I noticed that westside barbell used chains and bands to pull on the bar.
I'm just wondering if this has worked well for beginners.
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Thread: Anyone use chains?
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08-08-2007, 12:25 PM #1
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08-08-2007, 12:30 PM #2
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08-08-2007, 12:40 PM #3
Agreed on beginners. I would leave them out of things like bench press, squat, etc. in terms of using them for more/less resistance in certain parts of a rep. At least for now. Work on the basics as Matty said.
(Slightly off topic I think, but...) they can be useful however for other things. Here's an example (this exercise is fun by the way!):
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08-08-2007, 12:48 PM #4
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08-08-2007, 12:59 PM #5
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I don't think beginners need to be doing dynamic training, which is a major use for chains/bands, but if you want to use them for your regular training they can definitely be beneficial.
One caution, though: bands in particular will beat you up way more than either chains or straight weight. Powerlifters usually do no more than 3 consecutive weeks of band work, often with 3 weeks each of chains and straight weight inbetween band cycles.
Edit: If I were a beginner, I would invest in chains and wait a while to get bands. Chains are more suited to beginners, and not only because of the increased stress bands cause.Last edited by rockhuddy; 08-08-2007 at 01:05 PM.
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
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08-08-2007, 01:00 PM #6
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havent used chains but i did tie a rope that hung a 10 lb weight on each side of the bench and when i was half way up with the rep the weight would come off the floor. talk about a sticking point lol. similar method to chains except the resistance is sudden and not progressive.
If what I see does not amaze me, I am not looking hard enough.
The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know.
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08-08-2007, 01:23 PM #7
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08-08-2007, 01:39 PM #8
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08-08-2007, 01:44 PM #9
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i kinda think of chains and bands as an advanced training technique, ive never tried them but i view them as a means to increase an already strong bench or w/e else.
If you dont have something nice to say dont say anything at all.
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
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i rep back
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08-08-2007, 03:29 PM #10
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08-08-2007, 05:45 PM #11
You can get chains conveniently -- Lowes or Home Depot. But lugging them into the gym might be awkward of course. I guess it depends on the gym you go to.
The bands can be used for those pushups too, though with the hands on the bar it might be difficult. I once did pushups with a couple mini bands wrapped around my upper back, with my hands holding them down on the floor (I hope that made sense, if not let me know and I'll try to explain better!). So you could do a drop set like the guy in that video with a couple small mini bands, do as many as you can and immediately pull one band off and do another set, then pull the second band off and do as many as you can with bodyweight only.
Here are a bunch of bands (you might be able to find them cheaper, never looked myself since my gym already has them): http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...lt.asp?cid=138
That exercise can be done in other ways. A weighted vest could work okay (but would be difficult for drop sets I would assume). Also, "Blast Straps" are very good for pushups IMO. I hang them from a chinup bar and set the handles just a few inches off the ground. Holding them stable makes the workout pretty interesting. This is the product I'm talking about, and in the pic he's doing the same exercise: http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...id=114&pid=916.
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08-08-2007, 06:32 PM #12
Chains and bands aren't just power techniques, they're about producing force curves, and they're just fine for beginners. Is adding a couple plates too much? Add a couple chains. Take them off when you do finally add the plates, and you'll be more prepared for them.
It makes sense for noobies to use them. The beautiful thing about stuff like chains, is you get more resistance when your bones are aligned the best for absorbing force, and you build more strength in that aligned position. It's more relevant for things like running and kicking, when you actually make impact your leg is rarely bent past 90.
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08-08-2007, 06:53 PM #13
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08-08-2007, 06:57 PM #14
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08-08-2007, 07:11 PM #15
What exactly's wrong with force curves? Arthur Jones designed his machines around those. It makes perfect sense. You get better bone density for your buck that way, you're not limited to the max you can bear in a stretched position.
It's just like doing partial reps with heavy loads, only you get the full RoM, the load is lightened in the weak stretch. They design Bowflexes around this idea too. If it has any fault at all it would be that the home gyms don't provide high enough resistance caps, but the principal is sound. If you can't do a one-arm pushup, you can probably easily support yourself at the top pushup position with only one arm and bend it a little, it's when you bend it a lot that it becomes impossible.
