Should You Use Bands And Chains? 

Should you use bands and chains? 

Bands & chains have been around a long time, they were popularised by Louis Simmons at Westside Barbell a very successful Powerlifting gym.

Over time they have gained popularity and made it into mainstream fitness. Some people putting them to good use to build strength & muscle, some looking more like a circus show with no concept how they should be used. 

So what’s the idea behind bands & chains? 

Adding these to a movement in the traditional way will overload the top portion of the lift, this is known as accommodating resistance.

The use of bands/chains may be useful for building strength,power, help break through sticking points on a movement and teach the lifter to be explosive out the bottom position to lift the weight.
( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19387404/ )

For example if you struggle to lock out a bench press, the use of bands/chains may help you to become stronger through the top portion of the lift.

You may also set up the bands in a reverse position, this will help you out of the bottom position of a movement, the assistance is reduced as you return weight to the top of the movement.

Another point to bring up is variety, some people just get bored of regular lifting and adding some bands/chains excites them & keeps motivation up.

There is evidence that the use of a accommodating resistance with bands and chains can be a great addition to a training program but they are not a must, you can still get very strong & build an impressive physique without ever using these tools.