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Are they gimmicks

S

Senator

New member
I know i have been out of the game ( powerlifting manly benching) for a while i see and hear from other lifters using bands and chains is all the go maybe i too old school but i thought hey just add some weight .I ll throw this one out there to everyone in AUSBB World as Ms Hanson once said .PLEASE EXPLAIN :)
 
They can help and many people use them with great success but let's face it people got just as strong before bands and chains were ever used.
 
I think it depends on if you are a raw or geared lifter.
Yes they can help a raw lifter, but I think they are more to mimic geared lifting without have to put the gear on.
Note they are also good for strongman as we pushpress stuff overhead so hammering the lockout is what we need.

If you struggle locking out your bench then they are great, if you are crappy of the chest go do some pin presses.
 
bands and chains, prowlers, kettlebells and bumpers all have their place but in the end they're not necessary to getting strong.
 
They are for helping with lockout strength (regardless of the lift) and normally done after the normal working sets as assistance work.
 
Gimmick, no. But they are more for improving specific areas of a lift such a dandexter has pointed out in lock out strength. They can also be used in reverse fashion which achieves the opposite effect. There are many uses for them like this --> Elitefts Training | Search results for but they are more of a luxury than a necessity.
 
Oli is correct just another tool for the tool-box

From Dr Ken Liesnters steel tip

Arthur's Chains

One of the most effective training ideas, and one I dearly wish I would have thought of first, was revealed to the world by Arthur Jones in 1970. No, I’m not referring to the first Nautilus Pullover machine, although that too was a step into another dimension. It was the use of heavy gauge chain to provide variable resistance while using a barbell.

Arthur advised the trainee to attach this heavy duty chain to each end of the barbell or pulley, so that additional links of chain were lifted off the floor as the exercise was taken closer and closer to the point of full contraction. As a muscle’s ability to contract strongly increased, or leverage factors improved, more weight could be used. With the addition of the chains, one was lifting more weight as the barbell was moved further. Not perfect, and certainly more effective in some movements than others, but a tremendous improvement in the effectiveness of most conventional exercises.

I recommend the heaviest chain one can find. Nautical stock makes for a far more difficult, yet productive workout than the usual hardware store or Sears fare, so take the time to look around. Depending upon the type of bar being used, the chains can be attached by a variety of simple and efficient methods. This small alteration in technique can increase exercise productivity more than you can imagine.
 
The use of them largely depends on your goals as well.

General training/Bodybuilding - probably not necessary
Raw Powerlifter - can potentially throw off grooves if used too much or in place or BB only lifts (as I can attest too) but extremely useful for the reasons TotalStrength suggested
Equipped Powerlifter - Reverse band lifts in some way simulate what a bench shirt, squat suit, deadlift suit does, though, as per raw, still with the potential to throw off groove (though I've yet to come across an equipped log where they train with their comp suits every session so the groove here may be less relevant). Again they help with lockouts etc etc
Athlete - imo this is where they come into their own. As you squat with just the barbell you have the tendency to decelerate slightly at the top of the lift which is the complete opposite of what you would do when you jump for example. adding the bands/chains means you have to continue to drive through the lift otherwise you will get stuck (still not fool proof obviously). Athletes don't have to worry about lift grooves either because they aren't looking to lift more - simply get stronger

Just my 2cents
 
The Hamburgler said:
The use of them largely depends on your goals as well.

General training/Bodybuilding - probably not necessary
Raw Powerlifter - can potentially throw off grooves if used too much or in place or BB only lifts (as I can attest too) but extremely useful for the reasons TotalStrength suggested
Equipped Powerlifter - Reverse band lifts in some way simulate what a bench shirt, squat suit, deadlift suit does, though, as per raw, still with the potential to throw off groove (though I've yet to come across an equipped log where they train with their comp suits every session so the groove here may be less relevant). Again they help with lockouts etc etc
Athlete - imo this is where they come into their own. As you squat with just the barbell you have the tendency to decelerate slightly at the top of the lift which is the complete opposite of what you would do when you jump for example. adding the bands/chains means you have to continue to drive through the lift otherwise you will get stuck (still not fool proof obviously). Athletes don't have to worry about lift grooves either because they aren't looking to lift more - simply get stronger

Just my 2cents
Click to expand...
I basically agree with this.

I wouldn't call them gimmicks, but purely for powerlifting purposes, I think if you're going to use them they should be as an assistance exercise only (or maybe something to do in the off-season). Simple reasoning: you don't compete with chains, so training with chains (and anything else that changes the movement or loading patterns) is stepping away from specificity. You squat to squat, bench press to bench press, and deadlift to deadlift.
 
they (you know ...'them') will market whatever they can to whomever they can to make money. bb accesories is a business after all.

Look at compression garments today. they are where bb gloves where at in the late 90's...so many people with them on. Saw a dude this morning come in and do a leg workout and he was wearing the top

Fair enough for injury or bloodflow..but are they worth >100 and should everyone have a pair??
 
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