Blog Anyone who has spent time in our gym knows that we are all -- and myself in particular -- sticklers for gym safety.  My nickname is often the "Safety Bear" and it's usually with good reason -- clips on bars, safety pins at the correct height, proper spotting and good client focus are always at the top of our list at Xconditioning. If there is a safety violation, I'll let you know about it right away.  And why not?  Simple safety preparation can save you big time in the event of a mishap. Our Power Team had another one of those eye-openers on Sunday.  It had been awhile since we had a good safety scare and a glaring reminder of how important gym safety can be. Mike, Tara, and Tony are all preparing for the WPC World Powerlifting Championships in Las Vegas next month.  Being a month away from the meet, they are all pushing the limits of their strength right now. Well, Big Mike was benching on Sunday afternoon -- we had a clean 700lbs on the bar when we handed it out to him and this happened: We took all precautions prior to this lift -- we had 3 spotters working on this lift (me at the head of the bench and Tara and Tony on either end of the bar).   As Mikes poundages climbed I remember he moved the safety pins up a hole so they were as high as they could be without being in