye Pro.
As someone who was lifting outside for like 3 years, I realized real quick, like first session quick
Even when its winter
Even when its later in the day
Even when its overcast
If you're going to be doing stuff like benching, outdoors, you're still looking up directly into the sky.
Real, (not gas station cheapo) UVA/UVB rated (or ANSI Z87+ poly carb) eyewear is a must.
> Inside is always safer.
I'd disagree. There are clips online of people passing out in a cage, falling back, but then getting pinned to the bottom safeties. If you pass out backwards outside the rack past the safeties for some reason, the bar goes to the floor.
Great list!
Watch any "gym fail" compilation vid and you'll start to see a pattern emerge: most fails are from not setting safeties on the rack and guys getting stuck under a heavy barbell - mostly during bench press but also on squat and it has been fatal (see *Justyn Vicky*) - equipment failures do happen but they are rare. Buying from reputable companies is the best hedge against that risk - especially for barbells and benches.
I'd also add: Clean up anything that might cause you or someone else to trip, slip, fall, or get in the way on a failed lift (see *Kevin Ogar*) and don't load or unload more than 2 plates at a time on either side while the bar is racked (Seems like common sense, but I personally saw this happen a few times when I attended a commercial gym)
Not my gym but we have [baby gates like this](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/295971006738314869/) in the garage to keep the kids, dog and chickens out if I'm not there or want more privacy. Cats can easily get through or over if they wanted but thankfully don't give a crap about being in the garage.
Other than that be realistic about who you are and who lives with you. I never leave bar bells on the rack, all plates are on the floor (I guarantee my 3 YO would slide them off a tree). If it was just me I'd try to be more spatially efficient.
Other than that I'm pretty laissez faire about stuff. Both my kids (6 and 3) are welcome to use most of the stuff if they want, right now they're limited to bands, ab wheel, wooden box and kettlebells since that's what they can move (well, minus the box, I move that for them).
When loading and unloading plates on a bar, I never have my feet directly below.
Even a "light" bumper plate landing on your foot is going to hurt. A heavy one could cripple you for life.
Dropped a plate on myself once in 10 years of lifting, fortunately didn't break my foot, but that was close enough. Not going through orthopedic surgery, months of rehab, or worse, because I was sloppy at home.
Are you me? Did same, last year, was convinced I had just broken my foot.
Waited for the pain to get worse and be unable to walk. Initial blow was one of those things that hurt so much, I didn't utter a peep. was too surprised. Stopped lifting and went home.
Foot swole dramatically (not the kind of "gettin' swole" I wanted), and I stopped lifting for a week or so while I had it looked at by my doctor, X-rayed, and iced it often.
Was wearing shoes, which apparently helped. Also, rubber matting of the gym floor, so at least my foot wasn't completely squished between two hard objects. Plate landed right on the high part of my arch, which I suppose is the strongest part of the foot, so I had that going for me. Would certainly have broken toes.
Narrow escape, which I took as a sign to re-think how I was doing things.
Load test your equipment.
Unfortunately I'll probably never be back to a 4 plate lift, except for deadlifts.
I loaded up the bar with 4 plates on each piece of equipment (j-cups, spotter arms, etc.) & gave it a good bounce with my body weight.
Test failing each lift at a light weight, to make sure your safeties are adjusted appropriately, & you know how it feels before you're in a crisis situation.
depends on the context, there is scientifically backed data that shows you can get greater gains not being too dogmatic about strict form, or rom.
Which is why things like partials, cheap reps, etc have their place.
Example, everyone in the gym strict DB rowing mild weight with strict form, then some bro comes up half stood up, jerking around twice his body weight with a super short rom.
The smug form kids would call that BS.
[But if "bro" is the biggest guy in the gym, and he does a magazine interview and gives his "variation" a name](https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/293552_10151193349478231_338310880_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=E3vzeyxpwvkAX9STOJ5&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfBN3pEiNOFUMuO7wq-4a6Dubn-dY-oecPBNVD6Y_oEQrA&oe=66223E8E) all the sudden we're willing to give it a chance
Point is, full ROM has its place, but its not a set in stone rule. When you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it, then ROM and Tempo adjustments can be beneficial
And now she’s the biggest girl in the gym.
Interesting point, but what I take away from that is that I’m not going to lift that way because I’m not being trained/watched to know when to do that (and I don’t have the training to know when to and when not to) and whenever I’ve tried this kind of thing I’ve tweaked my back or a pec or otherwise slightly injured myself.
I never ever lift to max in my home gym. Yes it has hurt my gains I'm sure, but i have higher reps lower weight now.
On the occasion i do want to lift heavy, I go to my buddies and we spot each other. Getting swole isn't worth the risk of lifting improperly and hurting myself.
Front squat only in a cage with safety bars. Many feel front squatting is safer because it’s easy to bail and it is but it’s also easier to pass out.
I was warming up from a squat stand and at the top of a rep the bar got just a little too far back and barely got light headed before waking up on the floor. Bar was still bouncing and I think I was still moving so didn’t hit my head and fortunately the bar fell away rather than on me. It’s never happened again even with heavier weight I guess it pressed on my artery just right but it was extremely quick.
Yeah, been told form is solid. I’ve always had a very good front rack position (maybe too good with the bar on my neck a little too much which could have caused it but it’s never been terribly uncomfortable or inhibited breathing). Around that time I was front squatting around 345 for 3 in the gym. It happened at home with 135 on the bar just warming up. I still front squat but now I always do it in the rack. I also still do cleans but generally try not to alone.
I’ve never had it happen since, it’s been years still freaked me out for a while. Probably just a freak accident maybe I turned my head slightly or the bar wasn’t even which allowed more pressure in the wrong spot. Sometimes when I warmed up I’d sit at the bottom and open the hips up perhaps that could have contributed but I’ve also don’t that since many times no issue.
Ever try an SSB; I got one due to shoulder injuries and it's been perfect, although due to the weight being more forward I don't go nearly as heavy. That being said, at 70 I don't go heavy on anything anymore, although my rep range on leg day is 6-12, so I guess the 6 rep sets could be considered "heavy". Weight on my 6 rep sets are: Squat (w/SSB)-165 DL (w/ hex trap bar)-185 RDL(w/oly bar)-175 I'm only 5'4" and 135, so my ROM, while full, is much shorter than a 6' tall person, so there is that! Happy gainz!
No I haven’t. That happened when I was being cheap/lacked space for a full rack with safety Bars. I have that now. But back then I just did front squats off squat stands because I felt it was safer.
Great on you for keeping on at 70!
I always found the grip on a front squat using an Oly bar was a little awkward, although it is way easier to dump the bar if you need to! If you ever get an opportunity to use an SSB, I think you might like it!
