I tend to raise an eyebrow at the signs at most gyms that say you should never lift alone. They make it sound as if no sooner would you walk into a gym solo, than plates and bars would come crashing down around and on top of you like some sort of Wile E. Coyote cartoon. You can definitely lift alone, especially if you’ve been doing it long enough to know both the exercises you want to do, and your own limits. There are plenty of machines and lifts to do in the gym (read: dumbells) that require no assistance at all, provided you know how to perform the movement properly.
That said, there are also some things where you definitely need a spotter. Like this picture, where I was going for max reps on my last set of barbell bench press. The friendly stranger behind me stepped in for a spot when I asked, and for once, did it perfectly. A lot of guys you’ll ask for a spot will either help too much or too little, or worst of all, ignore you completely. This dude gave me some motivation and just a tiny bit of help to finish that last rep and get to exhaustion, which is precisely what I needed. So thanks, dude.
As an aside, in this picture (a still capture from a video from a cell phone… seriously), I’m benching 185 for 9 unassisted reps. I can remember the time when I looked at this kind of weight and thought there was no way I’d ever put it up. Feels good to clear those old mental hurdles.