Bench Press: Floor, Bands, and Chains
 

Oh...and Boards...

The Floor Press - Strengthen the Midpoint of Your Bench Press
By Ben Tatar of CriticalBench.com

There are 3 basic types of floor presses.

1) Dumbbell Floor Press

Benching pressing with dumbbells but the lifter should be lying on the floor rather than on a bench while pressing the dumbbells) To perform this movement, lay on the floor, have a partner hand you two dumbbells, then bring the dumbbells down until your elbows hit the floor and then press the dumbbells to lockout.

2) Barbell Floor Press

Defintition from t-nation.com. This is one of the classic max effort movements that's stood the test of time. The floor press is performed by setting the hooks or supports up in a power rack so you can bench press while lying on the floor. Get under the bar with your shoulder blades together and shrugged into your traps. Tuck the elbows and unrack the weight. Lower the weight until your triceps hit the floor. Pause for a split second, then press the weight back up in a straight line. This movement can be done several ways. The first is with straight weight. Just warm up using three to five reps in an ascending pattern until you reach your one rep max. The second way would be to work up to 60% of your best bench press. When you reach this weight, you'll begin adding one 20-pound chain on each side of the bar with each additional set until you max out. For developing strength off your chest, using straight weight would be the best bet because it'll teach you to press out of the bottom with maximal weights.

3)Skull Crusher On The Floor

This is exactly like doing a tricep extension lying on the bench, but this time the bench presser should be doing tricep extensions on the floor. The lifter should extend the weight back so far that the weight touches the floor, and then bring the weight back to lockout. This will help the bencher increase tricep strength and explosiveness.

There are two different ways to floor press.

FLOOR PRESS STYLE 1: Floor pressing with your legs straight.

When you floor press with your legs straight in front of you, you will be able to floor press WAY LESS weight than what you would be able to bench press. On the bench press you are using other muscles such as your legs for drive and there are so many ways to cheat. However, when you floor press with your legs straight in front of you, there is no way to cheat! Therefore, you will discover your real upper body power without all of your other muscle groups and technique playing a role! When you floor press with your legs straight you will be able to attain additional power, which the flat bench press alone cannot provide.
FLOOR PRESS STYLE 2: The floor press with an arched back.

The second style of floor pressing is lying on floor with your knees bent instead of straight! This is the way that you will probably see most benchers floor pressing. By keeping your knees bent, the floor press then becomes more like a "decline bench press," depending on how much the bencher arches.

I suggest that sometimes you floor press with your legs up and other times with your legs straight. Mostly with your legs straight though to get the most out of this exercise.

How Does A Floor Press Help Your Bench?

According to Dave Tate; "Floor Press: This is a special max effort exercise designed to help strengthen the midpoint of the bench press. It is also very effective in increasing tricep strength. This exercise is performed exactly the same as the bench press except you lay on the ground instead of on a bench. Make sure to pause in the bottom of the movement before the accent. This exercise has been used with much success at westside barbell club for the past seven years."

Floor Press Tips

Chains and bands can be applied to the floor press. One of the scenes I remember most in Ryan Kennelly's DVD is when he is floor pressing lying flat on his back, legs out in front, with a narrow grip, with tons of bands as he seems to push the weight in slow motion to lockout!

Floor Press Rep Ranges

On the floor press I always enjoy doing 315 or 365 for sets of 10! However, high reps on the floor press are really "no man's land." When I go in the low 400- mid 400s for low reps, and soon to floor press 500lbs, I find it to be a far more effective way to gain maximum strength then just doing marathon sets with lighter weights. I suggest all of you do low reps on the floor press.

History Of The Floor Press

The floor press started before the bench press! The bench press was invented during the mid 19th century, but before the bench press was even invented lifters would lie on the floor and floor press. As the bench press started becoming popular lifters started to forget about the floor press and started bench pressing instead. However, within the last decade former bench press world record holder Jesse Kellum (who bench pressed 735@209 back when gear wasn't as effective as it is now,) re-invented the floor press and the exercise became popular again. He quickly discovered how much that the lift was helping him increase his bench press. Bodybuilders have also been using the floor press to help them build size.

Who Has The Strongest Upper Body In The World?

There is really no lift that is as good as measuring brute strength as the floor press because there is no way to cheat. If you took a lot of the world record bench pressers that you read about and if you took their shirts away, and the fancy techniques that they use on the bench press, and made them lie flat on their back with a narrow grip and made them floor press, you will see that their lifts would go down significantly. The most anyone has ever floor pressed that I have heard about was 675 by Dave Waterman, and many old school powerlifters find that Waterman's 675lbs floor press feat of strength has been one of the sickest upper body feat of strength of all time!

Other strength training experts also love the floor press. If you read Pavel's book power to the people, the only 3 exercises you need to get downright strong are the deadlift, push press, and the floor press. The floor press has been one of the foundation movements of benching and not only has the floor press been here longer than the bench press, I believe once the bench press is extinct, the floor press will still be around.

Conclusion

So, whether you are burned out with benching and prefer floor pressing instead, then the floor press might be a good substitute. Yet, if you want a bigger bench press, then the floor press will be your favorite assistance exercise to get that bigger bench press. The bottom line is that the floor press is an excellent lift! So, give floor presses a try today to maximize your upper body strength and spice excitement into your upper body training!

Powerlifting Bands - Bench Press Bands
"Train Explosively and Work On Your Lockouts With Powerlifing Bench Press Bands"

Why You Should Train With Bench Press Bands

Powerlifting bands provide one way to incorporate what's often called the contrast method into your program, which means the weight changes at different points of the lift.

In the case of bands, the weight constantly increases throughout the concentric movement, sometimes called 'accommodating resistance.' Bands make the eccentric portion of the lift considerably harder as well, and are great tools for learning speed and acceleration, maybe through a sticking point in your lift, or just to increase your starting strength or lockout ability.

Bands are extremely useful for powerlifting competitors who use bench shirts, since the lockout is then the hardest part of the lift, and bands increase the ability to lockout.

How To Incorporate Bench Press Bands In Your Bench Press Training

Some powerlifters train their chest once per week, and others train the chest twice per week. If you train your chest twice a week you will use the bands during your light training day of the week. If you lift chest once a week, use the bands on a session that would have been reserved for a light day.

On the day you train with the Powerlifting Bands you want to concentrate on explosive movements with aprox. 55-65% of your one rep max weight. Your goal is to concentrate on the speed of movement to build explosiveness.

We recommend that you set yourself up in a half rack or full cage with adjustable pins or bar supports. Set up like you would normally for the bench press and position the pins at the lowest position.

Although many powerlifters use bands for their speed days, many university athletic teams have used the bands to train with 87-88% of the athelete's one rep max with extraordinary results.

During your reps you will feel like the weight is both light and heavy at the same time, but it will occur at different points in the lift. You must focus on giving each rep an explosive, very intense push from start all the way to the finish. The bands will help you with the explosion from your chest as well as aide in the lockout segment of the bench press. The lockout is the weak point for many benchers and we all know we need to work on our weak points to make gains.

Do 10 sets of 3 reps with 60 to 90 seconds ret between.

Using Bench Press Bands - By: Louie Simmons

Powerlifting Bands and Chains

There are many keys to success, but two invaluable ones are accelerating strength training and accommodating resistance by add-ing chains or bands or sometimes both.

Chains and bands are used in all of our training, be it the dynamic method for speed strength and acceleration or the maximum effort day to develop absolute strength.

In the bench press, bands and chains have helped 17 of our lifters achieve 550 or more and 7 lifters have done 600 or more. When I talk about bench training, I am referring to my lifters with a 550 bench or better; that's who we experiment with.

On speed day for the bench, while doing the 8-10 sets of 3 reps, the chains are attached in the following manner. Loop a 1/4-inch-link chain with a hook around the bar sleeve to regulate the height of the 5/8-inch-link chain (5 feet long). Run the 5/8 chain through the metal loop and adjust it so that half of the 5/8 chain is lying on the floor while the bars in the rack. Use 60% of a no-shirt max on the bar. For example, if your max is 500, put 300 pounds on the bar. When the bar is on your chest, only the weight of the bar should be on your chest; that is, all the 5/8 chain should be on the floor.

If your best bench is 250 pounds or less, use one pair of 1/2-inch-link chains; these weigh 23 pounds a set, so you are locking out an extra 11.5 pounds. A 350 or more bencher should use one pair of 5/ 8-inch-link chain. By doing this, you will be locking out an extra 20 pounds. (They weigh 20 pounds each, but half is on the floor at lockout.) A 500 pound bencher can use both the 5/8 and 1/2 inch chains for a combined added weight of 31 pounds. A 600 bencher uses two 5/8 chains and sometimes adds a 1/2 inch chain, for 40 or 51 added pounds at lock-out.

You can experiment on your own, but remember this process is to build bar speed and acceleration. It also teaches you to launch the bar off your chest. A special note: Lower the bar fast and try to catch and reverse the weight as fast as possible. Never pause.

On max effort day, warm up to 315, then do a single. Next, add a 5/8 inch chain on each side and do a single. On the next set, use two sets of chain, then three sets, and so forth. This is similar to how a bench shirt works: the weight is less at the bottom and much greater at the top. The chains build not only acceleration but also a fast start and a strong lock-out.

For floor pressing, simply drape the 5/8 inch chain over the sleeve of the bar and you're ready. J.M. Blakley and George Halbert do a lot of floor presses like this. George will use 200 pounds of chain (5 sets of chain) and works up to a single. His best at a bodyweight of 220 is 440 plus 200 pounds of chain, which is 640 at the top.