If you think about things like olympic lifting, they use momentum to help accelerate the bar past the stretched position of the delts when they are weak, and the momentum slows down and the shoulders take over to lock it out.
Or think about one-leg squats, how much people can bear their weight on one leg and bend the knee a bit, but not as deep as with a 2-legged squat. The weakness in the stretch (from lack fo bone alignment for load-bearing) limits them.Last edited by Tyciol; 08-08-2007 at 07:13 PM.
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08-08-2007, 07:20 PM #16
[QUOTE=Tyciol;67696643]What exactly's wrong with force curves? Arthur Jones designed his machines around those. It makes perfect sense. You get better bone density for your buck that way, you're not limited to the max you can bear in a stretched position.
It's just like doing partial reps with heavy loads, only you get the full RoM, the load is lightened in the weak stretch. They design Bowflexes around this idea too. QUOTE]
Bowflex is for fat house-wives... Real men lift teh iron.IMO: Alot of the problems people have, and then create threads about on this site (my arms aren't growing, I'm not gaining weight, etc.) would be solved by a little patience.
WestSide turned Starting Strength Journal: (9 months to reach 200 lbs BW) http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3207071
OLD SS Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2538331
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08-08-2007, 07:33 PM #17
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08-08-2007, 08:14 PM #18
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08-08-2007, 08:58 PM #19IMO: Alot of the problems people have, and then create threads about on this site (my arms aren't growing, I'm not gaining weight, etc.) would be solved by a little patience.
WestSide turned Starting Strength Journal: (9 months to reach 200 lbs BW) http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3207071
OLD SS Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2538331
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08-08-2007, 08:58 PM #20"Success is like your own shadow, if u try to catch then u wil never succeed, ignore it and walk in ur own
way.....it will follow u..."
Lloyd: "The first time I set eyes on Mary Swanson, I just got that old fashioned romantic feeling where I'd do anything to bone her."
Harry: "That's a special feeling, Lloyd."
"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was"
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08-08-2007, 09:27 PM #21
I can't say for sure, but I would be willing to bet he uses weights too. This is just one exercise in an arsenal of many that DeFranco might have his trainees do. He's got a lot of videos on YouTube including plenty of squats, bench press, deadlifts, trap-bar deadlifts, tire flips, and even box jumps. If you have time check them out.
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08-08-2007, 11:25 PM #22
- Join Date: Feb 2005
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"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
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08-09-2007, 02:34 AM #23
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08-09-2007, 06:19 AM #24
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08-09-2007, 06:34 AM #25
Better to ask who doesn't use em'!
"it's always a good day to start lifting"
Flex Magazine, Mar. '07, pg.44
"There is no secret routine, there is no magical number of reps and sets. What there is, is confidence, belief, hard work on a consistant basis, and a desire to succeed. This is what I mean when I say accept your limits and when the time is right, you will push right through your limits time and time again, mentally and physically."
--Steve Justa
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08-09-2007, 08:42 AM #26
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lol i'd stop my set and punch that dude. i hate that kinda ****. this guy who i kinda knew at my gym walked up to me when i was doing incline DB's and started yelling all kinds of dumb crap right in my ear, i threw the weight down and said "STFU" really loud, and 3-4 guys that were nearby started laughing at him. good times.
If what I see does not amaze me, I am not looking hard enough.
The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know.
__________________
My Powerlifting Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=189654831
My YouTube Vids: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ajcharmoz
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08-09-2007, 09:12 AM #27
i have to agree... its just freakin obnoxious to start yelling like that at the gym. this one guy would do it all the time at the gym. he and his "partners" would be squating on the smith machine and the whole gym could hear them. i can understand a grunt or a yell every now and then but on every rep? cmon...
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08-09-2007, 09:27 AM #28
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08-09-2007, 09:40 AM #29
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08-09-2007, 09:45 AM #30
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