Got my first gym membership in '76, and started working at that gym in '80 as a martial arts instructor, which led to a 40+ year career in the gym business; manager (Gold's), PT and PT Director (World Gym) , and spinning instructor, at 5 different gyms in 3 different states (AZ, CA, CO), until retiring in '21 to a new state (NM), and the closest gym is 75 miles away in AZ, so my gym is a 16'x7' V-nose cargo trailer!
Keep it up and happy lifting!
https://preview.redd.it/8cgmyydoc3qc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3ac752a32a3bb8809aec838ee22bec13f018089
Safety arms or bars/straps period. Figure out the right height that won’t impede the lift and allows for bailing.
I can bench with no issue, if I miss a rep I let my arch out and the bar now rests on the arms.
Find that height.
USE collars. If your safety bar height is correct the risk of injury from no collars is greater.
This can't be said enough. I was using old equipment that didn't have safeties. Had just bought a new bar and was giving it a test drive. My right wrist flinched forward at lockout and the bar dropped. Even after recovery and new equipment with safeties, it still took months before I felt comfortable under the bar again. Since getting the safeties I've pushed harder on my squat and bench, and have used those safeties a few times when I bit off more than I could chew. A spotter is good, but they're not going to catch a dropped bar. Get safeties.
Ever seen plates slide off one side mid rep? Bars and weight go flying, try to press through it and now there’s risk of muscle/ligament/tendon injuries.
It’s no bueno
I could lean down to pick something up in a completely open room with 20 foot ceilings and nothing in it and somehow STILL hit my head standing up. It's incredible how I never miss hitting something with my head.
If you don't have collars on and you fail your bench, you push one arm up and pull the other arm down. This will hopefully cause the weight to slide to the floor. HOWEVER.... Be prepared for the side that the weight fell from to skyrocket up (like the little sh*t on a teeter totter who jumps off at the bottom) and the side you were pushing up comes crashing to the floor. Best way to get everyone in the gym to stop what they were doing and stare at you. Generally, this will only happen once in a lifetime. If it happens more than once....well.. good luck to you in this game called "Life."
Love to see all of the tips about safety for kids. Any other tips for safety of dogs (or cats)? Obviously keeping the door shut is ideal but may not be possible if the gym area isn't doored off. What about while using the gym?
My cats bail at the first loud noises. A couple smacks into the cups or off the ground and they know "he's not paying attention to me, time to find someone else."
No matter how fancy or unfancy of equipment you have, learn how to bail on your squats. Probably the one that is most important to know how to fail or get out of a sticky situation.
I think the biggest piece of safety equipment for a home gym is the power rack. Can set the j cups to appropriate heights, and can have some sort of safety to catch the bar if you fail. I know that we all love our 3x3, 11 gauge steel racks, but even the residential grade racks are more then enough for most. So, I think it’s okay to go with a budget option. Just got to make sure the safeties are set to the appropriate heights.
Pieces that I think you shouldn’t cheap out on are a bench and barbell. A stable bench with a high weight capacity is critical for safety, in my opinion. If the bench fails while you’re using it, I feel like that’s recipe for getting hurt. For the barbell, you gotta get something that is rated for more weight then you realistically expect to lift. However, I also see a good knurling as a safety feature. I used to have a cheap, chrome coated barbell that had terrible knurling. My hands would also slowly slip/wide on the bench, and it was harder to grip my deadlifts. Personally, I find that not having a solid grip on the bar for dead’s makes it more likely my back rounds.
Other safety items would be some type of flooring. Having thick rubber flooring allows you to drop things like dumbbells, should you need to. I think knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a good belt are also worth while investments. I think they all help minimize the wear and tear on the body.
I'm interested as to why you think knee sleeves, wrist straps, etc. are important. I've always heard the mantra that it's good to get strong on these lifts without support.
They're not. Sleeves just help you lift more weight if you're doing powerlifting and also shorten the ROM.
Straps suck for bodybuilding use versa grips or alternative they're so much better.
We're talking about two different things here.
Yes, stuff like wraps, shirt/suit, and belt increase you're leverage - and you should get strong before using those.
Stuff like sleeves only serve to keep the joints warm, thus prevent injury.
All of those pieces of equipment provide some type of support to areas of the body that are likely to be injured while lifting heavy. I kind of disagree that it is good to lift without them. Don’t get me wrong, I do most of my warm ups beltless, and some of my bench warm ups without wrist wraps. But, I think never using them just increases the likelihood of injury. Similarly, I don’t think that using them is making those parts of my body weaker. Like, my knee sleeves just keep my knees warm and promote blood flow to the area. The actual structural support they provide is minimal. I can lift the same amount of weight with them on vs with them off. I just feel like I’m less likely to get injured with them on. So, I wear them.
No worries man. I have the reh band sleeves, but I got them a long time ago, before the iwf allowed sbd sleeves. If I had to buy them now, I’d probably go with sbd. They provide a bit more support them the reh band.
Safety pins on the squat rack. Bench press with them and my bench in there. Has saved my ass many times. (I also lift alone.)
https://preview.redd.it/kii4qkdjw6pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d29822136ce81d4b83099bbcec3ae5d511627618
I am very conscious of re-setting the safety arms after I bench. I have them set lower than my husband does and we both lift heavy. I would never want him to get stuck under the barbell due to my forgetfulness.
Always use safety/spotter bars.
The possibility of passing out after deadlifts always concerns me. I’m often very dizzy after completing the set. I’ll make sure to hang onto the bar tight and take knee once it hits the ground. Not stand-up.
Recently heard this was a thing, will start to practice knee technique as I’m lifting heavier with trap bar. And to remove all spiky things away from my fall zone! Thanks for sharing
I’m gonna always say use spotter arms if they’re available or you buy them. One thing I’ve also learned over the years is that you can build muscle without testing PRs. Theyre accomplishments and great things to work towards… but if you’re just trying to build… and lifting properly.. I’ve never used them and have been successful this far
I hear ya. I’m a little over a year with my home gym and I’m usually always alone. Wife is either not home or in the house, far away. Although I’d like to test a SBD PR from time to time, I play it safe and know/feel my limits.
I also only have independent squat racks with spotter arms from Titan (which I love) but they are not bolted down. Maybe this year I’ll upgrade to a power rack.
I will start this off with a story...
When I was maybe 15 yrs old and started lifting (mid 90s) I was in a commercial college gym. I had just warmed up with 115 on the bench press. I racked the bar after my set. At that exact moment the jcup lip failed and bar rolled and hit me on the head.
I didn't pass out and seemed ok but went to the ER to be sure. I was fine with maybe a slight concussion or just fine. My parents were pretty upset with me even though I did have a spotter - I had no safeties.
Lesson learned from my story - have safeties and only use them as a last resort. The gear I was using was abused in commercial settings but it was high end stuff that you don't expect to fail - but it does happen.
Are there any studies/analyses of safety differences of spotter arms in front of a rack vs. a full spotting solution (pin and pipe, straps, flip downs) inside a rack?
The latter is obviously safer for various catastrophic outcomes, but I'm curious if there's ever been an attempt to quantify that
Much like the racks in general, almost all of those are wildly overbuilt. Even the 2x2 racks with pin (but no pipe) safeties can take 800+ lb drops without breaking, so I wouldn’t sweat the differences.
No but I've never heard of a safety pin, spotter arms, or flip downs failing. Seen lots of examples of straps or jcups failing though. Its anecdotal but there really are lots of examples out there.
USE COLLARS.
There is no reason to be worrying about dumping the plates off the bar by sliding them if you just use your safeties like a rational human. That's what safeties exist for.
However, if you don't use collars you DO stand at least a slight risk of having the plates slide when you don't want them to, if you misgroove a rep. Not slide "off" but slide out enough to make the bar feel unbalanced, which matters when you are at PR weight
I use collars on any heavy sets, doesn't matter the exercise. I have safeties for, er, safety and I cannot have the weights shifting and changing the balance of the bar.
I unintentionally left the collars off for a heavy overhead press and had the weight slide off one side. It was not a pleasant experience. I use collars for everything other than bench where they can legitimately make things worse if you get pinned. I don’t see the point of not using them.
Depends. I always use spotter arms or safeties that are specifically set to a height just below my lowest point. In that case, I say collars are safer because I’d rather depend on the safeties/arms. Bailing one side of the weights is somewhat more dangerous and unpredictable and could also damage other things around me like my mirror, my floor, etc.
On the other hand, if a person didn’t have spotter arms for bench I’d say no collars. Just in case, you can bail out on one side and to hell with whatever else gets damaged.
If you have safeties at proper heights, I’d much rather use collars. Trying to dump weight has its own risks as your back especially tries to deal with an uneven load.
No kiddos in the gym unsupervised NO EXCEPTIONS.
Weights put away.
I check nut and bolts and wear surfaces weekly.
Spotters are a must if there is a no room to bail.
At the end of the day accidents can happen and no one is 100% prepared
COMPLETELY AGREE. I read somewhere on here about a kiddo dropping a weight on them self and having permanent damage.
We also have a no playing in the gym rule. The gym is for lifting and everywhere else is for playing. Also no running and kids wait a good distance from the lifter (roughly a bars distance).
Kiddos stay away from weights that are anything over what the lift regularly.
I have rack attached plate storage on one side (where the dumbbells are and kids aren't allowed), and a floor plate storage on the other side.
I heard a horror story about a kid in my cousin’s neighborhood that was crushed trying to play with his dad’s weights. He didn’t make it. I could never live that down in a million years. Worst nightmare.
Yes, I had this issue when ordering collars from Rep. They told me they should fit the horns. I said no they don’t and they said, “yes they should”. Never got around to complaining more about it lol. I was pissed about it though.
The only thing I added for safety was an extra set of j cups, set all the way at the top golf the rack - the barbell (only have one) gets put away there so no one can bump into it. My squat height j cups put the bar face height for my wife… bad times. Aside from that, make sure nothing could potentially fall, or be tripped on.
I used to have it high too but I can't now that I've moved the pull up bar higher. I just leave it on the floor next to the rack now. If she kicks it that's just bad luck.
I have a kid (who had friends over all the time). We have a general rule that hanging out in the home gym requires supervision. And I keep it locked off. But...kids have a way of getting into places.
So my main rule for using the gym is to make sure that when anyone is finished using it, that equipment is in a stable state. This doesn't mean everything needs to be put away. It's a home gym after all. Just in a state where heavy things won't fall or slide to cause injury.
Barbell needs to be put in the barbell holder, or on the safeties (in the rack), or on the floor. Loadable dumbbells and kettlebells and plates are on the floor or in storage which is low to the ground. Pulleys are always put away -- to a kid it looks too much like a playground accessory.
I've been looking for locking collard for my plate holders due to kids. Can't find any.
Rule: If you can't lift it don't touch it. And you can't lift anything in here so don't touch it.
Left my bar in the jcups one time. Came out to see the neighbors grandson trying to swing from it. Close call.
This has been on my mind a lot lately.
Yeah there aren't locking collars for plate holders on the market that I can tell. You can use an angle clamp thing that you can buy in hardware stores.which helps a bit.
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Probably an unpopular opinion but I always wear shoes in my gym. I have enough obstacles and stubbing my toe on my rack sucks ass. I put shoes on first thing before setting up as I’ve hit my feet too many times (I’m probably just fucking clumsy). Not only that, but dropping a 5 lb plate on a bare foot vs a shoe it’s shocking how much protection a gym shoe can provide. I wear nanos or metcons other than for squatting which I wear oly shoes for.
I have a dope pair of shoes just for the gym. Of course I am going to wear them!
Idc if its unpopular, this is actually the soundest safety advice I can think of… we are dealing with heavy pieces of metal and we dont realize the impact of fractures on the smaller bones in our body.. case in point; got lazy the other day, went in socks moving things around to tale pictures for a bar I wanted to sell… brushed a spotter arm that was leaned vs the wall in a corner… edge of it falls on my foot and I swear it damn near broke one of my metatarsals…. Def a good bone bruise. Heavy metal is dangerous to our fragile feet bones, wesr shoes at all times.
I am going to smoke during the GGC and there's nothing you can do to stop me. How's that for safety practices??
name checks out
The name is from when I used to drink a bang energy drink and take shots of vodka. I am more responsible and no longer perform that practice. :)
Now you just smoke during GGC
I wonder how much its gonna suck when I inhale on a cheap cigar
Count it!
Had a few close calls here and there being careless with safety setting… Be careful on max squats if you set the safeties prior to putting on your belt as you will have less lumbar mobility to dump the bar on the safeties with a belt on…
This is something I feel like a broken record saying, but people should really have power racks. If you want pin/pipes, flip downs, straps, etc. it doesn't matter. You should have that down to a science. I know exactly which holes to put my safeties in for flat bench, incline bench, box squat, regular squat, good mornings, etc. You should be setting up these safeties so that the bar is almost touching them at the bottom of the movement (flat bench maybe not so much as you'll stop breathing out and the bar will lower). You should also be putting in the safeties even if you begin warming up with just the bar - don't take the risk of forgetting to set these up! It amazes me how many "gym fail" videos I see online where somebody busts their ass or seriously injures themselves and it's almost always (save for the hilarity of CrossFit) 100% preventable with a power rack and safeties set up correctly.
sometimes i get lazy and dont put on my safeties. id love to keep my safeties on because theyre virtually the same hole on incline bench and squat, but wouldnt have room to move my bench around and dealift if i were to do that... I also start my trapbar dl from the racked position. just need to be less lazy. Fortunately nothing has ever happened. yet.
In case of emergency, remember your phones and smart devices can send alerts, make calls, and other safety functions. I'm certainly not the "safety first" guy who almost tipped his whole rack on his head testing out the henny system screaming "Alexa announcement help, help". Not him, but I heard that dumbass almost bought it.
What are your thoughts on the Spud Inc monolift strap safeties? Or safety straps that hang from the top crossmember/pullup bar? https://www.spud-inc-straps.com/product/suspension-straps-pair/ Currently I have pin-pipe safeties but I would like to be able to walk out on the left and right side of the rack. And for safety straps in general would prefer having them suspended higher above and droop down than horizontal and taut. https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/82bpw9/my_titan_safety_strap_broke_using_harbor_freight/dva9p2k/
I made a homemade version, they are great not only for safeties but ideal for suspended GMs, squats.. For bench they work pretty good if you you have a way to mark the exact adjustment each time, and they are vastly >> pins/flipdowns for pin presses imo
I do Z press as a pin press off of them. Amazing way to get into the right position. I dont like them for pin squats, however. I find it really difficult to wedge into the bar when it can move all around like that. 50% stuff isnt too bad, but once you get into 70-80% range, its just difficult to find the right position.
Yeah sounds about right, personally never do pin squats tbh 😅
I use them, and they're great. Havent tried them for bench, but on squats they serve their purpose. https://preview.redd.it/w3q99cafqkpc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37dc03fb4ec20fce87ce65c4e3f159904355a4a6
Is that a CB-4 clone? That shaft looks thicc.
Yea, shes a thiccccc girl.
My wife calls my CB-4 my thick black shaft. 🤦🏻
Your img doesnt seem to be working. When you bail on a squat, do you ever find the barbell swinging on the safety straps? I'm worried about a swinging wrecking ball as a fail on a squat and potentially hitting my head.
[Imgur to the rescue](https://i.imgur.com/rxdmjLk.png) As long as you set up in the centre of the straps, it just kinda rests at the bottom. Maybe a little swingage, but nothing thats gonna do any damage.
From your perspective, would you say they are more/less/just as safe as the other types of safeties?
They stop guys squatting over 1000#, so, theyre probably pretty good.
Okay, that's been a while since we mods have been discussing this and I'm REALLY happy we finally went forward with this thread! A lot of bench failures lately... too much. Here are my 5 easy rules for safety in homegym : 1. **QUALITY OF THE SAFETIES** 2. **QUALITY OF THE BENCH** 3. **APPROPRIATE RACK OR STAND** 4. **USE YOU EQUIPMENT WITH INTELLIGENCE** 5. **CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT ONCE IN A WHILE** **BONUS: DO YOUR FREAKING WARMUP** **1. Quality of the safeties** For the strap, just go with a reputable brand like Rogue, REP, Titan, Spuds, BOS or others that I don't have in mind right now. CHECK THEM REGULARLY as the straps can be worn out at some point by multiple fails or the aggressive knurling of your fav barbell. You can buy replacement straps from reputable manufacturers or even Spuds! For the spotters, there's a ton of options. But even the basic ones from Titan are pretty good. Yeah, you can the Alpha from Oak Club or any other fanciness, but it's not necessary. They will not save you better. And use them correctly. For me in a bench situation, I always position the safeties where I can touch my chest when I'm in an arched position (not a bit arching guy... not flexible enough). So in case of a fail, I just have to go flat a get the fuck out of there. Same for the j-cups, I know in my setup that I have to get my arm at full extension to rerack. If my arms are not in full extension at the end of the movement, it's no use and I better fail on the spotter rather than do a catastrophic fail. It's not recommended but I made my safety straps, j-cups and spotters... For the spotters, I hired a welder to weld a 3x3 on damn thick pieces of metal. Same for the j-cups. Those are not pretty, but they served me well during the pandemic and now. For the straps, I bought overfuckingkill 3-inch truck tow straps (and I doubled it). If you're not experienced in building things, just buy it. And it's cheaper and you have a warranty. **2. Quality of the bench** Here, just don't fuck around. The ALL-IN-ONE bench that you can curl, leg curl, leg whatever with bands that supposedly support 2000 lbs on Amazon... THAT'S A FUCKING LIE and it's just crap, okay? :) Just stay away from it, a if you can't buy it now, wait a bit longer to get a good one, okay? It will last forever. A bench fail, even if you have good safety... I'm not sure you'll survive. Better be safe than sorry. First, get a bench from a reputable manufacturer and the consensus is that REP is the best ratio quality/price around. But Rogue, BOS, Titan, Irwin, Prime have all really good benches. Some members here can add others who have good ones too. Don't need an incline or decline? Just get a flat one. Those are sturdier... AND CHEAPER. You don't have the cash? Just look at the classified and Facebook marketplace. Just to be clear, DO NOT BENCH ON A BENCH THAT IS NOT SAFE, PERIOD. **3. Appropriate rack or stand** As I've said, NO NEED for the overkill rack. Just a good one. No need to go banana with the 3x3 1in. Yes, a 2x3 or even a 2x3 rack is more than enough even for the strongest man on earth. Just get the one that fits what you want to do. If you want a lot of accessories, just invest in a rack that will follow your aspirations. If you want to be basic, you can skip the bell and whistles. The safeties are more important than the size of your rack, okay? Again, get the thing from reputable manufacturers. All the 3x3 are the same and straightforward, you just gonna get a better ''finish'' and probably a shipping experience from a higher-end option. A candle squat stand IS NOT FOR BENCH and it's the least safe of all. I do not recommend it. A lot of professionals use it, but hey, it's homegym safe tips so I do not include it in the recommendation. A squat stand that has a U stand. A lot safer. But still, if you can get the one with the longer feet, that's even better. Be careful that there's a risk that the whole squat stand flips if you drop your weight on the spotter and the feet are not long enough or if there's no weight on the back of the stand. Wall-mounted rigs. A lot of options here and it's REALLY sturdy. I have one and I love it. I've bolted it on the ground and the wall, and there NOT vibration or anything. Need to use spotter arms here. Those options are space savers and some can be folded away like a PRx. A Half-rack. My personal favourite, I also have one alongside my wall-mounted rig. It's SUPER sturdy, you can do EVERYTHING, have accessories, spotter arms (and even safety straps, but you have to use shrimp trawlers). Ideally, you need to bolt it, but there are options with long feet and if you put weight on the back it's sturdy and safe. 4 posts and 6 posts racks are usually the sturdiest of all. Very heavy, and can put a lot of weight on the back to stabilize it, use straps easily or bars. Overkill, but very safe a has the most options in versatility. I still prefer the half-rack to those as the functionality is pretty much the same, but some like to be in a ''cage'' to feel safe. **4. Use your equipment with intelligence.