J.M. uses a different combination of weight and chains. ,J.M.s best is 400 pounds on the bar with 7 sets of chains, for a combined weight of 680 at lockout. Try any weight-to-chain ratio. Feel free to experiment. A cambered bar can be used as well.

These are a few methods to add to your max effort day.

Bands are a little tough for some on speed day because of the added eccentric properties they create. Also the weight resistance is much more radical at different positions: much less at the bottom, but much greater at the top. Remember, the bands are literally pulling down on you.

There are three bands with different strengths: pink is the least strong, for 300 pound benchers and below; green for 300-450 pound benchers; and blue for 500 pound benchers and above (shirtless max).

When using bands, be careful not to overdue it. The bands produce a large amount of eccentric overloading and can cause exces-sive soreness, but they are more than worth it. They build the lockout as well as the start. One realizes very fast that you have to outrun the bands, so you develop a fast start to enable you to lock out a heavy weight.

The most popular methods us-ing the bands are as follows. On max effort day, do board presses with four 2 x 6’s. Loop the bands through the bottom supports of the bench and then around the sleeve of the bar. When using four boards, the tension is never released. Be-cause of this, a quick start is impossible and locking out a heavyweight is really tough. To make it even tougher, use a cambered bar. ‘J.M. presses’ with bands are very popular at Westside. To make it as tough as possible, use several bands. Lower the bar straight down, aiming between the nipples and chin, stop 4-5 inches off the chest, and press back up. Use a close grip.

Bands and chains are often used for triceps extensions. This will radically change the strength curve of the movement by accommodating resistance (lifts are usually easier at the top).

A Westside supporter who con-stantly bugs me with some of the craziest ideas actually came up with an exercise that really works. So thanks to Doug Ebert for the follow-ing band exercise. Attach a blue band to the bar and start with 95 or 135 pounds because this is tough. Then take a pink or green band, depending on your strength, twist it once, and place it around your upper back so the tension is pulling back your hands. Now lie down on the bench, stretch the band to grab the bar, and start benching. This ‘double’ tension is unreal.

Also try the ‘lightened’ method, recommended by Carl of Jump-Stretch. Attach a set of blue bands to the top of the power rack with a slip knot. Load the bar to 135. It should be almost weightless at the chest. This way you can bench 135 pounds more than normal. This builds tremendous power at lockout, which is perfect for bench shirts.

Bands and chains have helped to increase our list of 550 benchers at Westside to 17. George Halbert recently benched 688 at 235 to capture the world record at 242. George also holds the 220 world record. Only two people can claim to hold a world record bench in two weight classes: George Halbert and Dave Waterman.

Now on to squatting. With an army of 800+ squatters, 22 to be exact, when we experiment and establish results, they are sound and proven. We also have a 755 squat-ter at 165 and a 782 squatter at 181. They all use chains and bands. Here's how.

First use a set of 1/4-inch-link chains that attach to the bar sleeves. We suspend a metal ring from the 1/4 inch chains, which regulates height of the 5/8 chain from the floor. Loop the 5/8 inch chain through the metal ring so about three chain links are lying on the floor when you are standing. When you are sitting on the box, slightly below parallel, half of the chain will be unloaded onto the floor.

How much chain should you use? If you squat 350 or less, use one set of 5/8 inch chain, equaling 40 pounds at the top. If you squat about 600 pounds, use about 60 or 70 pounds of chain at the top. If you squat 800 pounds, use 80~120 pounds of chain at the top. As you can see, about 10% of your squat weight should be added with chain. If you are doing sets wIth 400 on the bar, you will be standing up with 520. An 800 squatter whose top training weight is 480, or 60%, will add 80-120 pounds of chain to the bar, equaling 600 at the top.

To use bands for squatting, if you squat 650 or less, use green bands. If you squat more than 650, use blue bands. Here are two ex-amples of 900+ squatters. Billy Masters and Dave Barno used a top weight of 500 pounds and 150 pounds of tension with blue bands. Billy did 909 and Dave did a perfect 925. Neither train at Westside, but they use our methods.

When squatting, wave your training weights from 50% to 60% in a 3 or 4 week cycle. Do mostly 8 sets of 2 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets.

For max effort work, one can choose a bar weight of, say, 400 or 500 pounds. Do a single and then add a set of chains. Keep doing singles and adding a second and third set of chains until you break a PR or miss. You can do the same with Flex bands. Good mornings are a great exercise to do with chains and bands. High pulls with the pink or green bands are also great.

I have seen one of our lifters with a 600 deadlift go to 670 in 6 months by using bands on the deadlift. Bob Young would use 275-315 on the bar, with about 200 pounds of tension from the bands. We use the platform that Jump-Stretch sells with their bands to do this exercise.

If you want to excel at powerlifting or any sport, then you must develop speed strength, increase acceleration, and gain absolute strength. Bands and chains can be instrumental in developing these aspects of strength. I highly recom-mend that you try them as soon as possible

Using Bands "From Head to Toe"
by Iron Addict

Article By www.IronAddicts.com

A large percentage of the people reading this will have never even tried bands nor seen their use in real life. To say that bands are one of the big reasons power lifting records today up are being smashed is an understatement. Westside barbell has brought band use to the cutting edge of power lifting technology. Bodybuilders for the most part have been slow to catch on but that trend is now changing as more and more people come to realize the advantages the bands use can provide in their daily training from both a size and strength standpoint.

What kind of bands am I talking about? The bands are 41 inches long and come in varying tensions:

What do these things possibly do for your training? Well the bands accommodate resistance. What this means is that where you are weakest, generally in the bottom position the bands are weakest. As you expand through the motion in the bands pickup tension and thus resistance. Using the bench press as an example by looping the bands over the bar you will have increased tension at the bottom of the lift, and as you extend towards the contracted position as your body's natural a strength curve takes up so does the band tension. This provides more work during the complete of range of motion. Not only that, it teaches you to be fast with the bar because if you are not fast in starting the motion you will never reach full lock-out. What does this have to do with bodybuilders who are not interested in maximal strength training? Gee, I wonder, no one here is interested in 50 to 75 pounds more on their bench or a hundred to one hundred-fifty pounds on their squat or deadlift are they?

The bands have been used in power lifting for over 10 years now and are part of the reason the records continue to be smashed. Initially they were primarily used on the big lifts like squats bench presses in deadlifts, but as many people started to see all the advantages, their use has expanded to many lifts including lifts were the bands are the source of all the tension used for the lift.

I had been using the bands for many years, primarily for benching and squatting. When I recently moved and bought a new house on five acres I realized I would have to wait until spring to have a garage built for the gym. Moving everything into the house was a necessity but realistically there was just not enough room for my pulley setup. What to do? I decided to get creative with the band use to substitute some of the moves that I used to do with the pulleys. I had known for years at many lifters use the bands for these moves that had never taken the time to experiment to any great extent. WOW! I sure had been missing a lot a very productive moves and can say with full confidence that the bands are not only an alternative replacement for many conventional pulley and free weight moves, but are an improvement to many of them? BS you say? Well I know you are not speaking from experience because the bands really do provide a better strength resistance curve for many, many moves.

This article will cover some of these moves but will not be comprehensive because I can say with full certainty that if you are reasonably creative you will constantly find more and varied ways to do things with the bands. I know I continue to do so, and are willing to bet if you take the time to invest in a set of bands you'll find many productive things to do with them that are not listed here.

A couple of things to keep in mind to keep in mind since there are only so many band sizes available people think that being progressive without making huge jumps is an impossibility that is just not the case. There are many means of increasing the tension on the bands without necessarily going to the next size band. As in example 1 of my favorite and exercises are upright rows. Because of wrist and shoulder problems I absolutely cannot do upright rows with free weights. However by using the bands they are totally comfortable on both the writs and shoulders and allow me to go heavy on a consistent basis. But as an example let's say I'm using a number four band for upright rows and got three sets of 10 last week. Many people would say OK now what? Going to a number five will probably allow zero reps to be done. But please understand when doing upright rows you are standing on the bands to anchor them in the bottom position. By merely spreading your feet out a little bit you increase the ban tension.

Now that is not as precise as going from 155 to 160 with the barbell set. But as long as you're consistently getting bigger and stronger do you really care? My guess is no. This is just one example and with some creativity you will find that almost all the lifts done with bands are able to be done on a progressive basis by various means of increasing band tension.

OK here goes head to toe band use!

For working your neck, choke a band around the power rack up right. You can work front, back, and sides this way. Beware that if you have hair it can be rough on it, so a hat or towel in between the band and you head is a good idea. I shave my head every day so it's not a problem-lol. The wider the band the more support you get and it's simple enough to decrease the tension by just moving in a bit closer.

For traps perhaps the best way to implement the bands is when deadlifting. another way to use the bands for traps is to set the bar in the power-rack at just below the level you began a shrug at. Loop the bands over the bar and shrug away. This can be done with just ban tension alone or a combination of band tension and free weights.

