At night I can’t sleep,

I gotta learn,

How to get in better shape,

That summer bod, I’ve gotta earn…

– Geto Boys (probably)

You know the drill – if you’re the 1st person to reply and tell me what Geto Boys song this is, you’ll get a free item from our Swag Shop on the house!

If you wish, you can grab the N.W.A. Newsletter Playlist on Spotify here, all of the songs that have been featured in the newsletter are on the playlist.

Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.

Each week with the N.W.A. Newsletter, I give you the best Nutrition, Weightlifting, and/or Attitude advice for you to start to use in your life today.

Tens of thousands of people have used this exact newsletter to gain muscle, lose fat, and become a better version of themselves…

Without any further ado, let’s get started..

N.W.A. Tip Of The Week

A few weeks ago, a tragic story came across my social media feed.

A man from Brazil was in the gym bench pressing.

The bar slipped out of his hand, landed on his chest, cracked his sternum.

He stood up for a brief second, then collapsed.

Later, at the hospital, he was pronounced dead from cardiac arrest.

I’m not going to link to the video – it’s hard to watch.

But here’s a screenshot – did you see this?

May be an image of text that says 'CAM'5'

The most heartbreaking part of the story?

He left behind a wife and 3 children.

The hardest part to take was this was completely preventable – and sadly, it was nobody’s fault but his own.

Not-so-fun fact – roughly 10 people per year pass away from an injury when lifting weights.

Out of those 10 people, 9 of them injure themselves barbell bench pressing.

The barbell bench press is inherently the most dangerous lift there is.

You are literally lifting the weight directly over your face and torso – one mishap and you could be in trouble.

Here are a few, simple (must do) tips to keep yourself safe when bench pressing.

#1 – ALWAYS wrap your thumb around the bar.

Scroll back up and look closely at the lifter’s thumb?

Do you see how it’s not wrapped around the bar?

This is NOT the way to grip the bar when bench pressing.

This is called a “suicide grip”.

It’s called that for a reason.

This poor man learned that lesson the hard way.

The bar slipped out of his hand, smashed his chest, and that was it.

You want your wrist to be rigid and not “bent” – your wrist should be straight up and down (pretend like you’re going to punch someone in the face – that’s how you want your wrist to feel when benching).

But never, ever, EVER use the “suicide grip”.

Even if you have a spotter, with a suicide grip, the spotter won’t be able to react quickly enough if the bar slips.

You’re done.

Please heed my warning on this one.

Which leads me to my next bench pressing safety tip.

#2 – Get a spotter if you can; if you can’t get a spotter, set up safeties.

Don’t hesitate to ask someone if they can spot you on bench press.

Don’t worry, you aren’t bothering anyone.

A true gym rat will appreciate that you are being safe, and will gladly help you out.

Tell them how many reps you will attempt.

Let them know if you need a “lift off” to get the bar in place.

And tell them “please do not touch the bar until I need your assistance”.

Nothing worse than an overzealous spotter taking over your set. 🙂

#3 – If you bench press alone, NEVER clip the bar, and stop a few reps short of failure.

If you put the weight clips on the bar, and you get pinned by the barbell, you might not be able to get it off of you.

You run the risk of suffocation.

If the ends of the barbell aren’t clipped, you’ll be able to wiggle your way out from under the bar by dumping the weight from side to side.

Also, know yourself and your limitations.

If you are alone:

NEVER go for a 1-rep maximum.
ALWAYS keep your rep ranges higher (5 at least).
After your first “pretty challenging” rep, STOP THE SET.

Better safe than sorry.

The bench press is a lifting staple.

Just be smart while you’re doing it, and you’ll be benching safely for years without ever needing to worry about getting yourself into serious trouble.

1:1 coaching spots for 2026 are filling up quickly.

If you’re serious about nabbing one, I’d recommend applying for a spot here soon…

Here’s an example from a recent 1:1 client who lost 53 pounds in my program:

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Looking forward to speaking with you.

January-2-2026

N.W.A. Tip Of The Week

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