Are chains good for training? Will someone explain its use to me. Will I get stronger & more muscle using chains in my training?
I have heard about it, but i havent done it. You take heavy chains and lay them accross the ends of a barbell. That way, as you lower the weight, the chain lays on the floor and the bar gets lighter. The higher the bar is lifted, the heavy it is. Its used for training through sticking points which exist in the bottom of a movement. I have never tried it, but it seems like a good idea.
I use chains in various exerises in my Westside Barbell routines. The idea is that you are accomodating resistance and building speed strength using the chains. For example, in the bench press, (for this example, we’ll say 135lbs is loaded on the bar). I use 2 5 foot lengths of 5/8" chains, each weighing 20lbs a piece. I adjust the length of the chains using smaller chains, so that when the bar is at rest in the bench, half the length of the chain is on the floor. As I lower the bar to my chest, all of the chain is resting on the floor, meaning 135lbs is at my chest. As I raise the bar, I’m not only pressing 135lbs, but the weight of the chain, which will increase as I reach lockout…at lockout, half of the chain is off the floor, meaning I am actually locking out the original 135lbs, plus the extra 20lbs from the chain for a total of 155lbs. I do 8 sets of 3 reps, alternating 3 grips…close, medium, and wide, and I do this once a week. For more info do a web search on “westside barbell”.