For shoulder work, to cap your shoulders lateral raises are a great lift, BUT..after a time, like any lift they quit working. What to do? Use bands for your laterals. To use the bands all you need to do is stand on the bottom of the band, and wrap the top part over the upper portion of the band. Bands are FAR superior to weights for this lift IMO, as the resistance curve matches your bodies MUCH closer than a dumbbell does. To get anywhere close to matching the curve you need to use a machine and then you take the stabilizers out of the lift?not always a good idea. To increase resistance, just wrap more band around your hand, or stand on the band further up. That simple! Most people will do will with a number #1 or #2 band for these

Another great shoulder builder is upright rows. But..for many people, myself included, the fixed hand spacing on the bar is hell on both the rotator cuffs and wrists. Enter band upright rows. Because you hold on to the flexible band instead of a fixed barbell shoulder stress is reduced---a LOT, wrist stress too! Performance is basically the same as for the laterals as far as where to lock the bottom of the bands, the big difference being wrist/forearm position. This is another GREAT move to provide variation from either regular upright rows, or just allowing those that have shoulder/wrist problems from doing bar rows to be able to do a rowing movement. The recruitment pattern is different enough from bar rows to stimulate new gains if you have stalled on rows. And again, the resistance curve with the bands is much closer to your body's natural strength curve. A set of # 2's or a #3 or #4 is the right choice for most people for this movement.

The last move needs to be approached with caution, and I will recommend most use part bands, part weigh instead of all band tension. You can use the bands for military presses if you put a seated bench in front of the power rack, and set the safety bars at chin level. Put a barbell on the safety bars and take one end of the bands and loop them over a dumbbell heavy enough to keep the dumbbell on the floor, and place the other end of the bands over the bar. Now add plates and your band of choice. Start the movement from the bottom and it will beat your delts HARD. The reason this move needs to be treated carefully is the bands can be hard on the joints and many people can move some serious weight/band tension on this lift, so make sure band tension isn't too high, and cycle this lift in and out of your training.

Moving along to triceps, I would just say the first time you do a set of triceps push-down using the bands you will likely not want to go back to using a pulley system for them. Where you are weak the bands are weak, where you are strong that the end of the position, the bands are strong. And like all band work they really force you into fighting the negative portion of the movement. Talk about torching triceps!

You can just hold on to the bands doing these, or loop them around a variety of tricep bars. Switch bars frequently for variation and to reduce getting "stuck" with your poundage's. This movement helps my bench a LOT.

Because the nature of laying triceps extensions being pretty hard on the elbows, I won't recommend anyone but those with the most robust joints do them with bands. But they can be done by starting them of the pins in the power rack.

Close grip benches?

What the bands are made for! Double a set of bands around a heavy dumbbell (you will know if it's too light as the bands will pick it off the floor if it is!) and loop them over the bar. Bench away! You can also do close grip reverse benches. A move often done in the smith machine. The bands somewhat lock the groove the bar takes and makes this lift doable with free weights.

Dips fall into triceps and chest work, but I'll cover them here. The bands can be used BOTH ways here. Meaning you can run them over the TOP of the dip bars and put your feet on the bands to reduce bodyweight. Too weak to do many bodyweight dips? Use the bands and dip away. Conversely, you can run a band thru a dumbbell and over you neck and ADD tension. AWESOME way to do weighted dips!

Chest work..geez, where to begin? As already stated with close grip bench press, the classic band movement for chest is done as listed above. You can do these with various band tension from very light, to 75% band tension. But beware, going to high with band tension and not enough weight to stabilize the bar and you will be thrown all over the place and it becomes very hard on connective tissue. A wide variety of grip, board heights, or rack heights can be used to work the bench like you have never worked it before.

Weak at the top? Choke the bands over the TOP power-rack and then around the ends of the bar either before or after adding weight. Now the load is lighter on the bottom portion of the lift and will have almost whatever you put on the bar as far as weight goes at the top. This is an excellent way to help if your bench stalls midway or towards the top of the lift.

Loop some heavy bands over the top of the rack and you can do a band style fly/crossover type movement. Loop them to the side of the rack and you can do heavy standing fly's. Wrap one over one palm of you hand, run it around you back and into the other palm and do band push-ups. Use heavy enough bands and the strongest lifter may get 1-2 reps?lol. These are a great finisher as long as the band tension isn't so high it becomes a core movement.

You can also do dumbbell presses with a band looped around your back and the end of the band held in each hand. Lean down and grab the dumbbells and lift away.

For low back work you can do band good-mornings, using just band weight and high reps as a finisher or for recovery work. Or with weight and band tension. Choke the bands around a dumbbell set on the ground that is heavy enough to anchor the band tension, then loop around the bar ends and have fun! Deadlifts can be done both lightened and tensioned. If your deadlift constantly stalls at knee level or higher, lightened dedlifts can be the bomb.

Lightened Deadlifts are done by attaching a set of bands to the top frame rails or safety pins of the power rack, and the other end over the bar ends (snug up against the inside collars of the bar, where the first plate would usually be) and then loading the bar with a load that is typically heavier than you would use doing a regular deadlift with. What are the advantages, and why the bother? Well, in my mind the advantages are many:

They provide overload by allowing you to move a heavier load than you can break from the floor. I set mine up about 60 inches high in the rack and at that level I get a fair boost at floor level, but when I near knee level, and then pass it there is little, then ZERO band tension at lock-out.

Unlike rack deadlifts there is a full range of motion so you are still pulling from the floor. This TENDS to provide a better carry-over then rack pulls from the knee level. Yes, the bands no disturb the groove quite a bit compared to a regular dead, but IMO, there is an easier transition going from heavy lightened deads to regular deads, than from rack-pulls to deads.

They can be a lifesaver for people with "touchy" backs as you can vary the band tension and height of tension release almost infinitely.

They can really teach you to drive with your legs when deadlifting. Many people use all back when pulling a regular dead. I have found lightening the weight in the lower portion of the lift, then SLOWLY adding weight (and/or lessening band tension) on the bottom teaches many to get good leg drive when pulling.

If you are new to pulling, they make the movement less technically difficult. No, this is not an excuse to not learn good pulling technique, nor will lightened pulls teach you good regular pulling technique, but for a guy that has struggled for a long-time with the mechanics of pulling, they sure can make it a more natural feeling movement.

A good rule is to not get too hog wild with the tension, just use enough to help break the floor and provide increased overload up top. Louis has discussed using band tension that makes a 135 lb barbell almost weightless on the floor. But he is using that with his 600-900 lb deadlifters. Adjust yours accordingly.

To use bands for tensioned deadlifts you need a special deadlift platform that is sold by Jump-Stretch. They are about a 150 bucks and well worth it if you are a serious lifter.

Upper back work with bands is da bomb. And lets start with those "heavy" guys, and newbies that can only do a few chins. Choke a band to the top of a power-rack. Put your feet in the band and guess what? At the bottom of the chin where you are weakest you will get a boost, and up top where you are strongest, there will be less assistance. These are FAR better than using a gravatron in my opinion. Band pull-downs are also awesome. Double a couple of bands over a power-rack or chin-up bar and run the open ends through your favorite lat handle, or even a strait piece of pipe for that matter. Pull-away! Cable rows with bands are another winner, and easy to do almost anywhere you can anchor a band. After I have done my heavy upper back work for the day, I often run two bands over the top of the power-rack and then lay on my back on a bench and do upside down rows. AWESOME finisher that will hit your whole upper back and bi's like you wouldn't believe.

Speaking of bi's, run a band under heavy dumbbell and then take both ends and run them around the bends of an empty EZ-Curl bar. If you use the inner bends you will hold the bar in the traditional position, if you use the outer bends, hold with a narrow grip. Now pick up the bar and curl away. By backing away from the dumbbell you will find you can increase tension and..if the angle is enough you will find that unlike doing a weighted barbell curl, there is tons of tension in the peak contracted position. This has rapidly became my favorite bicep lift and strength gains using this method have been phenomenal. This also works with a straight bar, but band placement becomes critical to ensure tension is even. You can also just use a lat pull bar with the bands run through the carbiner. This assures even tension.

Quads and hams are best hit doing THE classic band movement, band squats. Anchor one end of the bands with a dumbbell and wrap the other end over the bar. Add weight and SQUAT! Using too much band tension is not recommended although Joe Average (Jim Parrish's group) would likely disagree as Jim uses up to 50-60% band tension and squats 900. But for most people 15-35% band tension is a better bet, as they are EXTREMELY hard on the joints and CNS. Remember, once you are out of the hole doing a regular squat it gets easier as you complete the range of motion. With the bands as you move up to the contracted position the band tension increases. This makes for a MUCH harder squat.

You can also run bands from the carriage of a hack squat machine or even leg press to any anchor point to accommodate resistance. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your creativity.

You can also just loop a bend through you belt, stand on the open loops and add tension that way for quads/hams.

For hams, about any way you can do a ham curl you can use bands for. They can also be used very effectively for pull-thrus.

Just remember too much band work will over train you PRONTO. For big lifts, it's usually best to do them for no more than 3-4 weeks in a row. Accessory work such as bi's tri's, and delts can be done on a continual basis, but like anything else, variation is needed for continual progress. Don't get so caught up doing your new "favorite" band lift that you don't change it up when you need to.

Iron Addict

Bench Press Chains
by Ben Tatar

1) The Introduction to Chains

The purpose of chains in the bench press is to build speed (accelerating quickly off your chest) and learning how to explode the weight as you hit the lockout (the finish) of the bench press. As we bring the weight to our chest all the chains should just role into a pile on the floor. As you press the weight up, the chains then come off the floor with the bar making the weight heavier.

We can't do this with regular training and that is why chains are such an important source.

