If you’re using very heavy weights, enlist a spotter. (See Figure 13-2
and the sidebar “How to spot and be spotted” in this chapter.)
Be careful when you lift a weight from a rack and when you put it
back. Never pick up a weight off the floor without bending your legs.Never drop the weights carelessly when you’ve completed a set.The
loud clang is sure to annoy your fellow lifters, and the weights may roll
away and land on someone’s toes.
Use two hands when lifting weight plates. Remember that plates are
weight, too, and you can just as easily hurt yourself placing a weight on
a bar as you can performing an exercise. Don’t attempt to lift a weight
plate onto a bar if it’s too heavy for you.Photograph by Sunstreak Productions, Inc.A word about benches ......................................................................
A bench can help you get a better workout. Some benches are flat, and
some are upright, like narrow chairs with high, padded backs. Others are
adjustable so you can slide them to an incline or decline position. Here are
some tips for using benches:Figure 13-2:
Spotting
the bench
press.200 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights