Yeah much better than any spotter. If the spot was done correctly here then we could speak about saving a young man's life. However in general, when a MAX weight squat attempt fails, even a correct spot can severely injure the spotter if the lifter drops the bar at the wrong time and in the wrong way.
Yes absolutely. I failed a lot of squat attempts and thank the safety bars. May feel humiliating to strip the bar so I can rack the bar again but it’s better than injury. This is very sad
he's got other videos using safety arms. the problem is, he set them 1 foot too low like so many lifters.... Even if he had them, it would have went the same way.
Always always use safety bars, no matter what level you are. I almost had the same thing happen to me before, I bent forward and rolled it off my back. This guy watching me couldnt believe what he saw when I got back up and just stood there mouth open. Had a bit of neck pain from leaning too far forward afterwards.
100%. No matter how heavy i am squatting, i simply refuse to squat without safeties. I dont see why anyone would take the risk no mattwr how experienced. Always squat inside a power rack👍
I’ll never understand the purpose of having 1 spotter standing behind someone doing squats: the logic would be if the squatter fails, the spotter is able to reverse curl/ upright row/ clean that amount of weight. You need 2 spotters, 1 on each side.
Of falling weight, which makes it even worse since the accelleration is basically a multiplier for the weight. I guess the logic is "you are not supposed to drop the weight" but if it happens at least one of them will be most likely fucked and people shpuldn't use this kind of spotting
safeties are better than any spotter. The only reason competitions use spotters is to save time. Practice using your safeties with lighter loads, so you are able to bail when you need to.
Sorry to hear but its the spotter fault ,he could have step backward and pull the barbell and not let the weight pindown the man.justyn was thinking he could not drop the bar behind cause of the spotter.
I’ve never understood the purpose of a spotter on squat, when I can just dump the bar behind me. To me it makes as much sense as having a spotter on a deadlift.
I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and since I started lifting weights at 15 I have never done a squat without using a squat rack (or a Smith machine).
For anyone who wants to see ,that video is available in short to see . And indeed that spotter is a fool. He didn't secure him the right way! His family should go to court and hold them accountable not only for money so they can cover the expenses but especially to protect others that guy will keep doing it ,if he isn't stoped !😒😬
There should be straightforward mechanical safeties in place during lifts like this, the straps seen dangling in the image at the end of this video are an excellent option...or just the standard steel safety bars found in many squat racks. I've never understood why people elect not to use these. Squatting heavy weight over a bare floor with just another person to assist was foolishness. Rip.
It looks like the spotter caused the bar to be further up his neck then tried to get off with his hands by rolling it forward resulting in a broken neck.
For weight that big you have to use a monolift with safety straps. If I was squatting that idc if I have brian shaw, eddie hall and larry wheels spotting me, I'm still using safeties.
YOU HAVE TO USE SAFETY BARS!!!! AND ALWAYS BAIL BY BRINGING YOUR HIPS FORWARD AND ‘SLIDING’ OUT FROM UNDER THE BAR . PRACTICE THIS ALWAYS ON LOW WEIGHTS
Use the safety bars you don't need a spotter behind you on a squat! If you REALLY need spotters get two guys one on each side, even then just let the weight onto the safety racks slow.
What pisses me off about this is that it was 100% preventable, spotter don’t know how to spot and the same goes for the sides, yes it’s a freak accident but man I put some of the blame on the incompetence, let’s hope people learn from this
I’ve competed before and honestly spotting is a skill. The spotters train to do it or are people who have been lifting for many years. They also have at least three, one behind and one on each side. I saw a man squat 936lb and they had an entourage of spotters for him. Incredible to watch. My heart goes out to this man and his family and his poor friend.
@francismartino6890 I mean, it wasn't exactly his fault. The guy fell backward and knocked the spotter over. The spotter seemed like he was trying to help him up but just wasn't quite strong enough to do it on his own (but you could make the argument that he should have recruited more help or that he should have expressed that he may not have been strong enough to do it on his own, I guess). Regardless, it's not like he was being malicious. It really was just a freak accident. I've seen a million failed squats, and I've never seen something like this. It's also best practice to use safeties even if you have spotters, especially if it's a max attempt. I usually don't like having a single back spotter. They're virtually useless. I think this memory is enough 'punishment' for this guy. He will probably never spot someone again.
@@jimjones6901 There's too many mistake to begin with. The back spotter incorrect hand placement. If you do spot as squat U said never on the bar. I saw the video, he should've use the camera guy and the other guy that pull the bar back towards the neck as the side spotter. Third, they should've known how to bail properly. Fourth, back spotter shouldn't be use if there's one spotter (my opinion) since it's a safety issue for both parties. It's negligence on all parties.
@@jimjones6901 see having proper safety training requirements for being a spotter would probably include using the safety bars or knowing that over X amount of weight you have to have 2 or more spotters. This is a negligence thing even if it is 100% an accident. I haven't seen the video but i doubt the spotter was sleeping on the job. It's a lot of weight to spot on your own which loops back to my initial point.
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't do that. It's such an unnecessary risk, for no reward. Even with a comfortable weight you can get a twinge and have to bail out.