2) Bench Press Chains Resistance

The typical Westside Chains are 45lbs each, causing a total of 90lbs of extra weight lockout. For example if you have 225 on the bar with the Westside chains, you will be holding 305 at lockout and only 225 off your chest. As the weight comes up to the 25% phase of the lift you should be moving 250, at the half way point 275 and at the finish 305. You are literally overcoming "EVERY" sticking point during the full range of motion of the bench press.

You see normally in benching off our chest, we lose speed coming off of our chest and it hurts our lockout. With chains we are now forced to build explosion off our chest and greater lockout power. And using chains on other exercises like the squat and deadlift are no different.

3) Hooking Chains From The Top Of The Rack

You can do lockouts off of chains much like you can off a power rack. I suggest the power rack first though. You can also do reverse Chain Presses. In order to do reverse chain presses, instead of hooking the chains to the floor they must be hooked to the top of the rack.

What happens during the reverse chain press is that you have to pull the weight down since the chains want to hold the weight up. As you pull the weight down the chains shall give you some explosion off your chest, but as you move the weight up the chains will assist less forcing you to develop greater lockout power. This is a lift where you probably can use 90lbs more than your regular bench so you will get in the habit of learning how to lift bigger weights.

I strongly suggest using bands on this lift over chains. Also I suggest using chains on the floor instead of hooked to the top of a barbell or the rack somehow. These are a good technique to try every once and awhile.

4) Are Chains A Secret?

I think that it's because strength training is sooo much more evolved than supplements and bodybuilding. Since training with the usage of chains is more revolutionized then standard bodybuilding we need to tell our friends to start incorporating them into our routines. Studies have actually shown that isokinetics (the maximum force and speed performed in an exercise) are superior to isometric contraction (similar to conventional training). The lifters that use these techniques are stronger generally then those that don't use them.

5) Chains & Other Exercises

I have seen chains used on many lifts. You can do skull crushers with chains, good mornings with chains, deadlifts with chains (either hooked from the ground or the top).And using chains on other exercises is not that different from benching. For example do a trap bar deadlift with chains anchored to the ground? What happens? It's the same weight as what you have on the trap bar, but every inch you lift the bar the tension increases. This makes you strain extra hard to finish the weight and it makes you stronger.

6) Chains Can Help Your Raw or Shirt Bench

Our tendons, muscles and nervous systems can only take so much. But chains teach us to accelerate even when we are beyond our limits. So even if our body is gone, chains have just taught us to accelerate through a sticking point, even when we appear to be stuck. This will help us in a maximum effort attempt, anywhere and anytime because chains teach us how to fight a weight even when our bodies are shot.

I remember a year and a half ago I had 300lbs on the bar with chains. After I got past 3 reps, I started to struggle. The weight started moving in slow motion as I hit rep number 4 and 5. As I started to struggle, I discovered how much stronger I was becoming. I could never have done this without the use of chains or bands.

7) Chains With Dumbbells or Kettle Bells

You can also use chains on exercises like dumbbells and kettle bells. It's simple, grab a pair of smaller chains and attach the chain to the dumbbell or kettle bell. Then what you do is STEP onto the chain with your foot! So the top of the chain is hooked to the dumbbell or kettle bell and the bottom of the chain is under your foot. See the pattern; it's just like performing a bench press with the chains.

Now do your basic dumbbell/kettle bell overhead presses and what you have just discovered is that the kettle bell or dumbbell has gotten heavier every inch you moved it. This has just taught you how to accelerate faster and finish bigger weights doing bodybuilder lifts or athletic lifts. Cool, huh? Soon I bet we will be seeing chains used on power cleans. Maybe they are, and I just don't know it.

8) Chains & Westside

Westside often uses chains on speeds days and maximum effort days. The speed day is where a lifter will bench a weight for 8 sets of 30 reps resting 30 seconds between sets using a weight 40-50% of ones max. This lift should take a total of 3 seconds to perform. 3 Days later they will then do a maximum effort lift. A maximum effort lift is lifting as much weight as you can for a single repetition. This should take 3 seconds in total to perform. This is generally how the Westside barbell trains with chains, but the program is of course modified to ones weaknesses. As the saying goes "make what is weak stronger and you become stronger" and you always have to keep surprising the body with all the exercises.

So use chains to give yourself more options and with more options you won't over train as easily and you will constantly be making gains.

My experiences with chains

We have to remember that chains come in all different colors and sizes. There is far more to chains then just the 90lbs westside chains because not every man can train as heavy as the great benchers that you read about. I remember personally in the year of 1999 I would go to a specialized athletic gym where only selective members could go. And I would load the bench press bar to 135lbs. As 135lbs was loaded to the bar we would add additional 10lbs of green chains. Then we would add more little chains and more and more until I was nearly maxed out. I remember having 135lbs of bar weight on the bar and eventually the weight would become as heavy as 150lbs of chains on top of that. So that is another way you can use chains.

CONCLUSION- So now go to the construction store and get some chains. You will find your training experience a lot more exciting and now that you have more training weapons, you will be able to destroy all the big bench presses that you meet along the way!

Board Presses
What The Heck Is A Board Press?

By Shawn Lattimer
I see this question all the time, and not just from novice lifters. I am sure many people have heard tell of board presses, but are not quite sure what they are or how to do them. If you are one of those people, your answers are in this article.

The purpose of a board press is to train specific ranges of the pressing motion in order to increase overall power for a bigger bench press. This is actually pretty simple. The lifter places a stack of boards on his chest. The bar is lowered until it touches the boards, and is pressed back up. The beauty of this movement, is that both the positive and negative bench motions can be utilized in a constrained range of motion. The height of the boards is chosen by the lifter. I personally have boards from the 2-board up to the 6-board.

With a complete set of boards such as above, the lifter can choose which part of his range of motion to work. The 2-board works the range of motion from 4 inches off the chest up to lockout. Each additional board height decreases the range of motion.

To perform a board press...

...the lifter needs an additional spotter to hold the board on his chest. The lifter should set up as if performing a competition bench press, with back arched, and feet in their normal placement. The grip on the barbell should be about 3" narrower than the normal grip. The barbell is taken at arms length, and lowered to the board. It is important to lower the weight under control, and to force the weight to follow the normal bar path. When the barbell touches the board, it should be paused on the board, and the full weight of the barbell should rest on the board. After the pause, the barbell is pressed back to lockout.

So what's the point? Well, basically everyone has a sticking point in their bench, a spot where heavy weight just seems to stall out. Mine is about 2" from lockout. Many people stall about 4" off the chest. Board presses can eliminate the sticking point. When doing a board press, a lifter can use heavier weight than can be used for a full bench press. This strengthens the active pressing muscles in the region of the board height, and effectively erases the sticking point. Additionally, many champion bench pressers have found that by training the bench movement in smaller pieces, faster gains can be had.

For the more advanced bencher who is using a high end bench shirt, especially a denim shirt, board presses are incredibly valuable. The high end bench shirts add tremendous strength at the bottom of the press. This added strength requires huge power from the midrange of the press to lockout. Board presses are the best way to build this power.

I am often asked if rack presses or pin presses do the same thing as a board press. The answer is no. For any range of motion greater than 3" below full extension, the board press is the best way to go. The beauty of the board press lies in the fact that you are able to use weights higher than your full range press, and still create both the negative and positive motion of the press. This builds muscle, pure and simple.

How to make your own boards:

Boards are easy to make. To make a full set of boards (2 through 6-board), purchase 4-2x6 boards, 10 feet long.

Cut 5 36" lengths of board. These are the bottom of the stack, and the part the spotter holds.

Cut 15 18" lengths of board. These are the stacks.

For the 2-board, stack 1 18" board on a 36" board. Place one end even, and attach the two boards together. You can attach them any way you like; I have seen people use nails, glue, duct tape, you name it. I prefer to use 3" drywall screws. I use 6 screws to connect the two boards together. This makes a nice, tight arrangement.

For taller boards, repeat attaching the 18" board until you have the desired height.

I recommend making a full set of 2 through 5-boards. If you have long arms, a 6 board may also be useful.

Awesome read! Glad to see this powerlifting forum continue to improve..I'll need to reread this and probably make it a sticky. :)

:) I thought they might be useful here since most anyone who gets into powerlifting here is going to encounter this stuff.

wowzers man....eric, i was just looking into chains myself. just got myself a used power rack, got some bands, db up to 45, med balls, ez curl bar, a few olympic barbells....setting myself up a lil gym and. u sir just single handedly opened up my eyes to a few new ideas. thanks buddy.:biggthumpup:

Thanks Chetty. But I can't take too much credit for a bunch of cut and pastes. If a little birdie here who's doing powerlifting hadn't been talking about floor presses (and bands, etc.) which made me think they would be a good addition to my program I probably wouldn't have posted these articles:) .

Finally got around to it! I'm a man of my word..

Thanks, 0311. If you see anything else good add it, ok?

Chain Reaction: Accommodating Leverages
 

I decided to add this article because it gives a little history to chains and why they began to be used in the first place.

Chain Reaction: Accommodating Leverages
By Louie Simmons

Because the human body is stronger at some positions than at others, we are limited as to the amount of weight we can use in a certain movement. For instance, you may be able to do a quarter squat with 600 lbs, but you may be able to only full squat 400 pounds. We all know through practical experience that while doing a simple curl, at the start of the movement, is very hard, whereas at the finish it is somewhat easier because of changing leverage. This problem was first addressed around 1900 by Max Herz. His solution was the oblong cam, which he patented. Years later, the Nautilus line of exercise equipment tried to solve this age-old problem, -in my opinion unsuccessfully.

