Today I spotted some dude on leg press... going for a 3RM... in knee wraps...

Why? Just because someone asks you to do it, does not mean you have to say yes. I would just state that you do not feel comfortable with the responsibilities spotting on that equipment and walk away.

Bros broing it up. First did 225 half squat, then 1 plate deadlifts...with the bar behind their legs. Tough not to intervene. Half squats are lol but these look like an injury waiting to happen.

I am happy to help anyone accomplish whatever ridiculous goals they desire. I do not judge, I just walk away and laugh about it afterwards. Who knows, maybe something else funny happens on my journey that I would've missed if I said no like a prick.

Elf: They are called hack squats and appear to be a legitimate exercise. I have never done them, which makes them even more legitimate.

I would have just seriously asked, "I'm not sure what you mean - spot on the leg press?" and give him my best "DYEL" look.

The joke would be on me though when he returned the look b/c I'm probably weaker than the fatty leg pressing 3rm with knee wraps.

I guess working out at 0400 removes most of the interactions from my workouts, which works since I don't like talking to people at the gym. That and the powerlifting area is in its own room. I should probably just build a home gym to remove any possibility of that crap happening.

I have hug spotted a bro doing squats and spotted leg presses. No biggie.

I also spotted dumbell bench press. Word to the wise, you have to push up around the elbow. The first time I was too close to the tricep area, and I wasn't really able to get enough leverage to help the guy get his last 2-3 reps up like he wanted. Live and learn.

Kipping pullups in the assisted pullup machine.

Need to add this to my program.

Wow. I'm not even mad, that's impressive. Not necessarily strength or anything just coming up with that and walking the whole machine around the gym for onlookers and making it look like either you or the machine are going to break at any moment.

No. A dumbbell spot should be at the wrists. You risk allowing a failure to cause the dumbbell to fall into their chest if you push up at the elbows.

Are front squats with the safety squat bar a thing? Guy had me spot him yesterday while doing that, he did a 450x5 back squat right before with good form/depth so he clearly wasn't some clueless noob who didn't realize he had the bar backwards

You mean he had the handles facing backwards? Never heard of or seen it. Weird.

You don't know how to do dumbbell bench properly then. A dumbbell bench is actually a pec exercise for the bro standing behind the bench who pushes inwards and upwards on the lying bro's elbows. Lying bro serves no purpose than to keep the dumbbells in the air and provide said elbows for standing bro to push. That is why in a spotted dumbbell bench the weights generally more far further horizontally than they do vertically.

I once asked a frienldy roid-monster-gym-mate to help me getting the 37,5kg DB's up for incline press, specially mentioning that I don't need a spot for last reps, just to get them up. He told me to use a barbell or take the 35's, if I wanted to do DB-press.
Once before, I had an other very experienced spotter (former BB on competitions) for my last rep at DB-flat, he pushed my elbows, and ofc the DB went too far inwards and crushed on my torso. He was very sorry, saying that elbows aren't ideal to spot, same with wrists, though...
Didn't hurt much when I dropped them on myself, but I never asked for any kind of spot or help for DB-press again after these two situations. Correctly, imo.

Beside becnhpress and squat with 1-3RM, I don't think that any exercise demands to have spotter at all.

I regularly see spotted leg press.

But did you feel the pump while he was pushing on your elbows bro?

Yeah, just like that, resting on his shoulders.

What was he doing with his hands?

Ha! Nice one

Here you go, it was pretty much this. Appears to be something strong people do

How often do you see ppl squatting facing the wrong way? This one guy who has started squatting at the gym I go to is doing that. No one else does. Reracking the bar has never been more exciting for onlookers I suppose. I can't really watch as the whole setup and unracking and stuff just looks so bad.

Of course he doesn't squat very well either but lots of people squat shallow and has ****ty technique. I've gotten over seeing that and letting it bother me.

Eventually should I say something? I cringe every time I walk in front of the dude to get to the other side of the gym.

(I did actually say something the first time I saw him...something like "oh, I've never seen anyone squat that direction, have you found that works better than facing the wall?" To which he said something like "sure, works fine" or something, ugh)

Do you mean he has to back into the supports to put down the bar? I've never seen it but I'm quite sure it would make me cringe.

Today tested my resolve to mind my own business at the gym.

One guy was doing half-squats. He had a belt but never wore it. He worked up to 185 and let out an intense grunt as he finished the rep. I thought well, at least his effort was inspirational. But then he kept adding weight until finally there was 275 on the bar. After seeing this guy nearly fail 185, I thought jesus, there is nfw he is going to get 275 up. Sure enough, he gets halfway down and then starts trying to lift it back up, his back atrociously rounded from top to bottom, and he fails the lift. He dropped the weight down to 255, then did the same thing. Rounded back half-squat, huge effort, but a big fail.

On the other side of the room, a fairly attractive female trainer had a fat, out of shape girl doing deadlifts with a horribly rounded back.

I guess these situations might not be enough to say anything, but is the risk of injury ever high enough that we have an ethical responsibility to say something? Or should that only be reserved for if someone is literally likely to kill themselves?