@@_Rustodian Only time I don't do it is if I'm in a gym that doesn't have safety bars, but then again I have always have a spotter who I trust and know can spot me correctly. Same vice versa.
@@rustyshackleford1011Or just not having only one spotter. It's not like they could actually lift the weight if you truly fail, might as well keep the space to drop the weight.
There is really no point in having spotter behind you when doing squats, if you are squatting this much weight. Two side spotters might be able to help you if cant squat it up but really safety bars are essential
Yep and so many others said the same thing. His face is weird I wonder If this is just the way his face is. Imagine Being the bearer of bad news and you're smiling about it.
I shouldn’t have looked up the video. My heart hurt from watching. You could tell it was bad when his head disappeared, but he got that strength to push the bar off right at the moment and he fell backwards and was pretty much dead, you could tell his neck was broken and he lost all function.
I don't care what people say, your life is not worth ever squatting heavy. Never ever. Ronnie coleman is another example. There are so so many more safe ways to train legs.
Agreed. My ankle mobility isn’t great and I also have neck issues. I do Bulgarian spilt, lunges and leg press for that. I feel so terrible for him but damn..
This is why im an advocate for ditching the spotter and learning how to fail a squat. Spotters either dont know what theyre doing or just them being behind you with arms under yours will make the lift uncomfortable and awkward. Learning to fail a squat correctly will not only ensure you dont get hurt but also wont put another person in harms way if you n your spotter arent on the same page. Of course always have the safety racks but even without them learning proper fail technique will ensure you still get out of the lift with little to no injury on anyone especially yourself. My condolences and RIP. Ppl always look at me crazy at the gym for incorporating a final set or 2 to failure followed by a failed rep at the end but id much rather practice evading correctly than to lean forward with a load bar on my back to rest the bar on the safety racks like they do. Equipment can always be replaced, your back or life cant
agree man, but i think people watch to much how people squat in powerlifting and not to much in weightlifting where you can fail the squat easily when dropping the bar behind.
either this or the lone spotter is going risk injury when the bar gets thrown backwards. Why I specifically got a power rack with safety straps and wont ever lift outside the rack
It's not that he just lifted too heavy, it's he went for a 1RM (looking at the video), and he was shaking a bunch as he unracked it. He decided to not use safeties and went ahead with the lift. The spotter was in an inadequate position to help him remove the weight, and he didn't have the ankle mobility to stay in the bottom position with all that weight on top of him (completely unrelated but a lot of the articles I've looked at have thrown vastly different numbers, ranging from high 300s to high 400s, the first one I saw said 397 or smth)
Spotters are dangerous the one time I had a spotter he ducked me up and I almost caved my knees inward and hit the ground. Rip lift safe and love your family
spotting a backsquat is not possible with just a single guy behind. It's much safer to have the guy just dump the weight behind him or have proper safeties set up on the side to limit how far the weight can drop
@@glenndiddyIts daft to think one person can help at all with any decent amount of weight. Better to have safeties, or if needed, 2 people either side of the bar lile in powerlifting competitions. Personally, i refuse to squat without safeties full stop as its not worth the risk in my opinion.
@@joebloggs6922 Yeah I'd agree. If you're strong enough to squat even just 2 plates. That's still a lot of weight to hold on your neck if something does go wrong. Better be safe than sorry
Don't be quick to put all the blame on the spotter. When you're doing a dangerously heavy lift, take responsibility for making sure the spotter knows exactly what to do. It's your life on the line. I see gym videos all the time of powerlifters getting a random person to spot them, and then getting pissed off when they do it wrong.
This time it was the spotter fault. The lifter failed and tried to bail. The spotter had hand on the bar the whole time and when the lifter tried to bail he was the one who lifted and pushed the bar on the lifter’s neck
@@davidbeljeski8381the lifter never tried to bail though. I kind of wonder if the spotter was trying to roll the bar backwards & then fell back as he wasn’t able to. End of the day, it’s a lifter’s responsibility to make sure they’re spotted sufficiently & properly. This guy had to know one spotter wasn’t nearly enough, & he should’ve known that the spotter’s hands weren’t placed properly.
@@courtmorrowhe could have been scared of bailing out of fear of hurting the spotter though. And it looks like he picks the weight up and forward. It was everyone involved. The spotter clearly doesn't know what the fuck they're doing (you don't spot a squat like that, for THIS exact reason), all of the people just watching should have immediately gone to the sides to pick the weight up, and the lifter should have used safety pins and made sure there were other spotters
The spotter was his trainer, not some random. It’s definitely the spotter’s fault for agreeing to spot in such a useless position without help or instead of having him just use safety bars.
Omg that is so tragic. My condolence. That's why I have not been testing my max on squats or bench because no spotter and fear the risks. Stay safe yall
Testing your max is fine and totally safe if you do it right. I will never understand why people even do this set up with no safeties and only one spotter behind them. At that point having no spotter is way safer.
