Chains for Gains!
Written by Bryce Smith
In the strength and conditioning world, chains are used for a slightly different purpose than in the rest of the world. Instead of the chains doing all of the heavy lifting, they are the ones being lifted to help athletes learn to blast through sticking points and develop more stability on the bar.
Chains have made their way from the Westside Barbell Community to sports performance facilities throughout the world. We can thank Louie Simmons of the powerlifting world for helping to popularize the use of chains. He also helped us to understand the conjugate system which includes both max effort and dynamic effort days. This means including days where you lift heavy loads blended with days where you train at a high speed. To properly apply varying types of stimuli to the loads lifts, strength coaches from around the world are now using what we call ‘accommodating resistance’ through the use of chains and bands.
When used properly, the use of chains and bands can help athletes enhance the speed on the bar therefore recruiting those hard to reach Type II muscle fibers and diminishing time under tension. If we can train at submaximal loads using accommodating resistance, but apply the same speed necessary for those max effort lifts, then we are preparing to set new personal records and reach new heights with regards to our lifting numbers (2). Accommodating resistance will also help to strengthen the stabilizer muscles and train the body to help launch through those frustrating sticking points (6).
In exercise physiology we study the force-velocity relationship which states that the speed at which a muscle changes length also changes the force it can generate. Therefore, the load on the bar and the speed of the bar play a major role in this force-velocity relationship (3). Through the use of accommodating resistance, athletes can improve the relationship between force output and speed on the bar.
The cool thing about using accommodating resistance is that it places a larger emphasis on the concentric or shortening phase of the lift rather than the eccentric phase (2). This means there will be less trauma to the muscle leading to less delayed onset muscle soreness also known as DOMS.
What the Research Says
The general conclusion is that science supports the use of training with chains especially when blended with plate loading. If an athlete were to use 75% of their 1RM with 60% plate loaded and 15% chain loaded, studies have shown that there was a significant increase in bar speed (1). This is thought to be the result of a faster stretch-shortening cycle. A stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) is an active stretch (eccentric contraction) of a muscle followed by an immediate shortening (concentric contraction) of that same muscle (5).
If this is done for multiple repetitions, we will most likely see post activation potentiation which basically means the contractile history of a muscle will influence the mechanical performance of subsequent muscle contractions. If the muscle stretches and contracts rapidly for one rep, we are training the motor recruitment pattern to take place again and again for the subsequent repetitions (4). You know what they say, “practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent.” If you lift slow, you will be slow.
Accommodating resistance has the ability to take your training to the next level. Chains are most effectively used in exercises that require violent hip extension like squats and deadlifts (2). Athletes, coaches, weekend warriors, and gym rats can all reap the benefit of upping their lifting totals through the use of chains. Applying this awesome modality to your training is a great way to change things up and add innovation to your training and programming that will lead to new gains in strength and speed.
References
1 . Baker DG, Newton RU (2009) Effect of Kinetically Altering a Repetition Via the Use of Chain Resistance on Velocity During the Bench Press. J Strength Cond Res 27:(7)1941–46.
2 . Ebben WP, Jensen RL (2002) Electromyographic and kinetic analysis of traditional, chain, and elastic band squats. J Strength Cond Res 16:547–50.
3 . Kraemer WJ, Fleck SJ (2012) Exercise Physiology: Integrating Theory and Application. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, MD.
4 IAN E. BROWN and GERALD E. LOEB
Post-Activation Potentiation—A Clue for Simplifying Models of Muscle Dynamics
5. Laurent Malisoux , Marc Francaux , Henri Nielens , Daniel Theisen; Journal of Applied Physiology Mar 2006, 100 (3) 771-779
6.. McMaster TD, Croning J, McGuigan MR. Quanitificant of Rubber and Chain Based Resistance Modes. J Strength Cond Res 24:(8)2056–64.
7. Neely KR, Terry JG, Morris MJ. A Mechanical Comparison of Linear and Double Looped Hung Supplemental Heavy Chain Resistance to the Back Squat: A Case Study. J Strength Cond Res 24:(1)278–81.
8. Siff M (2003) Supertraining. 6th edition. Denver.