One lifter's strength will certainly be different from another lifter's at the same joint angle. Let's go back to the 1960s and power rack training. A power rack will, in one way, address this problem. For example, let's say a lifter can deadlift 600 pounds off the floor. Utilizing a power rack, with the weight 2 inches off the floor he can pull, let's say 625, and 4 inches off the floor, 650. By sitting the weight as high as 8 inches off the floor, he may be able to pull 750. In this manner, we have solved, at least partly, the problem of overloading, or providing adequate resistance as joint angles change.

However, it's difficult for some to display this new found strength to flow from from pin height to pin height. This can be explained by the fact that it is very seldom that one's body positions the same while pulling off the floor as it is while pulling off the rack. Isokinetics may be a partial solution, by maintaining a constant bar speed. But as with most machines, you must follow the path of the machine which is different from the path of a free weight. The path of a barbell is somewhat unpredictable at times. Another drawback is that prior to the start, as well as the finish, there is no load bearing on the lifter with this type of apparatus.

Is there answer to the problem of how to overload or adequately load the body to match the body's increase in leverage? Yes, there is. While many people call me for advice, others give me advice that I pass along. A gentleman, whose name I don't remember, related to me some training he had done with chains. This was a few years ago, but we finally got around to using chains in an experiment with Amy Weisberger, a current World Champion, whose best total in 12 weeks went from 975 to 1025 as 123; Vanessa Schwenker, a current national champion. whose total went from 1030 to 1100 in 12 weeks; Tracy Tate, a novice lifter, increased her bench from 180 to 210; Dave Tate, her husband, a 308 with a previous total of 2028, who went from 782 to 830 in the squat, 540 to 585 in the bench, and 705 to 720 in the deadlift, for a total of 2135. After being stuck at 710 on a low box squat for 2 years, he made 765 after 6 workouts. Now with these examples in mind, here's how we use chains in out training.

The chains are 5 feet long, 5/8 link size and 20 lbs each. They can be found at most industrial tool supply companies. For bench pressing, we will attach the chains to the bar so that when the arms are fully extended, half the chain is resting on the floor. After lowering the bar to the chest, all the chain is on the floor. By doing this, the original bar weight is maintained. Let's go over this again. If you have 300 pounds on the bar plus 80 pounds of chains attached (2 sets of chains), with half the chain already on the floor, that adds up to 340 at the lockout position, but when the bar is lowered, all the chain is on the floor and the total weight on the bar is reduced to the original 300 at chest level. As you press, the weight gradually increases to 340.

Training with chains in this manner accomplishes three things. 1) We have maintained our original weight in order to use the correct percentage for explosive training. 2) We have overloaded the top portion of the lift, which normally does not receive sufficient work because of increased body leverage at this position. 3) A neurological response to build explosive strength is developed. This training will train you to drive to the top because you cannot slack off at the top phase as you used to.


Those who bench press 400 pounds or less should use 40 pounds of chain; those who bench over 500 should use 80 pounds of chain. Those in between should experiment with both amounts and aim for adequate bar speed. Remember, half the chain should rest on the floor when the bar is racked.

Lifters who have a sticking point at or slightly above the knees in the deadlift will also find great benefit from using chains. Attach the chains to the bar with a lightweight chain to adjust where the heavy chain will leave the floor and contribute to the weight on the bar.

Tom Waddle uses 405-455 of regular bar weight on the deadlift bar. To that he will add up to 200 pounds of chain. As he lifts the 405 it gradually turns into 605 as the chains leave the floor.

The chains compensate for added leverage near the lockout. If you are weak at the top, this will solve your problem. Also it will develop starting strength. Because the chains make it more difficult to press as the bar ascends, you will instinctively try to accelerate the bar from start to finish.

The effects of special training normally occur in 2-4 weeks, but to my surprise, the training effect with chains is immediate.

As an experiment, we loaded the squat bar to 415 and did 2 reps. Next, a set of chains was added. They were attached so that all the chain weight was on the bar at the top, of 455, and half was unloaded at the bottom, or 435. Four additional sets were done, for a total of five with 415 or more. On set 6, two sets of chains were placed on the bar; top weight 495, bottom weight 455. On set 7, three sets of chains were used; top weight 535, bottom weight 475. Set 8, four sets of chains were used: top weight 575, bottom weight 495. Set 9, five sets of chains were used; top weight 615, bottom weight 515. These sets were done with 50 second rest periods. Next, we removed all the chains so the bar was reduced to the original 415. The box, which was already an inch below parallel, was lowered another inch. Four more sets were done. To our surprise, they were more explosive than our first sets with 415.

After 13 sets with 50 second rest periods, we were actually more explosive because of the chains. This immediate benefit is unheard of with conventional training.

I don't sell chains, but I hope you buy this idea. It is one of the most effective ways to train that I have encountered. The chains will build starting strength and overload the body at the top of all three lifts, where due to added leverage, the muscles receive little work compared to the bottom portion of the lift. At the bottom, the chains work as a lightening device, by enabling one to handle the most weight at any one position of the lift.

I am passing this Westside Secret on to you in the hopes of helping you reach your goals, no matter what they may be.

http://www.westside-barbell.com/articles.htm 2003 PDF Doc.

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls01.htm

This was originally posted by 0311 in the Powerlifting Exercise Descriptions sticky - http://www.bodybuilding.net/19191-1-post.html Thought it made sense to have it here, also.

To calculate how much chain to use:

200-300 bench: 20 pounds of chain weight at top
301-400 bench: 40 pounds of chain weight at top
401-500 bench: 60 pounds of chain weight at top
501-600 bench: 80 pounds of chain weight at top
601-700 bench: 100 pounds of chain weight at top
For more information on how to attach the chains, see the Accommodating Resistance article. To order chains, contact Toppers at TopperSupply.com

To calculate bands:

200-300 bench: 40 pounds of band tension at the top and 20 at the bottom
301-400 bench: 60 pounds of band tension at the top and 30 at the bottom
401-500 bench: 90 pounds of band tension at the top and 45 at the bottom
501-600 bench: 90 pounds of band tension at the top and 45 at the bottom
To order bands contact Jump Stretch Inc. at 800-344-3539

Different Resistance Bands:

Band I (Jumpstretch Mini) - 1/2"" width, 5-35 lbs resistance.
- Good for stretching, mobility training, abs work, ect.

Band II (Jumpstretch Mini Monster) - 1/2"" width, 10-50 lbs resistance.
- Good for DE squats, DE bench, banded GM's, ect.

Band III (Jumpstretch Light) - 1 1/8"" width, 25-80 lbs resistance.
- Good for ME bench (various), DE squat, reverse band deadlifts, ect.

Band IV (Jumpstretch Average) - 1 3/4"" width, 50-120 lbs resistance.
- Good for ME Squat (various), reverse band squat, bench, or deadlift.

Band V (Jumpstretch Strong) - 2 1/2"" width, 60-150 lbs resistance.
- Good for Reverse band bench or deadlift, or for DE Squatting for those with a 650 - 900 lb squat. :)

Band VI (Jumpstretch Monster Band) - 4"" width, 200 lbs resistance.
- For those who are human fork lifts.

Definitions for these descriptions were found at these stores:

Midwestbarbell

EliteFTS

For a first time buyer who has decent numbers, I'd recommend getting a combo deal with Bands II, III, IV. Saves you money. :)

very interesting stuff but can u do floor presses after lets say 3 sets of bench or do u just sub the floor press with the reg. bench?

I think they are best used as heavy as possible so it depends on what you mean by 3 sets of bench. In Westside they would normally be used on ME day as either an ME exercise or supplemental. They can really be used any way you see fit but the idea is strengthening the midpoint so whatever allows you to keep it heavy is best. Most people seem to like to use it for lower rep ranges. And yes, you can just replace your regular bench with it whether for one of your workouts or for an extended period.

great thread. super helpful for a newbie, like me:biglaugh:

Nice. Thanks Eric :)

Accommodating Resistance
How to use bands and chains to increase your max lifts
by Dave Tate


Dave Tate knows strength. Dave's been assisting and training under Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell fame for over 10 years and has consulted thousands of athletes throughout the world. Dave is quick to point out that he's not a bodybuilder and therefore doesn't train bodybuilders. He's a powerlifter and a specialist in developing maximal strength. (Despite this powerlifting emphasis, the average guy under his tutelage puts on 30 to 40 pounds in the first year.)

In Dave's last article he taught you the art of box squatting. This time he'll introduce you to another Westside favorite, the use of bands and chains while benching and squatting. A word of caution, though. This is an extremely advanced method of training and should only be used by those who are familiar with Westside methodology. I should add, too, that the methods outlined below are also very complicated. However, at the very least, they'll open your mind to different, unconventional methods that may also have some application to bodybuilding as opposed to just powerlifting.

Extreme Training = Extreme Poundages

If you were to ask me what advancement has made the greatest impact on our training at Westside Barbell in the past five years, I'd have to say accommodating resistance. Before I get into the specifics behind this type of training let me step back in time. When I arrived at Westside I found out very quickly that this was cutting edge training. I was introduced to box squatting, Zercher squats, Paul Dicks presses and many other exercises I'd never seen or even heard about before.

We even had to make up our own names for some exercises since we'd never seen them before. The name didn't matter; what mattered was if it worked or not. I've seen some of the strangest things created using cables, boxes, benches, rings, dumbbell bars, you name it. When you train in a 20' X 40' gym you have to get creative. Some of these movements have had dramatic effects on our strength. The key has always been matching up the right movements with the individual sticking points.

