Spotting Technique and Profiling

What would you consider to be the correct way to spot a flat bench press? The two extremes I have seen are: (A) the yell at the trainee at the sticking point and only grab the bar when the trainee’s arms buckle method; (B) the notorious upright row - bench press partner drill. So what would be a safe and effective method?

On a related note, how would you choose a spotter when you’re in the weight room full of strangers? For convenience, I used to ask the person training on the next bench for a spot but this has proven to be unreliable. Now, I usually ask a fairly strong looking person on the assumption that they know what they’re doing. There must be a better way!

I try to avoid spotting most people. lets face it, most people try to lift shit they cant. My own solution… Dont lift anything I cant get 8x on my own with the barbells,… or use dumbells or machines. I’ve actually gotten quite happy with the hammer-press machines lately,… no, its not freeweights, but there’s no cables or other weird contraptions,… just a simple machine that wont letcha get crushed :slight_smile: