W/out training partner

[Karuk]

I get to the gym at 4am (I have a family that need me home in the evenings) and I can't find a training partner that is willing to train with me that early. I can get the occasional spot but nothing I can count on.

What training style do you use when a good spotter isn't available? Training to failure is pretty much out.

I'm running palumbo diet so high volume is out.

[JYD]

well if u can't grab an employee from the gym to spot you i guess you could try rest pause sets, drop sets might be too high volume though if ur tryin to steer clear. Most exercises you should be able to go failure on your own but for ones when a spotter is not around, You could always try to pre-exhast things like chest and shoulder which often require heavy weights and spotters?

[.DP]

Just use dumbbells or the power rack. It won't be taken at 4am.

[militantmuscle]

Use a lot of hammer strength, dumbbells and machines. You can push yourself till failure with these types of resistances.

[red barraca]

i've givin up on training partner's,always givin bullshit reason's why they did'nt show up,to sore,or just plain being a puss.if you don't anybody there to spot you ,use smith machine,or hammer strenght,bumbell's

[hulkish808]

4AM? haha, the rec center i go to on campus isn't even open at that time.
I don't have a partner, because of the training methods, and the guys who have tried to keep up with me, can't, and won't come back. Go figure... besides, I hate waiting around for someone else...it makes my training that much shorter if I don't have to wait around for another person.

But, if you want to go heavy, do it in a smythe rack like someone previously said.

[MichaelWayne]

99.9% of the time I workout alone (training a guy right now, but his strength is so low that its like working out alone...lol). Regardless of if someone is there or not, I don't change a thing. If I feel that the bar is not going anywhere on 11 or 12, you'd be amazed on how much focused concentration (or adrenaline some might call it) will get your ass out of trouble.
Besides, the only dangerous thing alone is bench, everything else is pretty much able to be dropped and not kill ya (if you're on the right equipment). If you still don't feel that you could get yourself out of a tight spot on bench use a smith or hammer strength.

[bigdaddyd]

I had one training partner and he dropped out after 2 months. I do not change anything because I don't have a partner to train with. I go balls out no matter what.

When I know I cannot get a full rep and I don't have a spotter, I use rest pause or drops sets to get the extra. There is even times I have to rack it and try again. But you do what you have to do.

[red barraca]

fuck a training patnah!

[bigdaddyd]

fuck a training patnah!

hooyah...I can't find one that can hang....and I am not all that...LOL

[musclegoddess65]

i have a very similar issue.... at the gym by 4/4:30 am, no one is in there, and no one willing to show up at that hour....

I do what I can as heavy as I can, few times I've had to lay the BB down on my chest and roll it off

[bigdaddyd]

i have a very similar issue.... at the gym by 4/4:30 am, no one is in there, and no one willing to show up at that hour....

I do what I can as heavy as I can, few times I've had to lay the BB down on my chest and roll it off

We do what we have to do sometimes

[red barraca]

i did it for a year,every day got up 400am,lifted 500am,went to work,700am,back then i did,nt do anything on the weekend

[Mouse]

I get to the gym at 4am (I have a family that need me home in the evenings) and I can't find a training partner that is willing to train with me that early. I can get the occasional spot but nothing I can count on.

What training style do you use when a good spotter isn't available? Training to failure is pretty much out.

I'm running palumbo diet so high volume is out.

Not necessarily. You can get pretty close if you've got a bit of experience behind you. I train alone most of the time (or with my wife who is useless as a spotter). Something I've developed over time is to slow down the reps as I come to the end of my set. Let's say I normally can do 8 with a certain weight. As I'm doing my set, I can tell pretty much from the first few reps how many I'll be able to get. Let's say I'm pretty sure 8 is all I've got and that 9th rep would require a slight spot. As I get to that 8th rep, I slow down the cadence just a bit to complete the rep. This puts me under tension a little longer and instead of finishing that 8th rep with a little gas left in the tank, I'm ending it with pretty much all I have.

I don't know if I'm explaining this well. Obviously you've got to have a bit of experience behind you and really know your body or you'll find yourself in bad situation.

[Orca]

Looks like we've got a healthy contingent of solo trainers on the forums! If your training partner isn't with you 100% they just interfere with intensity and focus, which is not good.

I'm also a bit of a lone wolf. I agree with what was said above, equipment selection and even simpler- exercise selection do it for me.

There's a lot of fun to be had making strange contraptions/platforms etc, just modifying exercises so you can do them alone (or with limited equipment which is my experience). I'm worried I'll get bored when I start heading to a real gym in the fall.