When I came to Westside there were only three 800-pound squatters. A few other guys joined the club in the following few years; their progress was slow but steady. Then Louie introduced the chains. I liked the idea of attaching chains to the bar, so me and Joe Amato decided to give it a try for our next meet. We cycled the chains on our dynamic day for eight weeks. The result? We both put 60 pounds on our squats and became the next two to join the 800-pound club.

At this point we knew we'd found something. The chains were introduced to the rest of the gym and within the next year we had another six guys in the 800s. Not only were the chains working for the squats, but all of our benches were going through the roof as well! We were always used to slow, steady gains, but were now seeing dramatic increases in a very short time. A 500-pound bench soon became a joke.

Then about three years ago, Louie asked me to go to a basketball conference with him to check out some bands. I thought at the time he was talking about some type of surgical tubing like aerobic instructors use. I told him I thought it was a waste of time but went along any way, you know, so he wouldn't kick my ass. When we arrived at the conference, we found the vendor booth with the bands, which were being demonstrated for flexibility training. I now thought Louie was going to introduce flexibility into our training.

I went through some of the movements and was instructed to wrap the band around my back and perform some bench presses. The tension of the big bands was pretty strong and I began to feel it in my triceps after a few reps. Louie bought a bag full of bands and we were on our way. While driving back to the gym I asked him what he was planning to do with them. I figured he'd say something in regard to flexibility training or partner assisted exercises. I wasn't prepared for what he did say. He told me he wanted to attach them to weighted barbells, an idea suggested to him by Dave Williams of Liberty University.

I thought we were going to be flirting with disaster and didn't want any part of it. The chains had taken my squat from 760 to 855 in 12 months and I wasn't ready to change. Well, if you've ever trained at Westside you know two things are for certain. First, change is part of the process. Second, Louie will get his way!

I became the guinea pig and within the next few months squatted my first 900. Five of my teammates soon followed and 23 have now squatted 800. The implementation of chains and bands have made a 500 bench and 800 squat a joke!

So how the heck do chains and bands help you anyway?

At Westside we've always taken the approach of "try it first, then figure out why second." I feel this is the correct way to train. If you spend all your time trying to reason why something will or will not work, then you may miss out on a great opportunity. As the Nike slogan says, just do it! If it works, great, then figure out why. If it doesn't work, well, you've still learned something.

It's taken us five years to figure out why we think chains and bands work. We had to do some research into the force velocity curve and individual strength curves. We sought out individuals like Dr. Mel Siff and went back and re-read texts by Roman, Zatsiorsky, Bompa and others. After hours of reading, many discussions, and plenty of time spent under the bar, this is how I see it.

Zatsiorsiky defines accommodating resistance as using special means to accommodate resistance throughout the entire range of motion rather than a specific point. Because of some joint angles and the velocity of movement, the force of the movement is less at certain joint angles. For example, in the barbell squat you may be able to quarter squat 500 pounds while you can only full squat 300. Another common example is the standard dumbbell curl. The force at the beginning is much greater than the force at the top. Max Herz addressed this problem around the year 1900 by inventing a cam. This cam was to be part of a machine that would accommodate the resistance to the strength curve.

Years later, Nautilus tried again to solve the problem with their cam. This odd shaped cam applied the resistance in a variable form so the load varies according to the average strength curve. This is to provide greater resistance where the athlete is strong and less where they're weak.

This cam poses several problems. First, it was designed on average strength curves that don't carry over well to most athletes. Louie uses the deadlift to demonstrate how individual strength curves can vary. One lifter may blast the weight off the floor and fight through the last three inches of the lift. Another may be slow off the floor and lock the weight out easy. The same machine may not benefit these lifters in the same way.

A second problem according to Zatsiornsky is that the number of degrees of freedom is limited from six in natural movements, to only one with machines. Paul Chek has also explained this in much greater detail in his pattern overload articles. Third, the acceleration and deceleration is also very different than natural movements. Fourth, the manufacturers of several machines have altered the cam (to avoided patent lawsuits) to the point that they don't even match average strength curves! Ever wonder why you can lift so much more with one machine when compared to another? Now you know.

Another way that's been used to accommodate resistance is isokinetic training. With isokinetic training the speed of the motion is constant no matter how much force is applied. The disadvantage with isokinetics is the same as machine training: it's applied on only one plane. Most isokinetic machines are also built for one joint movement and the velocity of movement can be too low.

Yet another popular way to accommodate resistance is with the use of a power rack. Take the bench press for example. You can set the safety pins at a point so you'll only work your lockout. While you may be able to overload a certain position of your bench press many times, it's nowhere close to your groove and won't carry over well to the competitive press. In the deadlift, the "pin pull" or deadlifting off pins, is a great way to overload the muscles of the lift, but this doesn't carry over well to the full deadlift because the hip may be in a different position.

Accommodating resistance must be an important aspect of strength with all the attention being paid to it, right? Well, we've found a way to accomplish this while still maintaining the benefits of the three dimensional value of the barbell and not sacrificing the path of movement. By attaching chains and/or bands to the bar we can accommodate the individual strengths curves and beat the machines at their own game. Not only can we accommodate these strength curves, we can do it in the squat, bench press and deadlift as well as all of our supplemental and assistance movements.

This will have a great effect on the intermuscular coordination of the lifter because of the ability of the stabilizers, neutralizers, agonists, and antagonists to work together. Another benefit of the chains and bands has to do with the force velocity curve. A very simple definition of this would be "the more velocity developed, the less force needed to move the object." If you lift a weight with great speed, the less force is needed to complete the lift.

Another aspect to look at is the deceleration of the bar. I don't care how you lift the weight, at some point you have to begin to decelerate. If not you'd have to actually throw the barbell. Now at what point do you begin to decelerate? Is it at three or four inches before the lockout, or three to four inches off your chest in the bench? I don't know for sure, but I can guess it's different for everyone and is based on several individual things such as joint angles, fatigue, and previous training experience. Bands and chains can train you to break through these sticking points.

Note: One thing to keep in mind with this concept is if you decide to use bands you don't want to use them for every movement in the workout or training program. The effect of the bands will inhibit the work of the antagonists to a certain degree. This may not be all that important for a powerlifter who's always lifting heavy objects, but could have a potentially negative effect on other athletic movements like throwing a football or baseball. Without the braking effect of the antagonist there can be a potential for hyperextension of the joint.

Now, let's put all this info to work!

Accommodating resistance with the main lifts:
Box Squat and Bench Press

Squatting with Chains

This is the exercise that started it all. As mentioned in earlier articles the squat is to be trained with a four week wave using between 50 and 60 percent of your competitive max. If you don't have a competitive max with the use of equipment (suits, wraps etc.) then you'll need to add 10 percent to make up for the advantages these impliments would give you.

After the completion of your warm-up sets, you'll perform 8 to12 sets of two reps. Most will want to keep the rest periods at 45 to 60 seconds. A larger man over 242 may want to go up as high as 90 seconds. These short rest periods are responsible for a great release of growth hormone and Testosterone.

You must pause for a spilt second on the box and explode up. The faster you move the weight, the more your neuromuscular system will get involved. The more neuromuscular system involvement, the stronger you'll become. When using chains with the squat, the chains aren't added into the percent. This is because the chains are deloaded at the bottom of the squat. This keeps the training percent low enough to build an incredible amount of explosive force out of the hole. As you stand up with the bar, the weight of the chain is lifted off the ground.

To set up the chains you'll need a five foot 1/4 inch chain to act as the support chain. This chain is suspended from the bar sleeves. A metal ring will be suspended in the 1/4 inch support chain. Then the training chains (five feet long, either 5/8" or 1/2" thickness) will pass through the metal rings so one half of the chain falls on each side of the ring. You'll set the support chain so three links on each side of the training chain are on the floor at the top of the lift. When you sit down on the box most of the training chain will be on the floor. You have to keep a certain amount of the chain on the bar to avoid the chains swaying back and forth throughout the movement. The recomendated (damn dave can’t spell) amount of training chain weights for the dynamic squat day is listed below.

Max Squat Chains per side Weight of chain (top)
200-400 1 (5/8) 40
400-500 1 (5/8), 1(1/2) 60
500-600 2 (5/8) 80
700-800 2 (5/8), 1(1/2) 100
800-900 3 (5/8) 120

Note: When squatting with chains it's also important to use them throughout all the warm-up sets.

So, if your maximum squat is, say, 500, you'll need to load 2 of the 5/8" chains on each side.


Squatting with Bands

Squatting with bands is perhaps the greatest thing to happen to our squat poundages in the last few years. When we first started training with the bands I hated them. I felt they slowed the bar speed down too much. I stuck with it, well, because I really didn't have a choice. It was either use the bands or be called "scared" every squat day!

After my first meet training with the bands I was sold. There are two ways we use the bands for the dynamic squat day. I'll discuss the first, the basic training phase, in this article. The second way to use them is with a circa-maximal phase. (This is a very intense, detailed phase that will be the topic of an upcoming article.)

To use the bands for the basic training phase you'll have to reduce the training percentage by 10%. The normal suggested percent for an intermediate lifter is a four week wave, cycling the percent from 60% to 70% of your competitive squat max. It may look like this: week 1 at 60%, week 2 at 63%, week 3 at 67%, week 4 at 70%. After the warm-up sets, perform 8 to12 sets of 2 reps with one minute rest between sets. With the use of bands the percent range would drop to 50%-60% of your competitive max squat.

