The year was…I don’t remember, I was in high school…but I was a sophomore. Track practice was over and with an hour to kill before anyone could pick me up, I wandered into the school’s weight room. It was probably the hundredth time in my life working out. I was no stranger to the place or the equipment.
The place was empty except for one senior also on the track team. He was one of those insane workout people. This was long before Crossfit or intense, multiple movement fitness trends. He’s the type of bro that probably invented Crossfit. He was doing his thing in the corner, I don’t remember what, probably squatting 300 pounds while jumping rope and I warmed up with a couple set on the incline bench.
A couple reps into my second set my left elbow started to spasm and my body decide “nope, not today” and just stopped working. The bar fell straight down to my clavicle and I couldn’t budge it. Luckily, in between sets, Captain Crossfit saw what happened and sprung into action. He helped lift the bar off my chest.
If I were alone that day, I’d probably still be stuck in that position. It’s called the “roll of shame” — rolling yourself out from underneath a heavy bar in hopes of living to see tomorrow — and it’s dangerous as hell. The makers of the Maxx Bench, still in the Kickstarter phase, hope to ensure it will never happen again.
The makers of the Maxx Bench are just a couple grand short of their Kickstarter goal. If you’d like to pledge, visit their page.
[via Man’s Life]