by Kerry Taylor
I was recently asked, “Why do you use chains in your training?” So, I figured I would touch on why I use them a little bit here. Besides them being fun to use, they offer accommodating resistance, which is a way to make an exercise easier or harder/ heavier as you move through your strength curve of an exercise. A strength curve is essentially a graph that shows how much force you can put out during different ranges of motion during a movement. You will usually see chains being used with the barbell squat, barbell bench press and the deadlift, but they are not limited to just these three lifts. They can be used with other tools and with other movements.
Some of the benefits of using chains:
1. As mentioned before, accommodating resistance. The weight decreases where you are the weakest and increases as you reach your strongest part of the movement. For example, for a squat it is at its lightest at the bottom of the squat but at its heaviest when you are standing up at the end of the rep of the squat.
2. Teaches you how to attack the weight and truly generate force. Because the weight is getting heavier as you move it, you can’t just drag your feet through the movement. You truly have to generate force to keep the bar moving as the weight gets heavier as you complete the lift.
3. Less strain if injured. There are some injuries that we deal with that can be worked around by using chains. I know, your first thought is “Well, if I’m injured it’s just going to make it worse right? Didn’t you say it gets heavier?” That I did, but the key question to ask is, “When does it get heavier?” The load is usually at its lightest and easiest to move at the end range of the pattern which is where injuries usually get exposed, so with less resistance means less strain. So this is one way for you to work through pain or around pain so to speak. Please see a coach that has experience using chains before attempting something like this.
4. Getting your body used to holding and maneuvering heavier loads. Think of deadlifting- if you can’t hold the bar, you can’t complete the lift, no matter how strong the rest of your body is. Say I’m chasing the idea of being able to deadlift 500lbs, but at the moment I’m at 440lbs for my max. I can start to create more resiliency by adding 60 pounds of chains to the bar. While the bar is resting on the floor it weighs 440 lbs, but as I start to lift the bar from the floor the weight in my hand gets increasingly heavier to a point where at the top of the lift you have that 500lbs in your hand.
5. Chains can be used to create some instability in movement. We usually want the chain to stay in contact with the floor, but if we wanted to work on creating stability in a pattern, having the chains come all the way off the ground will create a sway in the movement because the chains have nothing to anchor them down. This is not something you do all the time, but can be added to the repertoire.
6. Added to a body weight exercise to increase the resistance all the way through the movement.
Here are a few examples:
If you have never used chains before, see a coach to help set you up properly and try ‘em out in your training. You will feel a cool effect as you get used to them and I’m sure you will enjoy using them because they are a lot of fun. They are a great way to build your strength and power. If you have questions about how to use them further, please let us know. Until next time continue to live life 1 degree above the rest.