What is the impact of training with bands and chains?
- Heavy Partials Bands and chains are a way to train heavy partial lifts more effectively. This means you train closer to the true capacity of the body in each position of the lift. While some focus only on the sticking point improving all ranges maximally is the path to the highest peak in strength and the healthiest long-term outcomes.
- Amortisation & Acceleration Bands allow more instantaneous / reversal (amortisation) force to be created. Maximal tension in deeper / lengthened positions will create more tendon dominance.
- More Quality Work Per Repetition Rather than a large portion of the repetition using energy but not challenging positive adaptation bands and chains make more of the repetition more productive.
History Of Heavy Partials & Isometrics
Old time lifters like Bob Peoples who lifted 329kg at 82kg bodyweight used heavy partials.
You’ll find them over and over in the old-time manuals from the 40’s through to the 70’s.
Bands and chains are a way to overload the strongest parts of a lift safely without having to change the set-up as much.
Bands also allow over-speed eccentrics like flywheel training but with more instantaneous force from amortisation.
Sports about the speed of the amortisation phase.
Band History
1999-2000
Dick Hartzel brought bands to Westside Barbell → Chuck Vogelpohl and George Halbert put the bands to work and then Louis Simmons systemised the use of bands
World Champion Coaches Who Love Bands and (or) Chains?
Louis Simmons - Trained the heaviest lifting athletes of all time. Also coached champions in raw powerlifting, NFL, sprinting.
Popularised bands
Josh Bryant - coach to the world-record raw bench press holder.
Coached Julius Maddox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-AEzGeh3d0 (chain bench session)
Charles Poliquin (Most Olympic champions in history)
Tom Hibbert (World’s Strongest Man & Press Coach)
Has coached multiple WSM competitors and has coaches world-record presses.
Boris Sheiko (Russian Powerlifting Legend)
Widely regarded as the most successful powerlifting coach and the leader in Russian Powerlifting.
“Boris Sheiko, on the other hand, was the head coach of the Russian powerlifting team from 1999 to 2005, which was undefeated in international competition, winning seven European and World Championships with every athlete achieving not less than a bronze. Sheiko has developed nine IPF World Champions who together received 40 gold medals. Sheiko also has become a professor in powerlifting — the only one in Russia and perhaps the world.” Elite FTS
Sheiko’s app has chains for deadlifts and bench press. He also has “SlingShot” in his programs which uses the same logic.
Mark “Smelly” Bell (Bench Press Champion, Former Westside Powerlifter)
Work harder at lockout. Constant tension.
578lb (262kg) Raw, 832 single ply.
Highly recommended for speed or strength
Matt Wenning (Former Westside Powerlifter)
Elite powerlifter.
Acceleration of the bar - Stretch reset + increased muscle damage.
Dave Tate (Former Westside Powerlifter)
Dan Baker (Legend of Australian Strength)
The leading strength coach in Australia in the 90’ and 00’
https://brainlearns.com/courses/dan-baker-exos-presents-advanced-strength-and-power-featuring-dan-baker/
Course on bands and chains for athletes.
Stayed strong beyond 50 as a coach
Coach Wodyn (Polish / UK Strength Coach & Athlete)
One of the strongest coaches in the world.
Mostly Poliquin and Westside guys.
Who hates (doesn’t like) bands and chains?
Chad Wesley Smith
Used bands and chains to be successful in shot-putting but went back on that belief because bands and chains create more stress without extra benefit.
Not necessary to improve maximal strength for athletes (not the main reason to use them).
How To Set-Up Bands
My favourite ways to use bands
Timed sets 5 reps in under 6 seconds or 3 reps in under 4 seconds.
Players loved these sets. Often players reached high percentages of their un-banded bench under the time limit.
Wodyn Method
Moderate band tension.
2 sessions per week.
Session 1.
Work to a top set of 10 reps in 10kg jumps (eg start with 40kg and increase by 10kg each set). Add 10kg more and see how many fast reps you can get. That number of reps is the number of reps you use for all sets the next session.
eg. 40, 50, 60kg x 10, 70kg x 8
Session 2.
Use 5kg more for each jump (eg. start with 45kg) and aim for the same repetitions or more. Finish when you’re unable to get the repetition target.
eg. 40, 50, 60kg x8, 70kg x8, 80kg x4
Session 3.
Go back to even weights (eg. 40kg, 50kg etc.) go until you’re unable to meet your rep target (the number of reps you finished on for the previous session).
eg. 40, 50, 60, 70, 80kg x4, 90kg x2
Session 4.
eg. 40, 50, 60, 70, 80kg x2, 90kg x2, 100kg x1
Session 5. Restart the cycle.
Start with 45. and aim for more than 75kg x8
The second cycle is where you get to see where you’re at.
You can also alternate between wide and narrow grip each cycle or every second cycle.
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