A helping hand can lead to more muscle growth, says pro bodybuilding coach Joe Bennett.
Phone a friend. If you’re trying to build muscle — as much of it as you can — you might need to recruit a spotter, even for machine exercises. At least, according to renowned bodybuilding coach Joe Bennett.
Bennett works with some of the best bodybuilders in the game, including former Women’s Physique Ms. Olympia Dana Linn Bailey and two-time Arnold Classic champion Terrence Ruffin.
Lucky for us, Bennett isn’t shy about sharing his wisdom. During a Jul. 30, 2024 leg workout with Women’s Figure pro Melissa Brodsky, Bennett took a beat to explain in detail why he thinks having a spotter on machine exercises can enhance muscle growth. Let’s take a look at what “the Hypertrophy Coach” has to say.
So, here’s the thing. Gym machines are touted for their safety, specifically because you aren’t at risk of dropping a weight and damaging the equipment, gym floor, or hurting yourself. That’s all true.
But Bennett’s argument regarding spotters on machine exercises is rooted in biomechanics. “A lot of people talk about task failure, but what they don’t realize is that task failure is dependent on the loading pattern of the exercise,” he says.
More specifically, he explains that many gym machines contain a gadget called a cam which enables rotational motion; think of how the heel pad of a leg curl machine swings in an arc under your thigh.
Machines (and cables) are often lauded for their smooth and stable resistance, since the weight isn’t being directly acted on by gravity. However, that doesn’t mean a machine exercise like the seated leg curl is equally difficult from start to finish.
By providing manual assistance to the hardest part of the range of motion, Bennett helps his bodybuilding clients push past their own limitsadding additional training volume and driving up mechanical tension.
So, is Bennett blowing smoke? The short answer is no — and, in fairness, so is the long answer. Here’s what the science has to say:
Putting it all together, a good spotter can help you build more muscle by providing a bit of “oomph” to help you push through the hard part of a machine exercise’s range of motion.
Bennett makes an example of the seated leg curl, which is most challenging at the beginning and gets easier as your hamstrings contract and shorten. Like giving a child a push on a swing set, having a spotter “get you going” on the leg curl enables you to lift more weight through the most valuable portions of the range of motion.
From the Expert: If you want “astronomically huge” hamstrings, Bennett advises using a seatbelt on the leg curl to help stabilize your hips and improve your leverage to lift more weight.
Unlike powerlifting spotting which focuses mainly on the safety of the lifter, spotting in bodybuilding is a delicate skill.
If you’re going to incorporate manual assistance on machine exercises, make sure you instruct your spotter to provide only a small amount of assistance through the sticking point of the exercise. The spotter should not be doing most of the work.
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