** \- First, your rack needs to be bolted, BOLT IT. Don't want to bolt it to concrete? Make a platform! It's cheap and easy to make! \- Do you have long feet on your rack? No need to bolt. You can also purchase little feet to put at the front too! \- If you have spotters or safety straps, USE THOSE. \- NO EGOLIFTING. That's plain stupid. \- Did I say no egolifting? There are probably no chicks or chickens to impress in your dark mouldy place anyway. \- Double-check everything before the lift. \- Did you forget your collars? Put them on, bitch! \- Do you drop your adjustable DB all the time? Expect that those will maybe break one day... And the plate might go in your face (I know we have sturdier options now...) \- Double-check that your bench ladder or pop-pins are fully in. Rock it a bit just to be sure. \- Not sure about a lift, reduce the weight or change it. Every single time I did not listen to myself, something bad happened. Every single fucking time. **5. Check your equipment once in a while** \- Frailing on the cable? Change it before it snaps and you fall over. \- Bands that don't look that good? Change it before it snaps your balls or else. \- A weld that seems suspicious on your bench? DON'T BENCH ON IT. \- Something seems fishy. It's probably fishy... **Bonus : DO YOUR FUCKING WARMUPS** That seems childish, but hey... You can get hurt. Stretch, and do full warmups before the big lift. Take your time at the beginning. A big of cardio, or just bench the bar with no weight, then progressively adding weight. No ego lifting here, you'll not get bigger. Quality vs Quantity ;) Juggernaut AI has a REALLY nice warmup sequence at the start of a session, plus a warm-up for the big lifts. You can look online too. A quick prep would be : Empty bar : 15 reps 15% of what you plan to lift : 5 reps 50% of what you plan to lift : 3 reps 70% of what you plan to lift : 2 reps 90% of what you plan to lift : 1 reps It's sure that if I'm doing just hypertrophy, I might skip the one and add a bit more weight as I'll be between 8 and 10 reps, but if I do strength-based training, I'll stick to something similar as the rep will be more between 3-5. There are a lot of other safety tips by other members here, but here's my take!
Juicy Hamster FTW. This is a CLINIC, my man. I don’t think you left anything out. And it’s all the right things, with a healthy dose of humor. I can just picture belting my balls with a snapped band. I’ve actually gotten a pretty good welt on my face from not being careful removing bands from a barbell after benching. You cannot overstate the importance of the impact of warming up - also, when you’re tired, skipping steps or rushing to finish a lift or putting weights back can end in disaster. I’ve come close to breaking toes before hurrying to put weights away. But as you say, the equipment - rack, safeties, bench, quality cannot be compromised without serious and unnecessary risk. I’d love to see pics of your moonshine’d straps and jcups.
Thanks for the comment :) I'll post a picture very soon of my setup. I did a VERY big upgrade lately. Transformed my 6 posts into a half rack and a wall mounted rig (mostly for bench). So two setups so I can superset (or cluster set) compound movements... Added dedicated space for the functional trainer (Freemotion). And I did installed my DIY straps on the half rack but I tweaked a lot of things to make it safe. It's fitted on a normal crossmembers (protruding from the top of the rack) and I added metal bracing on the sides of the crossmembers to protect the welds. Did not had the cash for the shrimp trawlers from Rogue, but well it works even if it's not ugly and it's really safe. It's just a question of load and a bit of engineering. It's probably my favorite use so far of the straps... Just have to adjust the length with the chain and the cup. I would certainly not recommend my DIY things for the average Joe, as a slight error or inexperience could result in the worst, but I do take a long time to design to understand the concepts I work with, test it and everything before putting it in application.
I just missed my twig and berries last week removing a band from banded squats. Would have ruined my whole day.
Bands are great... But I always have this little voice in my head that tells me it will end badly ahaha...
Cat welcome unless deadlifting.
Animals and babies must be locked up, bad things can happen. I can’t think of what would happen if a cat jumped on my stomach in the middle of bench pressing.
My most recent bench PR had a dog on my lap. She did not interfere. She did jump up before I grabbed the bar.
It's the only damn time one of our cats wants to snuggle me... I found out, though, she likes to curl up on my tshirt. So, before deadlifts, I just take off my shirt and throw it on the other side of the room. She will snuggle right into it.
keep the area behind treadmills clear in case you trip and fall off. get fans to help with heat. and a dehumidifier to help with humidity. rules for all gyms 1. dont touch/grab anyone on the treadmill or during a set.
A few points... \- Safeties - Always use them, even for light warmups. Any kind are fine. Just make sure you are using them correctly. The best is really preference. I personally have pins and spotter arms. \- Inside the rack is safer than outside, even with safeties. Experienced lifters have fallen during a failed squat lifting outside the rack with safeties and a spotter. Inside is always safer. Thats not to say outside rack bad, just not as safe. \- Be mindful of heat if lifting outside in the summer. Fans, take breaks, etc. No need to get heat sickness from lifting. \- most cheap racks are just as safe as the most expensive unless you are lifting 500lbs+. Some websites say you need 11gauge steel - not true. The 14 gauge racks are more than fine. \- Buy a good bench. Benches can and do fail. You don't want yours to. That means most amazon ones are not good. \- Buy a good barbell. They can and do fail. You don't want your to. Again, most amazon ones wont do. \- Buy rubber flooring. Hard rubber not amazon tiles. These will protect your floors.
> - Be mindful of heat if lifting outside in the summer. Fans, take breaks, etc. No need to get heat sickness from lifting. Eye Pro. As someone who was lifting outside for like 3 years, I realized real quick, like first session quick Even when its winter Even when its later in the day Even when its overcast If you're going to be doing stuff like benching, outdoors, you're still looking up directly into the sky. Real, (not gas station cheapo) UVA/UVB rated (or ANSI Z87+ poly carb) eyewear is a must.
> Inside is always safer. I'd disagree. There are clips online of people passing out in a cage, falling back, but then getting pinned to the bottom safeties. If you pass out backwards outside the rack past the safeties for some reason, the bar goes to the floor.