Seen people drop the bar on their spotters (who were spotting with hands on chest). Spotting the bar and guiding towards the safety/standard bars has always served me well. Knowing the paths to fail helps recognize early
You know using a full rack would help. Using a safety squat bar would also have helped. There's zero reason not to use a full rack but I see people do it everyday
@@ghostflame9211 yes a full rack you are inside essentially a cage and the safeties run all the way through. It's impossible to miss the safeties on a failed lift
Thats sad man really sad. Thats why you always have safety bars next to you. Like you dont even have to use them and place em really low so that you dont use em just so that this doesnt happen
Actually, he was still rather upright when the bar rolled forward and snapped his neck. Bars set improperly low might have done nothing. Really, the spotter just wasn't helping, and if anything, was in the way. He should have been able to drop the weight straight off his back, but he probably didn't want to crush the spotter. Or yes, if the bars were set at a proper height, he could have fallen forward onto them.
Having watched the full video, it's apparent that no spotter in the world would have been able to help. Squatting in a "cage" is less fun, but more safe.
Squat is useless exercise. No ancient world has squats. Not greek, not roman , not persian, not indian, not chinese. Nobody has squat as recommended exercise
I never understood the need for a spotter when we have power racks. Literally I miss almost every PR I go for nowadays and I have never gotten hurt lifting for 18 years now.
Friend showed me this video yesterday and it was tough to just watch especially when the weight came down on his neck. I couldn't bear to watch it a 2nd time it was too tragic. RIP
i don't get wtf is wrong with using a safety bar....it's called fucking SAFETY BARS for a reason...for THIS EXACT REASON, i don't understand these types of decisions that didn't need to happen
I’ve never in my life ever heard of someone dying like this 😅 but WHY THE FUCK DID THE SPOTTER HOLD IT ON HIM WHY you don’t need a spotter when squatting you can’t fucking bail with someone behind you
What's the point of anything? It's an accomplishment or leading to an accomplishment. Not hard to understand. A lot of people strive to achieve something they couldn't previously.
Sad story but it's pretty impossible to spot a squat because the lifter is in the way. You can try to spot the lifter and not the bar but even then it's a TON of weight in an unwieldy position and a lifter who might be slightly panicking and also trying to not crush/injure the spotter. Use the rack. There is a reason we invented racks and it is not to make garage gyms look cool. They are a super functional piece of SAFETY equipment. Use safety rails and stop relying on humans to spot you during a squat. The only good way to spot a squat is with 3 to 5 spotters - one to catch the lifter and 2-4 to spot the weight plates from the side of the bar. Even with 5 spotters a squat can go bad VERY quickly and again, safety rails will catch the bar and you can easily just drop to the floor without getting crushed.
Thank you for not showing. I was trying to see what happened via an illustration or explanation. I didn't understand how the barbell "fell on his neck." I accidently saw it. I really wish I hadn't. I think if someone just said shifted forward onto his neck, I would have understood without a visual.
I'm from the camp who believe that the idea of 1 rep max is overrated... Same thing for training to faillure... What is the rush??? is it worth it???? Like driving at high speed, it only takes 1 mistake
So people here don’t want to acknowledge the fact that he used a weight to heavy for himself because of ego? It’s not the fault of the spotter. I left more than 405lbs. But when I did it, I was sure at 100% that I could lift it without a spotter. You can’t rely on the spotter even if it’s your best friend when it comes to bodybuilding. So I used the spotter in case of failure. Be intelligent and not stupid guys.
Let this be a lesson learned to think of the worst that could happen before lifting above your max. Put your pride outside the gym. There was so much that was wrong in that lift. Terrible spotter, no spotters on each end, and no squat rack. Everything looked unsafe in that video from the start to the end. Prayers to his family.
At which point do we recognize that you will never be able to "spot" someone doing a 1RM? On minor failure yes, on a pec tear, or anything significant where the lifter cannot produce much force, catch bars are the only chance.
Never use a spotter they can prevent you from dumping the bar forward by crowding your hips forward into the bar. The spotter can also be injured if you dump the bar behind you or they push the bar into you try to dump it behind your butt. In this video he was attempting to dump the bar forward but the spotter was grabbing the bar and attempting to pull it backward. Also squatting with safety straps is superior to safety rack because it can prevent bar damage and alow you to get deep without your elbows or forearms colliding into the safety pins. Even in big powerlifting meets there have been problems created by having spotters and the result would have been safer to just not have them. I feel like spotters should not be allowed in powerlifting squat competitions and this forces the lifter to choose more managable weights they can walk out and escape from and its also easier for the audience and viewers and judges to watch the squat. Powerlifters and bodybuilder should be required learn how to bail from their squats just like olympic weightlifters have to learn.
stop lifting extremely heavy. i personally know people that have lost loved ones because of this. ive known the risks of lifting too heavy for a long time. if i can’t confidently lift a weight 5 reps without a spotter, it’s too much. i’m sorry to hear about this young man. let’s learn from this.
Yeah i dont have the mobility to dump the bar comfortably either. I would never squat heavy outside a rack. Hell i even get sketched out benching on the regular bench with no safeties because i dropped the bar on my chest once.
If someone asks you to spot them on that much weight walk the other way, 100% not the spotters fault and he’s probably going to be dealing with trauma for the rest of his life
I've pointed this out on other videos too because it seems pretty common, you need to be squating on the _inside_ of the squat rack so you have the safety bars to... Keep you safe... I don't understand why you would bother going to the trouble to use a squat rack only to set up your lift on the _outside_ of it, it makes no sense.
