I mean… with everything wrong with that picture- and soooooo much is wrong there….
I mean- ok. Obviously chair legs like that aren’t a safe place to rest weights. But- just as a general tip for those considering home set ups or improvised set ups that aren’t fundamentally dangerous…
Pins. They’re good to have even with a spotter- but I personally consider them a necessity when solo. Basically any exercise with a bar is safer with pins, but especially any where the bar is over your head/body. Bench and squats are two common and critical ones. Your pins are set slightly below the lowest point the bar should reach in a rep. Eg:
In a squat you’d have your pins to where when you reach the bottom of the squat using proper form the bar shouldn’t touch the pins, but as close to touching as practical. If you squat and lose footing or can’t stand back up etc- if you drop your feet from under you, the pins catch the bar so it doesn’t pin you down or hit you/the floor.
On the bench the…
.. pins will be basically right above your chest. If your arms give your you can’t lift the bar back to where it rests, you can let your arms down until the bar rests on the pins and then ot can’t crush your chest/neck/head. If you somehow drop the bar, it doesn’t fall on your body with its weight. The pins take the hit.
You generally have 2 pins spaced wide (if you have one the bar can tip off…) and they should be level (you don’t want the bar rolling towards your head or feet etc…) and BOTH ENDS should have a stop so that the bar cannot roll off the pins even if you push it to the edge.
I’m not saying it’s the safest way- some people use “saw horses” or other such load bearing members because they are affordable and easily store collapsed. Ideally, if possible- a full squat cage is the jack of all trades of home work out equipment for strength and resistance training.
A well designed squat cage can be configured for multiple types of exercises from pull ups and dips and elevated push ups of all types to over head presses and bench presses and squats of all types. It can be an a hot for bands and ropes and even be used as a base for your bar for things like rows. Properly selected it will have the versatility to allow you to set up pins and safety for most work with a bar.They are large, heavy, and often quite expensive. So I understand they aren’t an option for everyone. I wouldn’t keep it outside if theft or rust/environment are concerns so that is a factor too.There are similar pieces of equipment that don’t offer the full versatility of a cage but generally work well and are smaller and cheaper. A squat rack is one such example and many are built with features intending them as combo bench/squat stations such as
Multiple positions to rest the bar or adjustable rests. These smaller units often have fixed height pegs though, not the configurable design of a full squat cage. It is important to try out all the exercises you intend for the equipment before a final purchase because the pegs may not be in the right place for your height/body type/dimensions. So you may be fine with the pegs for squatting but when you go to bench the pegs are too high and you can only get through half your range on the press; or worse, when you go the bench the pegs are below your chest so if you drop the bar you may crush your ribs etc. it will be less likely or more difficult to find the “perfect” set up in one of these simpler stations for any random person, but that is usually the case in “compromise” choices between budget and other factors over suitability.
SOME bench press set ups CAN be suitable to use as a safe solo station and may have catches or drop pegs. Personally I would not rely on the presence of “incremental” or “ladder” rests for the bar on the towers as a safety measure when solo- especially at home where the odds someone would be there and immediately notice trouble are generally lower than at most gyms. But some bench press set ups do have pegs or actual catches and also may be suitable for squats and other exercises.
While these things can be expensive- if you consider the average costs and fees for a gym, if weights are your focus or you aren’t needing and using many or any of the other things offered at the gym- the monthly cost long term to buy your own squat rack/cage is cost favorable. If you will be working out long term- over years and decades it becomes WAAAY cheaper to buy a rack than pay to “rent” from the gym.
If you are someone who is motivated by the gym environment or whatever else- these intangibles should be considered- but for those who would be just as fine or better off working out at home, it pays itself off fairly quickly and if you “give up” the idea, unlike moat gyms you can get money back- most of your investment or sometimes even more than you paid in depending on market circumstances. You can also find deals on occasion on equipment like this. People who “quit” or are moving, getting divorced,
Estate sales, gym closures or renovations… issued weights and equipment often hold a stable value but there are sometimes deals to be found.
So obviously the most glaring and unsafe things in this picture aren’t the lack of pegs- but I figured I’d mention the pegs because that’s a big safety one I often see overlooked even on legitimate home gym set ups and even at times by gym goers who have the station with the capability at their use and either don’t bother or are unaware. Of course- you can also lay on the floor and lift a bar off a couple jack stands in the garage. Your personal safety is your personal business. I’ve seen people get pinned by bars and I’ve seen people drop bars on themselves. I’ve dropped sets before and been lucky enough to have the pins. The first time I ever was solo and dropped to the bottom of a squat and couldn’t stand back up I was on the last reps of a set and had 400lbs on the bar. It was a moment where I instantly knew I never wanted to be there again.
I was able to drop out safely but with some short lasting discomfort- but it could have gone badly and I’ve seen it go badly since then.
You can maybe YouTube videos. I don’t know if they allow that- but it can be very.. unpleasant to watch. I would say it is more unpleasant to experience in real life- sudden application of force and heavy weights to the human body can lead to some unpleasant sights and sounds.
My advice in training is to be safe and not take short cuts. It costs what it costs and it takes as long as it takes. If you want to play to dumdum lottery your “win” is the same or slightly worse results as you’d get anyway, and maybe a tiny bit of money or time saved. If you lose- you die or maybe your knees bend backwards now or you get to see what your bones look like when they aren’t in one piece and in your body.
I mean- ok. Obviously chair legs like that aren’t a safe place to rest weights. But- just as a general tip for those considering home set ups or improvised set ups that aren’t fundamentally dangerous…
Pins. They’re good to have even with a spotter- but I personally consider them a necessity when solo. Basically any exercise with a bar is safer with pins, but especially any where the bar is over your head/body. Bench and squats are two common and critical ones. Your pins are set slightly below the lowest point the bar should reach in a rep. Eg:
In a squat you’d have your pins to where when you reach the bottom of the squat using proper form the bar shouldn’t touch the pins, but as close to touching as practical. If you squat and lose footing or can’t stand back up etc- if you drop your feet from under you, the pins catch the bar so it doesn’t pin you down or hit you/the floor.
On the bench the…
You generally have 2 pins spaced wide (if you have one the bar can tip off…) and they should be level (you don’t want the bar rolling towards your head or feet etc…) and BOTH ENDS should have a stop so that the bar cannot roll off the pins even if you push it to the edge.
I’m not saying it’s the safest way- some people use “saw horses” or other such load bearing members because they are affordable and easily store collapsed. Ideally, if possible- a full squat cage is the jack of all trades of home work out equipment for strength and resistance training.
While these things can be expensive- if you consider the average costs and fees for a gym, if weights are your focus or you aren’t needing and using many or any of the other things offered at the gym- the monthly cost long term to buy your own squat rack/cage is cost favorable. If you will be working out long term- over years and decades it becomes WAAAY cheaper to buy a rack than pay to “rent” from the gym.
Estate sales, gym closures or renovations… issued weights and equipment often hold a stable value but there are sometimes deals to be found.
You can maybe YouTube videos. I don’t know if they allow that- but it can be very.. unpleasant to watch. I would say it is more unpleasant to experience in real life- sudden application of force and heavy weights to the human body can lead to some unpleasant sights and sounds.
My advice in training is to be safe and not take short cuts. It costs what it costs and it takes as long as it takes. If you want to play to dumdum lottery your “win” is the same or slightly worse results as you’d get anyway, and maybe a tiny bit of money or time saved. If you lose- you die or maybe your knees bend backwards now or you get to see what your bones look like when they aren’t in one piece and in your body.