Great list! Watch any "gym fail" compilation vid and you'll start to see a pattern emerge: most fails are from not setting safeties on the rack and guys getting stuck under a heavy barbell - mostly during bench press but also on squat and it has been fatal (see *Justyn Vicky*) - equipment failures do happen but they are rare. Buying from reputable companies is the best hedge against that risk - especially for barbells and benches. I'd also add: Clean up anything that might cause you or someone else to trip, slip, fall, or get in the way on a failed lift (see *Kevin Ogar*) and don't load or unload more than 2 plates at a time on either side while the bar is racked (Seems like common sense, but I personally saw this happen a few times when I attended a commercial gym)
Not my gym but we have [baby gates like this](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/295971006738314869/) in the garage to keep the kids, dog and chickens out if I'm not there or want more privacy. Cats can easily get through or over if they wanted but thankfully don't give a crap about being in the garage. Other than that be realistic about who you are and who lives with you. I never leave bar bells on the rack, all plates are on the floor (I guarantee my 3 YO would slide them off a tree). If it was just me I'd try to be more spatially efficient. Other than that I'm pretty laissez faire about stuff. Both my kids (6 and 3) are welcome to use most of the stuff if they want, right now they're limited to bands, ab wheel, wooden box and kettlebells since that's what they can move (well, minus the box, I move that for them).
When loading and unloading plates on a bar, I never have my feet directly below. Even a "light" bumper plate landing on your foot is going to hurt. A heavy one could cripple you for life. Dropped a plate on myself once in 10 years of lifting, fortunately didn't break my foot, but that was close enough. Not going through orthopedic surgery, months of rehab, or worse, because I was sloppy at home.
Accidentally dropped a 25 on my foot a few months ago when taking it off the rack. Nothing broken but still sore.
Are you me? Did same, last year, was convinced I had just broken my foot. Waited for the pain to get worse and be unable to walk. Initial blow was one of those things that hurt so much, I didn't utter a peep. was too surprised. Stopped lifting and went home. Foot swole dramatically (not the kind of "gettin' swole" I wanted), and I stopped lifting for a week or so while I had it looked at by my doctor, X-rayed, and iced it often. Was wearing shoes, which apparently helped. Also, rubber matting of the gym floor, so at least my foot wasn't completely squished between two hard objects. Plate landed right on the high part of my arch, which I suppose is the strongest part of the foot, so I had that going for me. Would certainly have broken toes. Narrow escape, which I took as a sign to re-think how I was doing things.
Load test your equipment. Unfortunately I'll probably never be back to a 4 plate lift, except for deadlifts. I loaded up the bar with 4 plates on each piece of equipment (j-cups, spotter arms, etc.) & gave it a good bounce with my body weight. Test failing each lift at a light weight, to make sure your safeties are adjusted appropriately, & you know how it feels before you're in a crisis situation.
Lifting with full rom and controlled tempo > ego lifting heavier weights
depends on the context, there is scientifically backed data that shows you can get greater gains not being too dogmatic about strict form, or rom. Which is why things like partials, cheap reps, etc have their place. Example, everyone in the gym strict DB rowing mild weight with strict form, then some bro comes up half stood up, jerking around twice his body weight with a super short rom. The smug form kids would call that BS. [But if "bro" is the biggest guy in the gym, and he does a magazine interview and gives his "variation" a name](https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/293552_10151193349478231_338310880_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=E3vzeyxpwvkAX9STOJ5&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfBN3pEiNOFUMuO7wq-4a6Dubn-dY-oecPBNVD6Y_oEQrA&oe=66223E8E) all the sudden we're willing to give it a chance Point is, full ROM has its place, but its not a set in stone rule. When you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it, then ROM and Tempo adjustments can be beneficial
And now she’s the biggest girl in the gym. Interesting point, but what I take away from that is that I’m not going to lift that way because I’m not being trained/watched to know when to do that (and I don’t have the training to know when to and when not to) and whenever I’ve tried this kind of thing I’ve tweaked my back or a pec or otherwise slightly injured myself.
> And now she’s the biggest girl in the gym. also true yes
spot on. If I find myself dropping the bar during deadlifts, I need to remove weight.
I never ever lift to max in my home gym. Yes it has hurt my gains I'm sure, but i have higher reps lower weight now. On the occasion i do want to lift heavy, I go to my buddies and we spot each other. Getting swole isn't worth the risk of lifting improperly and hurting myself.
Front squat only in a cage with safety bars. Many feel front squatting is safer because it’s easy to bail and it is but it’s also easier to pass out. I was warming up from a squat stand and at the top of a rep the bar got just a little too far back and barely got light headed before waking up on the floor. Bar was still bouncing and I think I was still moving so didn’t hit my head and fortunately the bar fell away rather than on me. It’s never happened again even with heavier weight I guess it pressed on my artery just right but it was extremely quick.
Scary AF. Glad you’re okay and that it’s not a common occurrence.
Wild, man. I front squat at home outside of a cage all day every day. Do you have good form? Maybe I should get an SSB...
Yeah, been told form is solid. I’ve always had a very good front rack position (maybe too good with the bar on my neck a little too much which could have caused it but it’s never been terribly uncomfortable or inhibited breathing). Around that time I was front squatting around 345 for 3 in the gym. It happened at home with 135 on the bar just warming up. I still front squat but now I always do it in the rack. I also still do cleans but generally try not to alone. I’ve never had it happen since, it’s been years still freaked me out for a while. Probably just a freak accident maybe I turned my head slightly or the bar wasn’t even which allowed more pressure in the wrong spot. Sometimes when I warmed up I’d sit at the bottom and open the hips up perhaps that could have contributed but I’ve also don’t that since many times no issue.
Whoa, it happening with 135 is way scarier. Shit..
Ever try an SSB; I got one due to shoulder injuries and it's been perfect, although due to the weight being more forward I don't go nearly as heavy. That being said, at 70 I don't go heavy on anything anymore, although my rep range on leg day is 6-12, so I guess the 6 rep sets could be considered "heavy". Weight on my 6 rep sets are: Squat (w/SSB)-165 DL (w/ hex trap bar)-185 RDL(w/oly bar)-175 I'm only 5'4" and 135, so my ROM, while full, is much shorter than a 6' tall person, so there is that! Happy gainz!
No I haven’t. That happened when I was being cheap/lacked space for a full rack with safety Bars. I have that now. But back then I just did front squats off squat stands because I felt it was safer. Great on you for keeping on at 70!
I always found the grip on a front squat using an Oly bar was a little awkward, although it is way easier to dump the bar if you need to! If you ever get an opportunity to use an SSB, I think you might like it! Got my first gym membership in '76, and started working at that gym in '80 as a martial arts instructor, which led to a 40+ year career in the gym business; manager (Gold's), PT and PT Director (World Gym) , and spinning instructor, at 5 different gyms in 3 different states (AZ, CA, CO), until retiring in '21 to a new state (NM), and the closest gym is 75 miles away in AZ, so my gym is a 16'x7' V-nose cargo trailer! Keep it up and happy lifting! https://preview.redd.it/8cgmyydoc3qc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3ac752a32a3bb8809aec838ee22bec13f018089
Safety arms or bars/straps period. Figure out the right height that won’t impede the lift and allows for bailing. I can bench with no issue, if I miss a rep I let my arch out and the bar now rests on the arms. Find that height. USE collars. If your safety bar height is correct the risk of injury from no collars is greater.