Reminds me of the lady that broke her neck while trying to set. Saddest thing was the daughter was there to witness it all. Not to mention the spotter was the moms boyfriend.
At my weakling/amateur level I will ONLY do barbell squats inside a cage with safety straps. Also, when lifting bench-press alone never do flat bench and never use collars - instead, do slight incline without collars. That way if you fail , the bar rolls forward to your waist (not backward to your neck) and you can dump weights without collars. Stay safe and healthy guys! ❤
*2 Red Flags* _1st: No Support bar lifting for a new PR_ _2nd: Spotter is supporting the bar, not the lifter_ Support bar is to prevent such injuries. Spotter murdered the guy by lifting the weights. Not possible to lift weights this way, which will instinctively lead to dropping it. Spotters instinct is to save himself upon realising it's too heavy. No one wants to gets crushed, so weight will 100% go forward not backwards. *Guess what, there is a person in front of the spotter.*
I was shocked that even with a spotter this happened-but 450+ lbs really is no joke. There rly should be enforced gym rules against lifting above a certain weight without safety bars or some kind of extra fail safe
Man if you squat and extend your arms in front of you as a spotter. I could barely hold the bar in that position. Gotta use those safety racks on heavy lifts
People need to parse out the game plan when spotting/using a spotter. When I was competing in PL, my coach made it very clear what his actions would be if I was missing a lift.
When lifting so heavy on squats, it is always a good idea to use a squat rack with safety bars!
Yeah much better than any spotter. If the spot was done correctly here then we could speak about saving a young man's life. However in general, when a MAX weight squat attempt fails, even a correct spot can severely injure the spotter if the lifter drops the bar at the wrong time and in the wrong way.
Yes absolutely. I failed a lot of squat attempts and thank the safety bars. May feel humiliating to strip the bar so I can rack the bar again but it’s better than injury. This is very sad
he's got other videos using safety arms. the problem is, he set them 1 foot too low like so many lifters.... Even if he had them, it would have went the same way.
100%
Yes!! And learn how to drop the bar properly as well.
Always always use safety bars, no matter what level you are. I almost had the same thing happen to me before, I bent forward and rolled it off my back. This guy watching me couldnt believe what he saw when I got back up and just stood there mouth open. Had a bit of neck pain from leaning too far forward afterwards.
100%. No matter how heavy i am squatting, i simply refuse to squat without safeties. I dont see why anyone would take the risk no mattwr how experienced. Always squat inside a power rack👍
What it’s safety bars? Do you have any photo anh know ??
I’ll never understand the purpose of having 1 spotter standing behind someone doing squats: the logic would be if the squatter fails, the spotter is able to reverse curl/ upright row/ clean that amount of weight. You need 2 spotters, 1 on each side.
Of falling weight, which makes it even worse since the accelleration is basically a multiplier for the weight. I guess the logic is "you are not supposed to drop the weight" but if it happens at least one of them will be most likely fucked and people shpuldn't use this kind of spotting
Rest in Paradise man
Rest in Valhalla
safeties are better than any spotter. The only reason competitions use spotters is to save time. Practice using your safeties with lighter loads, so you are able to bail when you need to.
@@sw-gz9ps true, i do 100 kilos squats to warm up before going heavy, warm ups are important
He's gay
Sorry to hear but its the spotter fault ,he could have step backward and pull the barbell and not let the weight pindown the man.justyn was thinking he could not drop the bar behind cause of the spotter.
I'm from Indonesian too, so say Rest in Peace for Justyn Vicky :((( turut berduka sedalam dalamnya 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Wow, that’s tragic. Hopefully he’s at peace. At least he went out doing what he loved.
Don't blame the spotter. This weight needs three spotters maybe five... Tragic... RIP
I’ve never understood the purpose of a spotter on squat, when I can just dump the bar behind me. To me it makes as much sense as having a spotter on a deadlift.
Damn, this news spread globally so quickly. Deep condolences to him and his family as a fellow Indonesian. 🙏
ALWAYS 👏USE 👏 SAFETY 👏 BARS. They could save your life and only take 30 sec to set up
I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and since I started lifting weights at 15 I have never done a squat without using a squat rack (or a Smith machine).
The video was pretty gnarly.. his neck bent like a pool noodle and dislocated.
Safety is a high priority, don't skip it.
RIP Justyn.
Either safety bars, or no spotter.
lifting ego =dead
He risked his life to save the spotter that was supposed to save him. 🙏🏻
That spotter is gonna be living with a lot of guilt.
For anyone who wants to see ,that video is available in short to see . And indeed that spotter is a fool. He didn't secure him the right way! His family should go to court and hold them accountable not only for money so they can cover the expenses but especially to protect others that guy will keep doing it ,if he isn't stoped !😒😬
Damn, imagine how that "spotter" feels 😬
Respectfully, I could have saved him, I'm built different
There should be straightforward mechanical safeties in place during lifts like this, the straps seen dangling in the image at the end of this video are an excellent option...or just the standard steel safety bars found in many squat racks. I've never understood why people elect not to use these.
