Spotting the squat.

[PhxdB]

You know those guys that act like they're cradling you from behind? What exactly are they trying to do? I mean other than look ridiculous and sexually questionable.

Sorry if I sound a bit ignorant but I guess I'd rather have a couple guys grab the weight off my back if the lift goes sour. Is that guy supposed to hug onto you and pull you up if you fail?

I honestly don't know what they're trying to do when spotting a squat!

[tom183]

I guess I'd rather have a couple guys grab the weight off my back if the lift goes sour.

What if you only have one spotter? How would you propose to spot a squat?

[Sean S]

The majority of squats are missed by getting to far forward. The back spotter can grab you and help pull you back up if you get forward. They can also catch you if you lose the bar backward. From the back, there is very little a spotter can do by grabbing the bar. They have better leverage and can help you much more by grabbing you under the chest.
If you have two people to spot, then yes just have them stand by to spot on either end of the bar. Not everyone always has two guys available to spot, so a back spotter is better than no one.

[joey54]

If you can think of a better way when people are squatting 700-800 lbs let me know.

[Songsangnim]

If I have a lot of weight on my back, I'm going to be relying on pins in a power rack, not spotters. We've all seen the videos of squatters having an accident even with spotters standing by. Sometimes the spotters are not alert/distracted/lacking knowledge...all it takes is just one time or one second of distraction.

Other times it happens too fast for them to catch. But steel pins are never distracted or caught off guard...ever.

In a gym that doesn't have a proper power rack...I'm going to be finding a new gym. If there is no power rack anywhere I'll do lunges, deads and hack squats (heck even the leg press) to maintain/build leg size. Even medium weight squats will do.

[Kastro]

There's really not much one spotter from behind can do on a failed heavy squat.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Just use a power rack and set the pins right where you hit depth, if you fail then you can just descend down to the pins. You should be able to control the weight without any problem unless there is a catastrophic failure (injury,etc.) and even then the cage should provide greater safety than a spotter.

[Bosch232]

It's in your head. Look at what a QB does when he receives the snap from the Center. No one even blinks about that.

[ThomasG]

There's really not much one spotter from behind can do on a failed heavy squat.

Not true. Depends on what you mean by heavy. 3-400lbs? Or 800-1000lbs?

[kjd2121]

If you are in a cage with pins and you fail - are you supposed to fall forward with the bar while squatted down or are you supposed to drop the bar backwards those last 2-4 inches??

At my normal squat level the pins are still about 4 inches below me.

[Rugby Dad]

a catastrophic failure where things went horribly wrong, ust hope for the best, pins or whatever.
But there are severage advantages to back spotter in craddle position:

1. get over your insecurities, all manly sports involve close contact, example above
2. dumping the bar on pins is ok, but then you got to reload the whole darn thing if you want to make a 2nd attempt
3. from the craddle position a spotter can provide just enough assist to get you thru the lift, so you still getting a workout
4. most times the pins a set quite a bit below your depth, so dumping involves just letting go and letting the bar crash down, or setting on pins under control which may mean going bit deeper which may cause probs
5. a back spotter can provide just enough assist at your sticking point then back off to allow you to complete the lift alone
6. if I got an experienced lifter behind me, that's way more comforting to me psychologically than pins or straps

[rbtrout]

Of course, if you lift solo, then the rack does it. I never found a spotter I trusted for heavy squats.