Why We Use Chains in GritLab Programs

Walk into most commercial gyms and you'll rarely see chains hanging from a barbell. But chains have been a staple training tool for decades in powerlifting gyms, and collegiate or professional weight rooms.

Chains are one of the most effective forms of accommodating resistance available. Whether your goal is increasing maximal strength, improving explosive power, building muscle, or refining technique, chains can provide benefits that straight weight alone cannot.

At GritLab, we use chains strategically within the Conjugate Method because they allow us to challenge trainees throughout the entire range of motion while developing qualities that transfer directly to performance.

Chains area tool for accommodating resistance

What Are Chains and How Do They Work?

The mechanics behind chains are simple. Let's use the bench press as an example. As the bar lowers toward your chest, more chain links collect on the floor. Because part of the chain is now supported by the ground, the actual load in your hands decreases. As you press the bar upward, more links lift off the floor. The weight gradually increases until you reach lockout. The result is a load that changes throughout the lift.

At the bottom position, where leverage is poor and force production is naturally lower, the weight is lighter. At the top position, where leverage improves and force production increases, the weight becomes heavier.

This creates a resistance curve that better matches the body's natural strength curve.

Instead of being limited by what you can handle at the weakest point of the lift, chains allow the resistance to increase as your ability to produce force increases.

Why Straight Weight Has Limitations

Every barbell lift has sticking points. Most lifters miss a bench press a few inches off the chest. Squats often stall just above parallel. Deadlifts frequently slow around knee height. With straight weight, the load remains constant throughout the movement. This means the entire lift is limited by the weakest position.

Imagine a lifter who can handle 315 pounds at lockout but only 275 pounds through the sticking point. The bar weight must be selected based on the weaker position, leaving stronger positions underloaded. Traditionally, lifters addressed this issue using partial movements such as board presses, rack pulls, or box squats. These exercises remain valuable, but chains offer a unique advantage. They allow folks to train the full range of motion while still increasing resistance where they are strongest. Instead of strengthening only one segment of a lift, chains challenge the entire movement.

Chains for Max Effort Training

Max Effort training is the foundation of maximal strength development within the Conjugate Method. The goal is simple: strain against the heaviest weight possible while maintaining proper technique.

Chains make Max Effort work even more effective because they force trainees to accelerate through the entire lift.

With straight weight, many lifters unconsciously relax once they move past a sticking point. The hardest portion is over, so effort decreases. Chains remove that opportunity. As the load increases throughout the concentric phase, the trainee must continue producing force until the lift is complete.

This often results in:

• Greater force production

• Stronger lockout strength

• Improved acceleration

• Increased rate of force development

• Better technical consistency

  
  

Chains also expose weaknesses. If a lifter loses position, shifts unevenly, or fails to maintain tightness, the instability of the chains often magnifies the mistake. For this reason, at GritLab we use chain variations as Max Effort exercises for the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Chains for Dynamic Effort Training

While Max Effort training develops absolute strength, Dynamic Effort training develops the ability to apply that strength quickly. This is where chains truly shine.

One of the primary goals of Dynamic Effort work is producing maximal force against submaximal loads while maintaining perfect technique.

Without accommodating resistance, trainees can sometimes rely on momentum. The bar accelerates rapidly through the middle of the lift and essentially "coasts" toward lockout. Chains prevent this.

Because resistance increases as the bar rises, momentum alone is no longer enough. The athlete must continue pushing aggressively throughout the entire range of motion. This teaches what Louie Simmons often referred to as compensatory acceleration, the concept of applying maximal force against the bar regardless of the load.

The result is improved:

• Bar speed

• Explosive strength

• Force production

• Acceleration through sticking points

• Power output

  
  

  

  Chains for accomodating ressitance

For athletes involved in sports, this ability to generate force rapidly is often more important than maximal strength alone. These qualities are critical for general population as well, as power or rate of force development is a quality that is first to diminish as we age. The old adage of "use it or lose it" applies here.

Chains Improve Stability

One advantage of chains that is often overlooked is their effect on stability. Bands and chains both provide accommodating resistance, but they do not challenge the body in the same way. When bands are anchored to the floor, they create a stabilizing effect. Similar to the support cables on a tower, they pull the bar into a predictable path. Chains behave differently. Because they hang freely, they move.

As the bar travels, the chains can sway slightly in multiple directions. This creates small disturbances that force the lifter to make constant adjustments.

The trainee must maintain:

• Upper back tightness

• Core stability

• Proper bar path

• Consistent pressure through the feet

• Symmetrical force production

  
  

Technical flaws that might go unnoticed with straight weight or bands often become obvious when chains are added. In this way, chains become a diagnostic tool as much as a strength-building tool by exposing the weaknesses in the lifter.

Chains for Repetition Effort Training and Hypertrophy

Most discussions about chains focus on Max Effort and Dynamic Effort work, but they can be extremely effective for Repetition Effort training as well.

The Repetition Effort Method is responsible for much of the muscle growth and structural balance developed within the Conjugate system. Chains provide several unique benefits here.

First, they reduce stress in vulnerable joint positions. For example, chain push-ups, dumbbell presses with chains, or chain bench presses can decrease loading at the bottom position while increasing tension near lockout. This often allows folks to train hard with less irritation to the shoulders, elbows, or knees.

Second, chains increase mechanical tension. As fatigue accumulates during a set, the changing resistance continues to challenge the muscles through the entire range of motion rather than allowing easier positions to become recovery zones.

Third, chains provide a novel stimulus. The body adapts quickly to repeated stress. Small changes in loading patterns can create new growth opportunities without requiring completely different exercises.

Accessory exercises commonly performed with chains include:

• Push-ups

• Bench press variations

• Dips

• Squats

• Split squats

• Good mornings

• Romanian deadlifts

• Triceps, bicep and delt exercises

  
  

The goal is not to make every accessory movement harder. The goal is to create a different training stimulus that drives adaptation while managing fatigue.

Why We Use Chains at GritLab

Chains are not magic. They won't replace hard work, sound programming, or proper technique. What they do provide is a way to better match resistance to human movement.

They allow trainees to develop force through the entire range of motion, improve bar speed, challenge stability, strengthen lockout positions, and introduce variation without abandoning the competition lifts.

These are the exact reasons chains have remained a cornerstone of training systems developed by Louie Simmons, Westside Barbell, and EliteFTS.

When used correctly, chains help trainees become stronger, faster, and more resilient while keeping training fresh and productive.

That's why you'll continue to see them used throughout GritLab programming.