Squatting heavy weight over a bare floor with just another person to assist was foolishness. Rip.
How can a spotter even help lift 462 lbs in that scenario its ridiculous. Thats what iron stoppers are for. Otherwise drop the barbel behind you.
It looks like the spotter caused the bar to be further up his neck then tried to get off with his hands by rolling it forward resulting in a broken neck.
100 percent his own fault for trying to lift 500 pounds. Its not the spotter jobs to lift what he can't lift. Plus the spotter are volunteer helpers.
For weight that big you have to use a monolift with safety straps. If I was squatting that idc if I have brian shaw, eddie hall and larry wheels spotting me, I'm still using safeties.
YOU HAVE TO USE SAFETY BARS!!!! AND ALWAYS BAIL BY BRINGING YOUR HIPS FORWARD AND ‘SLIDING’ OUT FROM UNDER THE BAR . PRACTICE THIS ALWAYS ON LOW WEIGHTS
Bro got John Lennon wrenching for him 😮
Use the safety bars you don't need a spotter behind you on a squat! If you REALLY need spotters get two guys one on each side, even then just let the weight onto the safety racks slow.
What pisses me off about this is that it was 100% preventable, spotter don’t know how to spot and the same goes for the sides, yes it’s a freak accident but man I put some of the blame on the incompetence, let’s hope people learn from this
"Fitness" industry
Yeah, the spotter screwed him here it sounds. Safety bars or back ditch is the way. Sad story
Ironically, without a spotter he would probably have just dropped the bar behind and be fine :(
Yeah
111% gotta bail it backwards man
yeah having a spotter behind you for a squat makes no sense, i think a better idea would be to have two guys next to you, or a safety catch strap.
Yeah dude that why at my home gym I just have safety bars in my squat rack, don’t need a spotter, I can just drop the weight and I’m good
@@MrJZNICAunless you have three spotters I don’t understand why you would do it any other way than safety bars?????
Rest in peace, Justin …sorry to hear about this…such a tragedy…😢
Aaron’s face in the video: 😄😄
@@garrett3726💀
And The spotter was his dad💔
Rip Justyn Vicky, you will be missed
When a shitty spot becomes “I killed my son” vibes for the rest of his life.
I’ve competed before and honestly spotting is a skill. The spotters train to do it or are people who have been lifting for many years. They also have at least three, one behind and one on each side. I saw a man squat 936lb and they had an entourage of spotters for him. Incredible to watch. My heart goes out to this man and his family and his poor friend.
Yeah this should be mandatory but unfortunately it isn't. People need to be better trained in safety protocols.
Spotter should never sleep again
@francismartino6890 I mean, it wasn't exactly his fault. The guy fell backward and knocked the spotter over. The spotter seemed like he was trying to help him up but just wasn't quite strong enough to do it on his own (but you could make the argument that he should have recruited more help or that he should have expressed that he may not have been strong enough to do it on his own, I guess). Regardless, it's not like he was being malicious. It really was just a freak accident. I've seen a million failed squats, and I've never seen something like this. It's also best practice to use safeties even if you have spotters, especially if it's a max attempt. I usually don't like having a single back spotter. They're virtually useless. I think this memory is enough 'punishment' for this guy. He will probably never spot someone again.
@@jimjones6901 There's too many mistake to begin with. The back spotter incorrect hand placement. If you do spot as squat U said never on the bar. I saw the video, he should've use the camera guy and the other guy that pull the bar back towards the neck as the side spotter. Third, they should've known how to bail properly. Fourth, back spotter shouldn't be use if there's one spotter (my opinion) since it's a safety issue for both parties. It's negligence on all parties.
@@jimjones6901 see having proper safety training requirements for being a spotter would probably include using the safety bars or knowing that over X amount of weight you have to have 2 or more spotters. This is a negligence thing even if it is 100% an accident. I haven't seen the video but i doubt the spotter was sleeping on the job. It's a lot of weight to spot on your own which loops back to my initial point.
I only squat inside the rack with safety bars, even if it’s with a weight I’m comfortable with. RIP, hopefully others will learn from this mistake.
Same here. I always squat with safety bars no matter the weight.
Same. Always safety bars. Always.
Same. Even if it's a comfortable weight, you never know when something in the body might go pop.
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't do that. It's such an unnecessary risk, for no reward.
Even with a comfortable weight you can get a twinge and have to bail out.
@@_Rustodian Only time I don't do it is if I'm in a gym that doesn't have safety bars, but then again I have always have a spotter who I trust and know can spot me correctly. Same vice versa.
New fear unlocked .
It can be mitigated by using safety bars
@@rustyshackleford1011yeah i would not squat without safeties
@@rustyshackleford1011Or just not having only one spotter. It's not like they could actually lift the weight if you truly fail, might as well keep the space to drop the weight.
Well if u really fear that much then use weight that can literally able to handle
just don't lift that heavy there is really no need to unless its you career !
There is really no point in having spotter behind you when doing squats, if you are squatting this much weight. Two side spotters might be able to help you if cant squat it up but really safety bars are essential
Why did my man look so happy announcing the dudes death 💀
That's what I thought initially, I'm sure he doesn't mean it like that.
Bro said that with the most charming smile 💀
I was thinking the same low key
I think he has a Resting Happy Face.
@@lisas_long_lost_forehead6085 car go brrrrrrrrrrr
So it wasn’t just me…..
Yep and so many others said the same thing. His face is weird I wonder If this is just the way his face is. Imagine Being the bearer of bad news and you're smiling about it.
I shouldn’t have looked up the video. My heart hurt from watching. You could tell it was bad when his head disappeared, but he got that strength to push the bar off right at the moment and he fell backwards and was pretty much dead, you could tell his neck was broken and he lost all function.
I don't care what people say, your life is not worth ever squatting heavy. Never ever. Ronnie coleman is another example. There are so so many more safe ways to train legs.
@user-op8lh8nr8i ♿
Agreed. My ankle mobility isn’t great and I also have neck issues. I do Bulgarian spilt, lunges and leg press for that. I feel so terrible for him but damn..
1 rep won't make you but it can break you.
So tragic....to hear this breaks my heart. Condolences to the family, may he rest in peace.
This is why im an advocate for ditching the spotter and learning how to fail a squat. Spotters either dont know what theyre doing or just them being behind you with arms under yours will make the lift uncomfortable and awkward. Learning to fail a squat correctly will not only ensure you dont get hurt but also wont put another person in harms way if you n your spotter arent on the same page. Of course always have the safety racks but even without them learning proper fail technique will ensure you still get out of the lift with little to no injury on anyone especially yourself. My condolences and RIP. Ppl always look at me crazy at the gym for incorporating a final set or 2 to failure followed by a failed rep at the end but id much rather practice evading correctly than to lean forward with a load bar on my back to rest the bar on the safety racks like they do. Equipment can always be replaced, your back or life cant
agree man, but i think people watch to much how people squat in powerlifting and not to much in weightlifting where you can fail the squat easily when dropping the bar behind.
either this or the lone spotter is going risk injury when the bar gets thrown backwards. Why I specifically got a power rack with safety straps and wont ever lift outside the rack
The problem is with the low bar squat. Harder to ditch the weight backwards in that position
@@amaladnan5522he's doing high bar though
@@honor9lite1337 yea I mean most people in general. I agree, he did high bar should've just ditch the spotter
It's not that he just lifted too heavy, it's he went for a 1RM (looking at the video), and he was shaking a bunch as he unracked it. He decided to not use safeties and went ahead with the lift. The spotter was in an inadequate position to help him remove the weight, and he didn't have the ankle mobility to stay in the bottom position with all that weight on top of him (completely unrelated but a lot of the articles I've looked at have thrown vastly different numbers, ranging from high 300s to high 400s, the first one I saw said 397 or smth)
Spotters are dangerous the one time I had a spotter he ducked me up and I almost caved my knees inward and hit the ground. Rip lift safe and love your family
spotting a backsquat is not possible with just a single guy behind. It's much safer to have the guy just dump the weight behind him or have proper safeties set up on the side to limit how far the weight can drop
@@glenndiddyIts daft to think one person can help at all with any decent amount of weight. Better to have safeties, or if needed, 2 people either side of the bar lile in powerlifting competitions. Personally, i refuse to squat without safeties full stop as its not worth the risk in my opinion.
@@joebloggs6922 Yeah I'd agree. If you're strong enough to squat even just 2 plates. That's still a lot of weight to hold on your neck if something does go wrong. Better be safe than sorry
Don't be quick to put all the blame on the spotter. When you're doing a dangerously heavy lift, take responsibility for making sure the spotter knows exactly what to do. It's your life on the line.
I see gym videos all the time of powerlifters getting a random person to spot them, and then getting pissed off when they do it wrong.
This time it was the spotter fault. The lifter failed and tried to bail. The spotter had hand on the bar the whole time and when the lifter tried to bail he was the one who lifted and pushed the bar on the lifter’s neck
It was literally the spotters fault. Which can happen apparently.
@@davidbeljeski8381the lifter never tried to bail though. I kind of wonder if the spotter was trying to roll the bar backwards & then fell back as he wasn’t able to. End of the day, it’s a lifter’s responsibility to make sure they’re spotted sufficiently & properly. This guy had to know one spotter wasn’t nearly enough, & he should’ve known that the spotter’s hands weren’t placed properly.
@@courtmorrowhe could have been scared of bailing out of fear of hurting the spotter though. And it looks like he picks the weight up and forward. It was everyone involved. The spotter clearly doesn't know what the fuck they're doing (you don't spot a squat like that, for THIS exact reason), all of the people just watching should have immediately gone to the sides to pick the weight up, and the lifter should have used safety pins and made sure there were other spotters
The spotter was his trainer, not some random. It’s definitely the spotter’s fault for agreeing to spot in such a useless position without help or instead of having him just use safety bars.
Omg that is so tragic. My condolence.
That's why I have not been testing my max on squats or bench because no spotter and fear the risks. Stay safe yall
The spotter got him killed
@@lordmike9331 No he didnt. With weight that heavy, they should have been using safety racks instead of spotting. Please, don't be an idiot
Safety arms? Even at 80 percent max I always use the safeties. You never know when your body/mind just decides it's tired and has had enough.
@@Carefreeblues Definitely. Even with a spotter. Idk why more people don't utilize those.
Testing your max is fine and totally safe if you do it right.
I will never understand why people even do this set up with no safeties and only one spotter behind them. At that point having no spotter is way safer.
Oh wow! He was so young smh. Rest in power💙
Indeed. I’m 37 and if I were to die at this age it would suck as I have so much I want to live for and accomplish.
Yeah dudes 33 and fit and the fact that he died just like this just tragic
Rip
Seen people drop the bar on their spotters (who were spotting with hands on chest).
Spotting the bar and guiding towards the safety/standard bars has always served me well.
Knowing the paths to fail helps recognize early
You know using a full rack would help.
Using a safety squat bar would also have helped.
There's zero reason not to use a full rack but I see people do it everyday
What is a full rack? Meaning having the safeties on?
@@ghostflame9211 yes a full rack you are inside essentially a cage and the safeties run all the way through. It's impossible to miss the safeties on a failed lift
Same man. I’ll be honest It’s just stupid not to use them. Saw some people deliberately remove them before doing the squat
Thats sad man really sad. Thats why you always have safety bars next to you. Like you dont even have to use them and place em really low so that you dont use em just so that this doesnt happen
Actually, he was still rather upright when the bar rolled forward and snapped his neck. Bars set improperly low might have done nothing.
Really, the spotter just wasn't helping, and if anything, was in the way. He should have been able to drop the weight straight off his back, but he probably didn't want to crush the spotter.
Or yes, if the bars were set at a proper height, he could have fallen forward onto them.
@@kolst how not if he fell over the side safety bars would have caught the barbell
You HAVE to set up safety bars in the bottom of the lift so that you can bail when you're in the hole. This is tragic but he was reckless. 😢
@@dn9981 You can also cancel your gym membership and stay at home. Just a note.
Having watched the full video, it's apparent that no spotter in the world would have been able to help. Squatting in a "cage" is less fun, but more safe.
My respect for you just got a lot higher. Rest in peace to this young man. Seriously, 33 is way too young
Lol if he only use squat rack with safety he would still be here. Respect for stupidity
Squat is useless exercise. No ancient world has squats. Not greek, not roman , not persian, not indian, not chinese. Nobody has squat as recommended exercise
Truly tragic, prays go out to the family and much respect to Justin. He built a worthy physic.
I'm so glad you didn't show the video :( I saw it by accident because it happened so quickly in the clip and I get nauseous at the thought of it.
Rest in peace
I never understood the need for a spotter when we have power racks. Literally I miss almost every PR I go for nowadays and I have never gotten hurt lifting for 18 years now.
Friend showed me this video yesterday and it was tough to just watch especially when the weight came down on his neck. I couldn't bear to watch it a 2nd time it was too tragic.
RIP
Youre a psychopath... Why would you wana see it in the 1st place...
Then protest to the world how bad it was smfh
This is sad.
Can u do a series on correct spotting for diff exercise and strength requirements for spots?
saw the video out of nowhere and I can say, im still scarred.
I am sorry to hear this terrible news. My prayers to his family and those close to him.
One of the reasons I won’t squat ever. Yes I get it probably safe 99.9% of the time. Don’t care. Not taking any risks, not worth it
People never know how to spot squat, can’t imagine how guilty the spotter feels
God, poor guy. Proper spotting needs to be more known
And using safety pins
i don't get wtf is wrong with using a safety bar....it's called fucking SAFETY BARS for a reason...for THIS EXACT REASON, i don't understand these types of decisions that didn't need to happen
This is why i don't lift too heavy. My goal is to exercise not become a competitive power lifter.
Thats two reasons why you don't lift heavy
You should still use safetyarms. Freak injuries are always possible and even 100kg can kill you.
I’ve never in my life ever heard of someone dying like this 😅 but WHY THE FUCK DID THE SPOTTER HOLD IT ON HIM WHY you don’t need a spotter when squatting you can’t fucking bail with someone behind you
Exercise should be part of the life but Exercise itself shouldn't become the life.
What's the point in lifting too much weight?
What's the point of anything?
It's an accomplishment or leading to an accomplishment. Not hard to understand. A lot of people strive to achieve something they couldn't previously.
you wouldn't get it, rakesh
Theres a lot of things to accomplish without high risk of injuries @@DegraTrip
Sad story but it's pretty impossible to spot a squat because the lifter is in the way. You can try to spot the lifter and not the bar but even then it's a TON of weight in an unwieldy position and a lifter who might be slightly panicking and also trying to not crush/injure the spotter.
Use the rack. There is a reason we invented racks and it is not to make garage gyms look cool. They are a super functional piece of SAFETY equipment. Use safety rails and stop relying on humans to spot you during a squat. The only good way to spot a squat is with 3 to 5 spotters - one to catch the lifter and 2-4 to spot the weight plates from the side of the bar. Even with 5 spotters a squat can go bad VERY quickly and again, safety rails will catch the bar and you can easily just drop to the floor without getting crushed.
Thank you for not showing. I was trying to see what happened via an illustration or explanation. I didn't understand how the barbell "fell on his neck." I accidently saw it. I really wish I hadn't. I think if someone just said shifted forward onto his neck, I would have understood without a visual.
I'm from the camp who believe that the idea of 1 rep max is overrated... Same thing for training to faillure... What is the rush??? is it worth it???? Like driving at high speed, it only takes 1 mistake
So people here don’t want to acknowledge the fact that he used a weight to heavy for himself because of ego? It’s not the fault of the spotter.
I left more than 405lbs. But when I did it, I was sure at 100% that I could lift it without a spotter. You can’t rely on the spotter even if it’s your best friend when it comes to bodybuilding.
So I used the spotter in case of failure. Be intelligent and not stupid guys.
Let this be a lesson learned to think of the worst that could happen before lifting above your max. Put your pride outside the gym. There was so much that was wrong in that lift. Terrible spotter, no spotters on each end, and no squat rack. Everything looked unsafe in that video from the start to the end. Prayers to his family.
At which point do we recognize that you will never be able to "spot" someone doing a 1RM? On minor failure yes, on a pec tear, or anything significant where the lifter cannot produce much force, catch bars are the only chance.
Never use a spotter they can prevent you from dumping the bar forward by crowding your hips forward into the bar. The spotter can also be injured if you dump the bar behind you or they push the bar into you try to dump it behind your butt. In this video he was attempting to dump the bar forward but the spotter was grabbing the bar and attempting to pull it backward. Also squatting with safety straps is superior to safety rack because it can prevent bar damage and alow you to get deep without your elbows or forearms colliding into the safety pins. Even in big powerlifting meets there have been problems created by having spotters and the result would have been safer to just not have them. I feel like spotters should not be allowed in powerlifting squat competitions and this forces the lifter to choose more managable weights they can walk out and escape from and its also easier for the audience and viewers and judges to watch the squat. Powerlifters and bodybuilder should be required learn how to bail from their squats just like olympic weightlifters have to learn.
stop lifting extremely heavy. i personally know people that have lost loved ones because of this. ive known the risks of lifting too heavy for a long time. if i can’t confidently lift a weight 5 reps without a spotter, it’s too much. i’m sorry to hear about this young man. let’s learn from this.
Yeah i dont have the mobility to dump the bar comfortably either. I would never squat heavy outside a rack. Hell i even get sketched out benching on the regular bench with no safeties because i dropped the bar on my chest once.
If someone asks you to spot them on that much weight walk the other way, 100% not the spotters fault and he’s probably going to be dealing with trauma for the rest of his life
I've pointed this out on other videos too because it seems pretty common, you need to be squating on the _inside_ of the squat rack so you have the safety bars to... Keep you safe... I don't understand why you would bother going to the trouble to use a squat rack only to set up your lift on the _outside_ of it, it makes no sense.
Love how you all are implying the spotter committed manslaughter. Pretty hot take.
The spotter should have been standing upright and could have easily deadlifted it off of him…
Reminds me of the lady that broke her neck while trying to set. Saddest thing was the daughter was there to witness it all. Not to mention the spotter was the moms boyfriend.
So many mistakes when you watch that tragic video. The spotter, the placement of the bar etc
“I’m not gonna show the video…” instead shows thumbnail and makes us all look it up
Spotter is probably going to develop a drinking habit to cope or kill themselves
At my weakling/amateur level I will ONLY do barbell squats inside a cage with safety straps. Also, when lifting bench-press alone never do flat bench and never use collars - instead, do slight incline without collars. That way if you fail , the bar rolls forward to your waist (not backward to your neck) and you can dump weights without collars. Stay safe and healthy guys! ❤
I left a gym cause they didn't have safety bars for their bench press. I cant deal with that. Got my anxiety to 1000 real fast
I wish spotter wasn’t there he could have dunked weight backward
Ego lifting as well. In the video he was nowhere near completing that lift.
*2 Red Flags*
_1st: No Support bar lifting for a new PR_
_2nd: Spotter is supporting the bar, not the lifter_
Support bar is to prevent such injuries.
Spotter murdered the guy by lifting the weights.
Not possible to lift weights this way, which will instinctively lead to dropping it.
Spotters instinct is to save himself upon realising it's too heavy. No one wants to gets crushed, so weight will 100% go forward not backwards. *Guess what, there is a person in front of the spotter.*
I wonder how his spotter feels about not doing anything 😂😂😂
Or just don't egolift and focus on proper form and 3-4 reps more
Not a freak accident. Safety violation caused his death.
I was shocked that even with a spotter this happened-but 450+ lbs really is no joke. There rly should be enforced gym rules against lifting above a certain weight without safety bars or some kind of extra fail safe
Man if you squat and extend your arms in front of you as a spotter. I could barely hold the bar in that position. Gotta use those safety racks on heavy lifts
i was just commented about him in your video about more than 1 hour ago
Use safety bars! Btw bench press is more dangerous than squats
People need to parse out the game plan when spotting/using a spotter. When I was competing in PL, my coach made it very clear what his actions would be if I was missing a lift.
Man😔
Rip brother🙏
Condolences to his family 😔🙏❤️
Apparently he was telling the spotter to go back and he didn't listen, family should press charges ;(
Ego lift consequences facing now