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USC's Stafon Johnson seriously injured

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Deskhack, Sep 29, 2009.

Page 4 of 5
  1. Del_B_Vista

    Del_B_Vista Active Member

    So, does USC have 100 positions in its athletic department for spotters? Even 25? Aren't spotters typically just other players on the team. How do you fire them?

    Train them better, yes.
     
    Del_B_Vista, Sep 30, 2009
    #37
  2. fitnessscribe

    fitnessscribe Member

    That sounds like just about the most idiotic exercise a person could even think of doing!
     
    fitnessscribe, Sep 30, 2009
    #38
  3. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I don't see how you can be trained to prevent this. If people are picturing some guy going for his max bench press, where he's heaving, straining, inching the bar up...yeah, a spotter or two should be ready for an instant grab of the bar, because there's some expectation that this won't work. But the every day bench press is a guy pumping out a reasonable weight over and over again, without overbearing strain. It would be like 1..2..3..4..SLIP! You'd never catch that in time. You could only get it off the guy's throat, after the damage is done. And I'm guessing a three-figure weight on someone's throat does the damage in milliseconds.
     
    playthrough, Sep 30, 2009
    #39
  4. zimbabwe

    zimbabwe Active Member

    In that situation, the spotter (or two) already have their hands on the bar (or should).

    And I STILL don't see how the bar "slips" towards the throat, unless he is using an underhanded grip. Which he SHOULD NOT be doing on a max attempt.

    And a Pac 10 weight training staff would know all of this.
     
    zimbabwe, Sep 30, 2009
    #40
  5. armageddon

    armageddon Active Member

    Yes it can. Was he using chalk? Were his palms sweaty? What type of grip was he using? All questions that need to be answered, as well as many others.
     
    armageddon, Sep 30, 2009
    #41
  6. armageddon

    armageddon Active Member

    It's possible the spotter was talking to others, not paying attention to the player on the bench. But I'm not sure how you can make such a definitive statement yet.

    It's also possible his hands were under the bar and, depending on how much the kid was benching, that he couldn't stop the bar from dropping all the way down.

    I lift several days a week. Don't do free-weight bench because I don't have a spotter.

    But over the years I've seen spotters do their jobs and the bar still drops down and touches a guy on the chest.
     
    armageddon, Sep 30, 2009
    #42
  7. zimbabwe

    zimbabwe Active Member

    Unless he was using an underhand grip, or holding the bar in his fingers (which no trainer worth a shit would allow), I disagree.

    I still think we need more facts.
     
    zimbabwe, Sep 30, 2009
    #43
  8. zimbabwe

    zimbabwe Active Member

    Me too, dude. On the chest. Its the neck part that I can't wrap my mind around.
     
    zimbabwe, Sep 30, 2009
    #44
  9. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    As I mentioned before, is it out of the realm of possibility that something happened with his shoulder, wrist or elbow that caused the bar to fall at an awkward angle? That's all I can think of as to how the bar would land on his throat.
     
    YGBFKM, Sep 30, 2009
    #45
  10. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    What if it "landed" on his upper chest and rolled down to his throat, crushing it that way? I've seen that happen with inexperienced lifters (not that Johnson was one, but still.)
     
    buckweaver, Sep 30, 2009
    #46
  11. zimbabwe

    zimbabwe Active Member

    THAT I can see.

    It's the word "slip" that is throwing me off.
     
    zimbabwe, Sep 30, 2009
    #47
  12. fitnessscribe

    fitnessscribe Member

    Or maybe he was doing a decline bench? That would make it more likely, I'd think.
     
    fitnessscribe, Oct 1, 2009
    #48
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