Weight Lifting with Chains
Weight lifting with chains works for three reasons: 1) They help to match the strength curve of any exercise to the resistance curve of a muscle; 2) they increase the time under tension (TUT) when doing an exercise; 3) they will increase the intensity when doing an exercise.
The force curve or the strength curve has been mathematically calculated, these calculations represent the force a person can produce at any specific joint angle. In contrast the resistance curve is a calculation that explains how difficult a movement is at specific points in the movement.
The strength curve has three different descriptions, the ascending, the descending, and the ascending-descending strength curve. The ascending strength curve shows us that we are able to move more force when we extend a joint. The descending strength curve shows the more force generated as the muscle is flexed.
The ascending-descending strength curve shows we have more strength in any mid-range position of the joint. Using chains works best with ascending strength curves because the weight lifted feels lighter as we get closer towards the end of the range of movement doing the exercise. Good exercises to do weight lifting chains with are the big four deadlifts, squats, bench-press and military press.
Focused Resistance
Sports science has now been able to show that the strongest part when doing any lift is always within the top third of the extension. Using chains one is able to add resistance directly on this portion when the doing movement. The advantage of chain training is that the weight used will not interfere with the weaker or lower portion of the lift. This allows you to get stronger at the exercise movement pattern a lot quicker because you will never be held back or stopped out from your weakness in the lower part of the movement range.
Increased Explosiveness
Chain training increases your explosiveness doing any of the lifts as listed above. It teaches you how to explode out of a movement and is perfect for power-lifting training because of this. It allows you to push a little harder using less resistance at the beginning of the movement, while requiring an increased effort as you get to the top of the movement.
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