We've found the bands to be superior to chains in accommodating resistance. This is because of several reasons. With the bands the weight is being pulled downward to the floor at a greater force than without the bands. This is a form of maximal eccentrics and can be very demanding on the system. This style of training can and will make you very sore!

This maximal eccentric loading can also help to develop an incredible amount of explosive strength. Picture a basketball. If you were to just drop it to the floor it'll only bounce so high. Now, if you were to throw it down with more force wouldn't the ball bounce higher? Of course it would. The key is to make sure there's still tension at the bottom of the lift. If the band tension lets off at the bottom, you'll lose much of the training effect. We found this out through trail and error.

Another theory I have with the bands deals with the intensity of the movement. Let's say your max squat is 600 pounds. Now let's say you set the training up so the resistance is 400 pounds with an additional 150 pounds of tension. This is 550 pounds at the top of the lift. Because of the acceleration of the bands as you squat down, the force of the movement keeps the intensity very high, possibility the same as it was at the top (550). Even though the bands are getting shorter, the tension is getting higher because of the added force throwing you down.

When you sit on the box the intensity will become deloaded to the tension of the band at the bottom (say 40 pounds of tension.) As you raise the weight (the concentric phase) then tension is progressively being loaded back onto the bar. This is known as accelerated eccentrics and progressive concentric. Whatever you call it, our average squat increase has been 40 to 60 pounds after the first meso cycle with bands.

To use the bands you'll attach one end of the band around the inside part of the barbell sleeve. The other end will be anchored around a set of dumbbells or around the bottom of the power rack. The best way to train with the bands is with the use of a Mono-lift device. If you don't have access to one you'll have to make use with what you have. If you have to use the dumbbells or power rack to attach the bands you may not be able to use the desired tension as listed below. This is because you'll have to walk the weight out. As soon as you break the J hooks the weight will be slamming you backwards. This could potentially send you flying backwards on your ass. While this may be entertaining to some in your gym, I'd rather not see you kill yourself. For you, I recommend using as much band as you can and making up the difference with chains.

This chart will help you figure out how much band you need:
Max Squat Tension top Tension bottom
200-400 115 40
400-500 175 60
500-600 290 80
700-800 355 100
800-900 375 120


Benching with Chains

Training the bench with chains is still one of our most effective ways to push up our max lifts. After warm-ups you'll train your bench at 60% of your shirtless (bench shirt) max for the intermediate lifter. Eight sets of three repetitions will be performed as quickly as possibility. This means you'll drop the weight quickly (under control) and catch and explode back up as fast as possibility. There's no pause between reps. When using chains you'll throw them on with the training weight. There's no need to reduce the training weight because most of the weight will be deloaded onto the floor.

You'll use the same chain set-up as the squat . While the bar is in the rack, one half of the training chain should be on the floor. This will allow for a total deload at the bottom. As a side note, if you were to attach the training chain to the bar sleeve without the support chain (as some manufactures are doing with their devices), you'll get very little deload because most of the chain will remain off the floor while very little chain will actually end up on the floor. This is why those who don't know how to use a product should never try sell it! (If these manufacturers are going to steal one of our ideas they should at least get it right! If you're interested in the chains and bands we use, call Toppers at 614-444-1187. Tell them I sent you and they'll treat you right.)

Recommended chain loading for dynamic day:
Max Bench Chains per side Weight of chain (top)
100-200 1 (1/2) 20
300-400 1 (5/8) 40
400-500 1 (5/8), 1 (1/2) 60
500-600 2 (5/8) 80
600-700 2 (5/8), 1 (1/2) 100


Benching with Bands

Benching with bands is much harder on your body than benching with chains. For this reason I don't recommend training with the bands for longer than four weeks at a time. It's best to cycle a four week wave with the bands followed by a four week wave with the chains. When you cycle with the bands you'll want to deduct the added tension the bands create at the bottom off the barbell for the training. The training sets and reps stay the same as the dynamic day with chains. You'll place the bands on the inside part of the bar sleeve then begin adding the plates.

The other end of the band will need to be anchored around the bottom of the power rack or a set of dumbbells. To adjust the tension make the anchor bigger. For example, to create more tension wrap the band under two dumbbells rather than one.
Max Bench Tension top Tension bottom
200-300 40 20
300-400 60 30
400-500 90 45
500-600 90 45
600-700 90 45

Accommodating resistance for max effort lifts

We've found the bands and chains to be very effective when used with our max effort movements as well as the competitive lifts. The focus with the max effort movement is much different than the competitive lifts. When training with the dynamic effort method we're focusing on the development of explosive and acceleration strength. With the max effort movement our focus is on the development of maximal strength. This means working up to a heavy set of one or three reps. The main goal with this type of training is straining. The longer the strain the longer the time under tension. When you add the element of chains and/or bands to this mix, you add the time the muscle will be under strain. Some examples are listed below:

Floor Press with Chains

This movement is performed by lying on the floor and performing your regular bench press. This exercise takes much of the legs out of the motion and adds more stress to the pecs, delts and triceps.

There's no need for the support chain with this movement because the bar is close to the floor; you'll just place the chains over the bar. There're many ways to perform this exercise:

1. Work up to 50% of your competitive max, then begin adding one chain on each side until you fail.

2. Start with a set number of chains on the bar. For example, start with five chains on each side (200 total pounds), then begin to work up to your one rep max.

These are both great movements for increasing the strength off the chest or at the bottom of the bench.

Reverse Band Press

The movement is performed in the power rack with the bands suspending the barbell from the top of he rack. Make sure to load on enough weight to start with so the bar will stay on the J hooks.

With this movement you'll perform a standard close or medium grip bench press up to a one rep max. Most of you will like this movement because the bands help to launch the bar off the chest. This will feel really easy until the weight gets heavy. As the weight gets heavier the bands still only help so much. They'll help you out of the bottom, but you'll have to be able to finish the lift. This movement is great for lockout strength.

Reverse Band Deadlift

I pointed out at the beginning of the article how the power rack can have many short comings in regard to strengthening the groove of the lift. While "pin pulls" still have their benefits for overloading the muscles of the deadlift, the reverse band deadlift can accomplish what the pin pulls cannot. This movement can help the lifter get the bar off the floor then overload at the top position.

The bands will help get it off the floor but will do very little of anything at the top. The most important aspect of this movement is how the bands are attached. You want to set them up so the bar will come out of the bands at the top of the lift.

Bench Press, bands behind back

With this movement you perform the standard bench press but you'll be holding a elastic band behind your back.

This creates a incredible amount of tension at the top of the lift. You'll want to hold the top (end position) of the lift for a peak contraction before beginning the following rep.

Low Box Squats with Bands

This movement is performed with the same form as the standard box squat except your stance will be closer and you'll be squatting on a box that's two to three inches lower than parallel.

Accommodation resistance for supplemental movements

Band Triceps Extensions, elbows out

This is a great movement for the long head of the triceps. From a standing or inclined position lower the dumbbells so they rest high on the chest with your elbows forced outward.

Pause on the chest for one second then raise the dumbbells back to the starting position. While pressing the dumbbells upward, keep the bottom parts of the bells together as you extend up. Pause for one second at the top and repeat.

Band Triceps Extensions, elbows in

This movement is great for the lateral head of the triceps.

Lower the dumbbells to the point where the head of the dumbbell hits the deltoid, at which point you'll roll the dumbbells back to get a stretch in the triceps, then extend the bells back to the starting position. Pause for one second and repeat.

Triceps Floor Extensions with chains

This is set up the same as the floor press with chains, except you'll be performing a triceps extension.

The deloading the chains offer is great with this movement because there'll be less stress on the elbows. A major disadvantage of the triceps extension is that many times the stress on the elbow is greater than the strength of the triceps because of the leverages of the movement. With chains you can overload the top position where the triceps are strongest.

Summary

Training with chains and bands can almost be thought of as a form of eccentric overloading. This type of training should only be used by those with a strong training background. At least three yeas of consistent training or a "class one" in the sport of powerlifting. If you're not at or above this level then general strength training should be enough. This style of training can and will make you very sore.

Make sure you have enough protein in your diet; supplementation with antioxidants may also be effective after these types of workouts. You may also have to alter your next max effort workout if you use these methods on dynamic day. Training in this manner is very difficult to recover from. If you need to alter the max effort workout then alter the volume, not the intensity.

This is a small sample of the number of ways you can accommodate resistance. The use of chains and bands has been a major breakthrough for many coaches, trainers and strength athletes throughout the world. By implementing these methods into their training programs they've begun to see the average lifter become a great lifter and the great lifter get even better.

There can also be some major benefits for the development of muscle hypertrophy with these methods. The change in the strength curve has great application for this type of training. To do this, you want to maintain the proper parameters for hypertrophy training. These methods are far from the norm but in the words of Angil Spassov,

"Who wants to be normal? We want to be exceptional; exceptions confirm what is not normal."

Now go have fun watching everyone's jaws drop when you drag a bunch of chains into the gym!

Another great take on accomodating resistance:

Jason Shea

Accommodating Resistance and Accentuation for Increased Power

By Jason Shea, C.S.C.S, PES

ACCOMMODATE: [uh-kom-uh-deyt] to make suitable or consistent; adapt: to become adjusted or adapted.

In the world of strength and conditioning and performance enhancement, scientific research findings are vastly improving training methodologies program models, and equipment design. There are three major mechanisms for strength training involving dynamic voluntary muscle contraction against external resistance. Those being free weights, selectorized or plate loaded machines, and band (elastic tension) training. Each mechanism has its benefits and negative aspects. But, which is the best, if any, and why?