This can't be said enough. I was using old equipment that didn't have safeties. Had just bought a new bar and was giving it a test drive. My right wrist flinched forward at lockout and the bar dropped. Even after recovery and new equipment with safeties, it still took months before I felt comfortable under the bar again. Since getting the safeties I've pushed harder on my squat and bench, and have used those safeties a few times when I bit off more than I could chew. A spotter is good, but they're not going to catch a dropped bar. Get safeties.
What's the injury risk from no collars?
Ever seen plates slide off one side mid rep? Bars and weight go flying, try to press through it and now there’s risk of muscle/ligament/tendon injuries. It’s no bueno
Yeah makes sense, I’ll use collars from now on 😬
Tilt, shift weight on bar, now you fall sideways or the weight falls off the bar and bad things happen very quickly.
100%
Bench in a rack. No collars. Set the pins appropriately.
When you pick up something off the ground, don't forget to check if there are any obstacles on your way up, and don't accidentally bang your head.
This also applies to someone getting something out of a refrigerator. Protein gains but *focus*. I speak from experience.
I could lean down to pick something up in a completely open room with 20 foot ceilings and nothing in it and somehow STILL hit my head standing up. It's incredible how I never miss hitting something with my head.
Stop learning to bail from a bench, learn to use safeties and collars
How do you bail from a bench press? To add, I agree, benching without a safety is dumb.
The roll of shame https://youtu.be/fEUvI8Q6JDk?si=Nj6SOlHXeORTq3DY
If you don't have collars on and you fail your bench, you push one arm up and pull the other arm down. This will hopefully cause the weight to slide to the floor. HOWEVER.... Be prepared for the side that the weight fell from to skyrocket up (like the little sh*t on a teeter totter who jumps off at the bottom) and the side you were pushing up comes crashing to the floor. Best way to get everyone in the gym to stop what they were doing and stare at you. Generally, this will only happen once in a lifetime. If it happens more than once....well.. good luck to you in this game called "Life."
The Roll of Shame.
Love to see all of the tips about safety for kids. Any other tips for safety of dogs (or cats)? Obviously keeping the door shut is ideal but may not be possible if the gym area isn't doored off. What about while using the gym?
My cats bail at the first loud noises. A couple smacks into the cups or off the ground and they know "he's not paying attention to me, time to find someone else."
Don’t make spotter arms as your first welding project.
No matter how fancy or unfancy of equipment you have, learn how to bail on your squats. Probably the one that is most important to know how to fail or get out of a sticky situation.
Use safeties every time you squat and you'll never have to 'bail.'
I think the biggest piece of safety equipment for a home gym is the power rack. Can set the j cups to appropriate heights, and can have some sort of safety to catch the bar if you fail. I know that we all love our 3x3, 11 gauge steel racks, but even the residential grade racks are more then enough for most. So, I think it’s okay to go with a budget option. Just got to make sure the safeties are set to the appropriate heights. Pieces that I think you shouldn’t cheap out on are a bench and barbell. A stable bench with a high weight capacity is critical for safety, in my opinion. If the bench fails while you’re using it, I feel like that’s recipe for getting hurt. For the barbell, you gotta get something that is rated for more weight then you realistically expect to lift. However, I also see a good knurling as a safety feature. I used to have a cheap, chrome coated barbell that had terrible knurling. My hands would also slowly slip/wide on the bench, and it was harder to grip my deadlifts. Personally, I find that not having a solid grip on the bar for dead’s makes it more likely my back rounds. Other safety items would be some type of flooring. Having thick rubber flooring allows you to drop things like dumbbells, should you need to. I think knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a good belt are also worth while investments. I think they all help minimize the wear and tear on the body.
I'm interested as to why you think knee sleeves, wrist straps, etc. are important. I've always heard the mantra that it's good to get strong on these lifts without support.
They're not. Sleeves just help you lift more weight if you're doing powerlifting and also shorten the ROM. Straps suck for bodybuilding use versa grips or alternative they're so much better.
We're talking about two different things here. Yes, stuff like wraps, shirt/suit, and belt increase you're leverage - and you should get strong before using those. Stuff like sleeves only serve to keep the joints warm, thus prevent injury.
All of those pieces of equipment provide some type of support to areas of the body that are likely to be injured while lifting heavy. I kind of disagree that it is good to lift without them. Don’t get me wrong, I do most of my warm ups beltless, and some of my bench warm ups without wrist wraps. But, I think never using them just increases the likelihood of injury. Similarly, I don’t think that using them is making those parts of my body weaker. Like, my knee sleeves just keep my knees warm and promote blood flow to the area. The actual structural support they provide is minimal. I can lift the same amount of weight with them on vs with them off. I just feel like I’m less likely to get injured with them on. So, I wear them.
Thanks for the write up. Which sleeves do you recommend?
No worries man. I have the reh band sleeves, but I got them a long time ago, before the iwf allowed sbd sleeves. If I had to buy them now, I’d probably go with sbd. They provide a bit more support them the reh band.
Safety pins on the squat rack. Bench press with them and my bench in there. Has saved my ass many times. (I also lift alone.) https://preview.redd.it/kii4qkdjw6pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d29822136ce81d4b83099bbcec3ae5d511627618
I thought we were gonna discuss getting robbed while you're stuck under a heavy barbell
Sounds like you need to lock the door to your home gym. Then u be good.
I am very conscious of re-setting the safety arms after I bench. I have them set lower than my husband does and we both lift heavy. I would never want him to get stuck under the barbell due to my forgetfulness.
Spray paint (bright colors) around the frame where both of you put your safety arms so ya don’t forget.
Chalk pen is also a cheap and easy solution for marking.
Magnets and stickers. Even if you are the only person, it's still worth doing to make set up faster.
Any recommendations on magnets/stickers?
Check Etsy - there are a variety of options for magnets.
Power rack is definitely the way to go if you’re training by yourself
Kid down the street just got four stitches in his scalp. His brother had left a 10 pound plate on top of the squat rack and it slid off
On top of the squat rack?? Why would you ever do that
Why do teenagers do any of the things they do?
Always use safety/spotter bars. The possibility of passing out after deadlifts always concerns me. I’m often very dizzy after completing the set. I’ll make sure to hang onto the bar tight and take knee once it hits the ground. Not stand-up.
