BP w/chains

John said:

I've only heard a couple people that strap chains to the bar while doing
bench presses. Is this effective? They say it strengthens the upper portion
of the lift and the lockout.

There a few people in my gym that do the chain routine. They seem to
think that it works, though I have not seen any scientific studies
which confirm that. Since lockout is not my weakest point, I don't do
them, so I don't know.

Using chains and elastic bands for lifts has been a staple of the
Westside Power Lifting Routine for years. The higher you lift, the
heavier the weight becomes. This is very effective for locking
out/finishing the lift. I have followed this routine on and off for a
couple of years now and I can attest to it's effectiveness.

"John" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've only heard a couple people that strap chains to the bar while
doing
bench presses. Is this effective? They say it strengthens the upper
portion
of the lift and the lockout.

Read up on Westside techniques - it's usually done with a ~50% 1RM
weight and for maximum speed. Also sometimes done on other lifts, also
sometimes using bands instead of chains.

Although I don't use gear, my understanding is that this sort of work is
more important to gear users, all other things being equal, because the
gear tends to provide the most assistance at the bottom of a bp and also
the bottom of a squat, IOW, if you can bench press 225 raw, once you add
the shirt 250 will get off your chest because of the assist the shirt
provides but you may not be able to lock it out without focusing some of
your training specifically on that.

Like I said, not my thing, but just what I've read - lots can be found
on the Internet about this. Google, e.g.,

speed work lifting chains bands

and you'll find this article

http://www.carolinaironmasters.homestead.com/files/Bands__Chains_Bungees.htm

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

In article <[email hidden]>,

JMW said:

John said:

I've only heard a couple people that strap chains to the bar while doing
bench presses. Is this effective? They say it strengthens the upper portion
of the lift and the lockout.

There a few people in my gym that do the chain routine. They seem to
think that it works, though I have not seen any scientific studies
which confirm that. Since lockout is not my weakest point, I don't do
them, so I don't know.

It's not done to work the lockout - the idea is to create force for a
longer duration due to accomodating (variable) resistance.

--
Keith

Hobbes said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

JMW said:

John said:

I've only heard a couple people that strap chains to the bar while doing
bench presses. Is this effective? They say it strengthens the upper portion
of the lift and the lockout.

There a few people in my gym that do the chain routine. They seem to
think that it works, though I have not seen any scientific studies
which confirm that. Since lockout is not my weakest point, I don't do
them, so I don't know.

It's not done to work the lockout - the idea is to create force for a
longer duration due to accomodating (variable) resistance.

But to what end?

John said:

I've only heard a couple people that strap chains to the bar while doing
bench presses. Is this effective? They say it strengthens the upper portion
of the lift and the lockout.

well if you consider it go for elastic bands what they do is build
explosivness, you use less on the bar, but the bands deaccelerate
your effort, i have tried it, feels strange like someone is pushing
down on the bar, but in a nonlinear fashion the you lose momentum with
bands