Weight Stack or Leverage Machines isolate/recruit prime movers while the athlete follows the restricted range of motion designed into the machine. Typically force is generated in only one plane of motion, with minimal recruitment in other planes. The body has no input on stabilizing the spine, pelvis, or knees during movement as the seated/prone position against a stable platform does this for you, thus “there is a decrease in neural activation of the stabilizer musculature. (1)” In other words, the body does not need to maximally recruit any stabilizer muscles of the working limb because no control of the weight is necessary in that the welded lever arm only has one set range of motion. Beside a “rehab patient instructed to isolate before they integrate (2)”, this mechanism of training does not yield a high transfer of training to on field activities. Isolation is the preferred training method for bodybuilding, not multi functional athletes. When does one typically see a football player sitting down performing any type of work? Perhaps sitting on the bench drinking a Gatorade between plays.

Free weights and weight resistance cable machines are a great mechanism for overloading the body as they provide resistance throughout an entire range of motion and require activation of the body’s stabilizer mechanisms to control movement. The speed of movement can vary from isometric to ballistic, while maximally recruiting large groups of muscle fibers. Free weights do have a shortcoming when it comes to performance enhancement for athletes. ‘One is limited in the amount of weight they can lift by the weakest point of the range of movement (3).” After working through the “sticking point” (weakest point), as the joint angle nears end range of motion, the muscles have greater leverage to perform the movement. So the greatest overload on the muscle is decreased as one works toward the end range of motion, which just so happens to be where most sporting movements occur (i.e.: the vertical jump, sprinting, pitching, etc). Watch any athletic event and look for a true 90degree knee flexion as found in the parallel squat. For example the drive phase (foot in contact with ground) of sprinting typically occurs with knee flexion of about 135degrees or greater and the same can hold true (not always, though) for some of your best performers in the vertical jump test. Compare this to the aforementioned parallel squat. An athlete may max out at 315 in the parallel squat, but may max out at 375 in the quarter squat. The limiting range of motion of the parallel squat is parallel (bottom position with joint angle of roughly 90 degrees), and for the quarter squat it may be 130 degrees. It is at these points that the muscle tension and overload are the greatest. But once the athlete has driven through the weakest point of motion, and accelerates up to approximately 180 degrees, the lift becomes progressively easier as the joint angle increases. With this in mind, the 315lbs may not be enough to overload the working muscles at the end range of motion, creating less transfer of training to on field results. Another issue lies in the fact that, when training for power, the athlete will accelerate with load great velocity. As the athlete nears the end range of motion, the muscle tension will be minimal in that momentum has taken over for the last 10-20 degrees of extension, creating a deactivation like symptom in the musculature, when the greatest muscle activation is necessary.

So why not perform quarter squat as they follow the specificity guidelines with regard to lower extremity joint angles? In essence this makes sense, in that the end ranges of motion are going to receive greater stimulation due to heavier loads, but the maximal muscle recruitment patterns are altered with squat depth. To run faster and jump higher, an athlete needs to be capable of generating great force from the powerful hip extensor mechanism. The major hip extensors are the gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, and hamstring musculature (biceps femoris, semimemranosis, semitendinosis). In 2002 Caterisano et al conducted a study on thigh muscle contribution during the partial, parallel, and full squat. “During the partial squat they found 69% recruitment from the quadriceps, 16.9% recruitment from the gluteus maximus, and 13.37% recruitment from the biceps femoris (Not sure why adductor magnus was not tested??). In contrast, the parallel squat had 56.64% recruitment from the quadriceps, 28% recruitment from the gluteus maximus, and 15.35% from the hamstrings (4).” The glute activation nearly doubled, when increasing the range of motion from quarter squat to parallel squat, while the hamstring recruitment stayed the same. With this knowledge, an athlete lacking in posterior chain development, specifically hip extension power from the glueus maximus, may want to perform squats to at least the parallel position, assuming no pre-existing injuries in the low back or knees.

Band resistance lies on the opposite end of the spectrum as free weight training. At the beginning range of motion, the band will have minimal if any resistance. As the athlete progresses through the range of motion, the resistance increases, with the greatest resistance being at the end range of motion, where most sporting movements occur. Taking into account joint angles and accommodation of these angles for transfer of training, this method of training makes sense. “The use of bands can also cause an overspeed eccentric effect, pulling the body down faster than gravity (5).” This increased eccentric acceleration raises the neuromuscular demand, therefore making the body stronger and more efficient at absorbing forces. The more force an object can absorb, the more power it can generate. The negative side to this method of training lies in the beginning range of motion, where maximal recruitment of specific muscles occurs. If an athlete performs the parallel squat with bands only, there would be no tension at the bottom range of motion, leading to minimal gluteus maximus recruitment. With weak or underdeveloped gluteus maximus, the athlete may once again lack hip extension power. So what is the best method? The answer lies between free weights and band training.

Accommodated resistance is used to “develop maximal tension throughout the complete range of motion rather than at a particular (e.g. weakest) point (6).” The use of free weights combined with bands (chains, weight releasers, or lightened method of accommodation) allows for increased resistance at the end range of motion, while accommodating for the joint angles throughout the entire range of motion. This method combines the positive aspects of both free weights and bands, while minimizing the negative effects. In the parallel squat example, the athlete will have adequate resistance from the load on the bar at the parallel position. This ensures maximal gluteus maximus activation during the squat. As the athlete accelerates the weight upward, the tension on the band will increase, thus providing more resistance at the end ranges of motion, where the sporting movements occur. As the athlete nears the top of the motion, the total tension (load) will be the greatest, providing adequate stimulus (tension) throughout the movement. Momentum will not be a factor at the end of the range of motion, therefore no potential muscular deactivation can occur at the top. (Click here for illustration.)

In a study performed by the late Mel Siff, he set out to “compare the effectiveness of combined method (band and weights) and free weight training (7).” The results clearly show the benefits of accommodated resistance training.

1. Greater mean and peak forces were generated throughout the movement
2. The descent was accelerated above the normal gravitational rate of 9.8m/s
3. The stronger eccentric loading and brief transition period provided neuromuscular stimulation similar to that found in Plyometric training
4. The force generated during the later stages increased, in strong contrast to that of normal squatting in which force production tends to decrease significantly.”
Siff M. (2003), Supertraining Pg 412

The effectiveness of this method of training is clear, but one should maintain great restraint when training in this manner. The demand on the joints and neuromuscular system is very high, so proper technique, periodization, repetition counts, training experience, rest intervals, prehab and recovery methods must be implemented prior to beginning a program utilizing accommodated resistance.

Recommendations:
a.
Programming: Perform weight release (eccentric emphasis) for 1 week, followed by 3 weeks accommodated resistance (bands or chains). Follow with minimal of 3 weeks non-accommodated resistance training.

b.
Reps: 1-3 reps is preferred, with 1-2 for squats, and 2-3 for bench press. Reps should be at 1 second in total duration. For example, 2 reps of squats should be performed in 2 seconds.

c.
Load on the Bar: If goal is power, approximately 50-70%. If goal is strength 70-90%

d.
Set Count: In Russian Conjugated programming, one may see 10 sets of 2 repetitions in the squat on Dynamic Effort day. This should be at the elite/advanced level.


e.
Rest Interval: Approximately 60-90s.

f.
Prehab/recovery: SMFR with foam roller, reciprocal muscle stretching prior to sets, Static stretching after workout, and post workout contrast shower.

REFERENCES

1. Wallden M., The Core: Part 2 Personal Training on the Net, 2007
2. Chek P, Scientific Back Training Correspondence Course; CHEK Institute, Sand Diego Ca, 1993, 2002
3. Zatsiorsky V., Kraemer W., Science and Practice of Strength Training Pp 118; Champaign IL, 1995
4. Caterisano A., Moss R., Pellinger T., Woodrufe K., Lewis V., Booth W., Khadra T., The effect of Back squat depth on the EMG activity of 4 superficial hip and thigh muscles; Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2002, 16(3) Pp 428-432
5. Simmons, L. The Reactive Method DVD; Westside Barbell, Columbus, Ohio
6. Zatsiorsky V., Kraemer W., Science and Practice of Strength Training Pp 120; Champaign IL, 1995
7. Siff M., Supertraining; Pg 412 Denver Co, 2003
8. Wallace B., Mcguigan M., Winchestor J., Effects of Elastic Bands on Force and Power Characteristics During the Back Squat Exercise, National Strength and Conditioning Conference, Minneapolis Min. 2004
9. Ebben W., Jenson R., Electryomyographic and Kinetic Analysis of Traditional, Chain, and Elastic Band Squats; The Journal of Strenght and Conditioning Research 16(4) Pp547-550
10. Defranco J., Super Strength DVD, NJ 2006

A little something for you pullup freaks.

Banded pullups.

No I don't mean assisted pullups with bands I mean accomodating resistance.

You'll need a dip belt. Instead of attaching weight to your belt attach a band. Start with a mini and attach the bottom to a heavy dumbell. Killer!

I am beginner in weight lifting, and recently start body building
should i go for the heavy or light weight. what will
you suggest for me.

i really like these articles, great post and nice read, thanks

It hurts our lockout. With chains we are now forced to build explosion off our chest and greater lockout power. And using chains on other exercises like the squat and deadlift are no different.

bech press gives good fitness to chest. thanks for sharing tips.