mechanical spotting systems

What would you look for in a self-spotting weight bench

  • Provide measure of safety

    Votes: 20 66.7%
  • Provide lifting assistance during finals reps

    Votes: 11 36.7%
  • Provide free range of motion throughout lifting action

    Votes: 12 40.0%
  • Restrict/stabilize weight throughout lifting action

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • Provide variable lifting assistance

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • Able to retrofit to existing freeweight benches

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • Able to be collapsable/stored easily

    Votes: 5 16.7%

  • Total voters
    30
I am part of a group of engineers doing a design project at UW Madison. We are developing a solution to the problems encountered when lifting freeweights (benchpress or squats) alone. I have put together a brief poll and would appreciate any input you all have.
 
I'd be more worried about safety in case i ever did need help.

Why would you want the machine to help you do your final reps? thats like cheating and you thats how you see results is by pushing yourself to the limit and beyond.

And by restrict/stabilize weight, wouldn't you rather balance the weight yourself?

this is why free weights rule.
 
Safety is key. If I wanted to use something that stabilized the weights for me, I would use a machine to do my bench press. It would be nice to have some kind of thing that catches the bar right before it falls on your chest if you're lifting too much.
 
When I do bench, I go full ROM, to me, that means touching the chest then putting the bar back up. I can't see anyway in which a mechanism would be able to lift the bar up, in case i cant push the bar back up by myself. If the bar is touching my chest, then theres no way for the machine to catch the weight unless it has already smashed through my chest, at least not in a way that still gives me full ROM.
That being said, if you are willing to sacrific a little ROM a power rack with those pins is pretty good safety for bench already.
 
Some of you guys are way too negative. A mechanical spotting system, for free weights with free ROM, doing those things, would be great.
 
I made my own invention. You hook some car seatbelts up to your bar and if you drop it then the seat belts lockon and take the bar.

I havent tried it but the idea just popped into my head haha..... yo dont be stealing my idea.
 
If im forced to choose id rather it help me with my final reps, as without a spotter there is no other way you can get those 1 or 2 final ones on your own (unless your not pushing urself hard enough).

When working out i make sure i use a weight so that when i get to my 7th or 8th rep i need that little nudge by a mate :)

Also safety is an important factor, you dont want to end up hurt now do you!
 
I made my own invention. You hook some car seatbelts up to your bar and if you drop it then the seat belts lockon and take the bar.

I havent tried it but the idea just popped into my head haha..... yo dont be stealing my idea.

What if you go down slow but can't get it off your chest? Lmao.

The only type of mechanism that can give you everything with the greatest degree of safety is a power rack. Lose the weight? Drop it on the catchers.
 
What if you go down slow but can't get it off your chest? Lmao.

The only type of mechanism that can give you everything with the greatest degree of safety is a power rack. Lose the weight? Drop it on the catchers.

It is but a mere flaw in my master design. The problem with a power rack is finding one under 2 m
 
I use a power rack (I thought it was called a smith machine) for bench pressing and it does provide a great pec and tricep workout. But, it doesn't mimic a true bench press because it stabilizes the bar forward and aft and side to side. I cannot do nearly as much with a true bench press as I can on a power rack. But, is that really a problem? Probably not, unless you have set a personal bp goal ... as I have.
 
What you use is called a smith machine. A power rack is just a really nice squat rack. Smith machine guides the bar, power rack is just a rack, it's still free weight, free ROM.
 
Okay, power rack and power cage can be confusing and misleading.

Power rack/cage I was talking about:

Squat-Power-Cage.jpg



Smith Machine:

Smith_Machine_EX.jpg
 
Duh Obviously haha. I myself was talking about the overall height my cieling is to low to fit a power cage I was considering a half cage but nah.,
 
It can't help with anything, no stabilization or anything.. So I don't see how it's possible. Just make a power rack :D
 
It can't help with anything, no stabilization or anything.. So I don't see how it's possible. Just make a power rack :D

If someone said they'd want to make something like a children's scooter, but with 2 big wheels on only one axis, and it'd help keep your balance, what would you say?

I mean, before you saw a Segway. Have you ever been on one of those things? It's amazing how quickly and effortlessly it reacts and works with your balance as you shift it around.

Give the engineers some credit, they can come up with some pretty nifty stuff.
 
anything that is in contact with the bar changes something, down to the smallest ammount of dust. The closest thing I've seen is this wire system, the DBs or BB is on two wires, on the bar you have to hold inn this pin, if you let go of that pin the BB/DB will get locked on the wire. But even the wire makes a difference, somehow.

You could make something like air shooting up with the exact ammount of force to keep the bar in place, or some sort of mechanical device grabbing the bar, that reacts to some kind of sound or whatever. But let's remember, it's also a cost question. If you design something that costs as much as a spaceship, no one's gonna buy it..

and I diden't get your examples at all.. If someone want's to make a childrens scooter, fine by me, just don't mess with my weights. And a Segway wouldn't be the same by far.
 
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