Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Hey! Need a Spot?


                                   “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you”

                                               
A lot of times in the gym you will hear the phrase, “do you need a spot?”
If you’re not an active lifter or have no gym experience you may not know what this term means.

Gym Spot:
A spot is the act of standing nearby in a “supportive” capacity as a person attempts a heavy lift where assistance might be required. The spot might include assistance in the case of failure to complete a lift… aid in bringing a heavy weight into starting position… or added lifting help for an intense trainee forcing repetitions beyond his or her own physical limits.

The perfect spot is to assist, but not to lift it for them. If too much “spot” is applied, the trainee will not receive the full benefit from the stress of the heavy weight.
The overcoming of the heavy weight is known as, “The SAID principle” by exercise physiologists.

The SAID principle is “Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand.”
By overcoming stress, the body adapts by being coming stronger. This allows the lifter to build upon past stressful workouts in a more tolerable manner for future stressful loads.

Life Spot:
If you’ve never been in a seemingly unbearable position in life, you may not know what needing a spot means.

A spot is the act of standing nearby in a “supportive” capacity as a person attempts to overcome a heavy burden in life where assistance might be required. The spot may include assistance in the case of failure to overcome a situation… aid in bringing an issue into a starting position… or added emotional support for a vulnerable person experiencing repetitive setbacks that may be perceived to be beyond his or her own psychological limits.
The perfect spot is to assist, but not to lift the heavy load for them.

If too much “spot” is applied, the person will not receive the full benefit of the specific adaptations that comes from the coping skills developed by the stress of the heavy load.
By overcoming stressful situations, the mind adapts by being coming stronger. This allows the person to build upon past stressful life occurrences in a more tolerable manner for future issues that may occur.

Conclusion:
Whether we’re spotting someone in the gym, or in life… it’s important that we are there in a “supportive” capacity that assists, and not enables.

It is of utmost importance that the spotter remembers that carrying or lifting the load for someone does not allow for an adaptation to occur, and therefore no lesson is learned. This type of spot is not service for the individual…..its self-service for the spotter.

So now you are prepared for the next time you see someone struggling.
Hey! Need a spot?

 
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”