How To Use Bands And Chains To Increase Power

I would like to preface this blog by saying that the use of bands and chains should be introduced to experienced lifters. If you’ve got 5+ years of well structured strength training under your belt then the use of bands and chains could be helpful to you if you want to increase power.

1) Where does the use of bands and chains come from?

Louie Simmonds, the owner of world famous “Westside Barbell” has been using bands and chains with his lifters to break strength plateaus. Westside barbell is undoubtably one of the most famous gyms in the strength training world. Under Louie’s guidance we have seen numerous members break powerlifting records again and again, constantly pushing the boundaries of maximum strength in individuals for their weight classes. Although the use of bands and chains was made well known by Louie, they have been used in the strength training world for much longer. Soviet and Bulgarian strength training programmes have been using bands and chains for a very long time now. If you are unaware, Soviet and Bulgarian programming and training is the best in the world, their methods saw complete dominance in weightlifting from 1930-1980 and a lot of coaches (including myself) utilise their methods, in one form or another with athletes to this day.

Vasily Alekseyev - One of the best Olympic weightlifter from Russia who broke a total of 80 world records in the 90’s

2) Why use bands and chains?

Using bands and chains during compound exercises allows us to apply different levels of resistance at different areas of the lift. If you were to put 100kg on a barbell and perform a bench press, throughout the whole range of motion you’d be pressing 100kg, the weight wouldn’t change. Now if you applied resistance bands to each side and put 100kg on the bar at the bottom of the press, the bands will be slack and you will only feel 100kg. But, as you begin to press up the resistance bands will begin to gain tension thus the further you press up the heavier the bar becomes.

We now have a bench press that weighs 150kg at the top, 100kg at the bottom and 125kg at half way. Completely changing the stimulus of the exercise. This means larger muscle recruitment and central nervous system development, This constant resistance means the individual has to constantly accelerate the bar.

Within a programme we can now look at keeping bar weight the same throughout and increasing tension via bands or chains.

Example:

Week 1: 3 sets-5 reps @50% bar weight and 15% band tension of 1RM

Week 2: 3 sets-5 reps @50% bar weight and 20% band tension of 1RM

Week 3: 3 sets-5 reps @50% bar weight and 25% band tension of 1RM

3) When do we use chains?

The use of chains are less common as the versatility is less than what you can achieve with bands. Chains are only used for ‘Up and down’ movements where as bands can be placed at all angles.

The advantage of chains over bands is the fact that they move more during lifts, which builds stability during lifts. When weight is lowered more links are dormant on the ground and don’t effect the lift but once you begin to lift the links begin to raise and require balance to stabilise. This all comes back to who you’re coaching. Some may see the use of chains as too risky for the reward and prefer the use of bands, that’s for the coach to make the decision.

There is a golden rule when using chains, even at the top of the movement we have to have some links on the ground, otherwise the momentum of the chain moving will cause too much torque and the chances of injury are far greater.

See image below of how to set up chains for a barbell squat:

Conclusion

The use of bands and chains is an advanced but well used and proven method to increase power. By applying bands and chains we change the stimulus of the exercise so that an individual has to constantly accelerate through the concentric phase of the lift, meaning larger muscle recruitment and central nervous system development.