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NO SPOTER ... will Mirrors HELP ?

saurabhsahu Posts: 19 Joined: 2002/03/06	2002/04/19, 06:06 AM I workout alone at home and use free weights. I some times really feel that I need a spotter for some exercises like bench press , etc when I cannot see my complete body posture. Can anybody suggest me how can I go aboout it ? Will using two mirrors , on kpet right in front and one on the side help me keep a check on my body posture when I am doing my exercises. But what if I am doing bench press on a flat bench with a bar ?
fireloard Posts: 665 Joined: 2001/03/27	2002/04/19, 08:32 AM I bench all the time w/o a spotter although if i'm working near my max I'll have someone spot me just in case (getting stuck under the bar sucks). The mirrors might help but would you have to turn your head to the left/right to look into the mirror.. my neck usually feels like its cramping up if I do this... so its probably not a good idea... What I usually try for my form is take off a weight you know can't do you any wrong.. like just the bar.. then go through your movement and look left/right to look at your arms... then move it back up looking back and forth to see if your doing it right (though its kinda hard to tell make sure your watching that your not tilting the bar).. as far as the rest you should be able to tell if your legs are planted too far out/back and if your lower back is curved too much (you'll feel it pretty quickly with a higher weight)... if none of that helps ask someone around the gym.. everyone there can't be against spotting... and finally if you workout at home.. find someone.. anyone.. and explain to them what mistakes you want them to watch for (tilting the bar/arching back).. then go through the exercise and have them look for that...
rpacheco Posts: 3,770 Joined: 2001/12/13	2002/04/19, 11:03 AM Well, you normally do not need to see whether your form looks good...especially in the case of the bench press. However, if you're really curious, why don't you just go to a gym once and have a Personal Trainer watch and critique you? You only have to go once so you can use the excuse that you are pondering joining the gym, but want to feel comfortable with their Personal Trainers. This works for me all the time... -------------- **_Robert_**
jnellie Posts: 924 Joined: 2002/02/24	2002/04/20, 05:55 PM I WILL HAVE TO TRY THAT ROBERT THAT IS GOOD........
Boddhisattvha Posts: 1,226 Joined: 2002/03/07	2002/04/22, 01:41 PM I'm just forewarning, I work alone and just damn near broke my hand. Sometimes you really need someone to take the weight from you.... -------------- And my soul must be iron, because my fear is naked. I'm naked and fearless.
TiredRob Posts: 42 Joined: 2002/04/04	2002/05/19, 04:05 AM I guess you could always shoot a video of yourself (use tripod) working out, then watch it back later to inspect your form.. Rob.