Safety solution for the powerlifting squat : Improving the safety for lifters and spotters in competition

Abstract: In powerlifting the athletes compete to lift as much weight as possible in the squat, bench press and deadlift, pushing their bodies to extreme levels of strength. When lifting heavy weights, safety becomes an important concern, especially where the lifters can get injured by the barbell if a lift is unsuccessful. Today in the squat, the only safety mechanism available are the spotters, a team of officials who surround the lifter during competition. This product development project aims to improve the safety of lifters and spotters in competition. This project followed the CDIO process model, going through the four phases of conceive, design, implement, and operate. Using literature review, interviews, observations, ergonomic analysis, fault tree analysis gave insights and information, which then were comprised into a Product Design Specification. The design phase included idea generation using creative sessions, resulting a lot of ideas on how the problems could be solved. In the subsequent phases the ideas were developed using CAD, evaluated using FEM and usability testes, and narrowed down using the PDS. The result is a feasible conceptual solution that, with minimal changes on use improve the safety for lifters and spotters. The concept accomplishes this with mechanical barriers in the form of straps. The straps are mounted to steel beams that attaches to the uprights of the rack and reaches over the athlete, enclosing the barbell. The concept also includes a pair of extension legs, which attaches to the base of the rack, increasing the size of the footprint and provide additional stability. The solution is made to be retrofitted to already existing combo racks made by Eleiko. Key features of the concepts are the straps passively adjust in height when adjusting the height of the rack and the straps accommodate lifters with different grip widths when the rack is in the folded in position.