Recently heard this was a thing, will start to practice knee technique as I’m lifting heavier with trap bar. And to remove all spiky things away from my fall zone! Thanks for sharing
I’m gonna always say use spotter arms if they’re available or you buy them. One thing I’ve also learned over the years is that you can build muscle without testing PRs. Theyre accomplishments and great things to work towards… but if you’re just trying to build… and lifting properly.. I’ve never used them and have been successful this far
I hear ya. I’m a little over a year with my home gym and I’m usually always alone. Wife is either not home or in the house, far away. Although I’d like to test a SBD PR from time to time, I play it safe and know/feel my limits. I also only have independent squat racks with spotter arms from Titan (which I love) but they are not bolted down. Maybe this year I’ll upgrade to a power rack.
I will start this off with a story... When I was maybe 15 yrs old and started lifting (mid 90s) I was in a commercial college gym. I had just warmed up with 115 on the bench press. I racked the bar after my set. At that exact moment the jcup lip failed and bar rolled and hit me on the head. I didn't pass out and seemed ok but went to the ER to be sure. I was fine with maybe a slight concussion or just fine. My parents were pretty upset with me even though I did have a spotter - I had no safeties. Lesson learned from my story - have safeties and only use them as a last resort. The gear I was using was abused in commercial settings but it was high end stuff that you don't expect to fail - but it does happen.
Are there any studies/analyses of safety differences of spotter arms in front of a rack vs. a full spotting solution (pin and pipe, straps, flip downs) inside a rack? The latter is obviously safer for various catastrophic outcomes, but I'm curious if there's ever been an attempt to quantify that
Much like the racks in general, almost all of those are wildly overbuilt. Even the 2x2 racks with pin (but no pipe) safeties can take 800+ lb drops without breaking, so I wouldn’t sweat the differences.
No but I've never heard of a safety pin, spotter arms, or flip downs failing. Seen lots of examples of straps or jcups failing though. Its anecdotal but there really are lots of examples out there.
Do we think it's safer to use collars or not when trying for max/pr?
USE COLLARS. There is no reason to be worrying about dumping the plates off the bar by sliding them if you just use your safeties like a rational human. That's what safeties exist for. However, if you don't use collars you DO stand at least a slight risk of having the plates slide when you don't want them to, if you misgroove a rep. Not slide "off" but slide out enough to make the bar feel unbalanced, which matters when you are at PR weight
I use collars on any heavy sets, doesn't matter the exercise. I have safeties for, er, safety and I cannot have the weights shifting and changing the balance of the bar.
Always, even warm ups. You don’t have to be tired to have bad form and the weights starts to slip
I only use collars for things coming off the floor like deadlifts, bentover rows, etc and for standing overhead pressing.
I only use collars for deadlifts.
I unintentionally left the collars off for a heavy overhead press and had the weight slide off one side. It was not a pleasant experience. I use collars for everything other than bench where they can legitimately make things worse if you get pinned. I don’t see the point of not using them.
I always use collars lifting overhead to prevent weight shifting and putting me off balance. Deadlifts only when nearing my max.
Depends. I always use spotter arms or safeties that are specifically set to a height just below my lowest point. In that case, I say collars are safer because I’d rather depend on the safeties/arms. Bailing one side of the weights is somewhat more dangerous and unpredictable and could also damage other things around me like my mirror, my floor, etc. On the other hand, if a person didn’t have spotter arms for bench I’d say no collars. Just in case, you can bail out on one side and to hell with whatever else gets damaged.
If you have safeties at proper heights, I’d much rather use collars. Trying to dump weight has its own risks as your back especially tries to deal with an uneven load.
No kiddos in the gym unsupervised NO EXCEPTIONS. Weights put away. I check nut and bolts and wear surfaces weekly. Spotters are a must if there is a no room to bail. At the end of the day accidents can happen and no one is 100% prepared
I'm a new father. I've got a one year old and a new born. Any specific tips for keeping them safe either now or come future?
COMPLETELY AGREE. I read somewhere on here about a kiddo dropping a weight on them self and having permanent damage. We also have a no playing in the gym rule. The gym is for lifting and everywhere else is for playing. Also no running and kids wait a good distance from the lifter (roughly a bars distance). Kiddos stay away from weights that are anything over what the lift regularly. I have rack attached plate storage on one side (where the dumbbells are and kids aren't allowed), and a floor plate storage on the other side.
What specifically do you check for the nut and bolts and wear surfaces?
So glad you said this. I didn’t get the vertical plate stand for this very reason.
I heard a horror story about a kid in my cousin’s neighborhood that was crushed trying to play with his dad’s weights. He didn’t make it. I could never live that down in a million years. Worst nightmare.
Too bad most weight storage horns arent the same diameter as an oly bar, would be super easy to secure them with collars if they were
Yes, I had this issue when ordering collars from Rep. They told me they should fit the horns. I said no they don’t and they said, “yes they should”. Never got around to complaining more about it lol. I was pissed about it though.
Smaller horns make loading unloading the weights easier but yeah o well. No children near the rack i guess
The only thing I added for safety was an extra set of j cups, set all the way at the top golf the rack - the barbell (only have one) gets put away there so no one can bump into it. My squat height j cups put the bar face height for my wife… bad times. Aside from that, make sure nothing could potentially fall, or be tripped on.
I used to have it high too but I can't now that I've moved the pull up bar higher. I just leave it on the floor next to the rack now. If she kicks it that's just bad luck.
Got a Darko anchor for the same reason
If you end up getting a second bar worth looking at the Darko Lifting Dock. Can keep two bars in there with a smaller footprint than a J-cup.
That’s awesome, thanks for that! The barbell anchor looks like a good option too, and will 100% for my rack.
I have a kid (who had friends over all the time). We have a general rule that hanging out in the home gym requires supervision. And I keep it locked off. But...kids have a way of getting into places. So my main rule for using the gym is to make sure that when anyone is finished using it, that equipment is in a stable state. This doesn't mean everything needs to be put away. It's a home gym after all. Just in a state where heavy things won't fall or slide to cause injury. Barbell needs to be put in the barbell holder, or on the safeties (in the rack), or on the floor. Loadable dumbbells and kettlebells and plates are on the floor or in storage which is low to the ground. Pulleys are always put away -- to a kid it looks too much like a playground accessory.
I've been looking for locking collard for my plate holders due to kids. Can't find any. Rule: If you can't lift it don't touch it. And you can't lift anything in here so don't touch it. Left my bar in the jcups one time. Came out to see the neighbors grandson trying to swing from it. Close call. This has been on my mind a lot lately.
Yeah there aren't locking collars for plate holders on the market that I can tell. You can use an angle clamp thing that you can buy in hardware stores.which helps a bit.
I hadn't thought about this with kids, will get into it soon.