Accommodating Resistance 101: Bandz & Chains
Bands, chains, badassery. It's the epitome of Powerlifting.
Bands and chains are essentially the “shiny objects” of the sport. They entice new lifters and can become an obsession for bored coaches.
Is Accommodating Resistance truly valuable? Should it be used on every lift; or stashed in the back of the gym for good?
The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as always. This is a highly nuanced topic, with many differing opinions.
*Note: As Ironside primarily competes in the Raw division, this advice is specific to that population. As a geared lifter, your application of these tools may look different.
First and foremost, let's define it. What does “Accommodating Resistance” even mean?
“Resistance” refers to the extra overload provided in the form of bands and chains. These tools add additional weight to the barbell.
“Accommodating” means “overcoming”: one must break through the additional load.
So, essentially, Accommodating Resistance applies an extra load to a barbell at different points of a lift; that the lifter must overcome to complete it.
The equipment used for this are Bands and chains, each of which has its unique applications:
Bands-The elasticity of bands provides specific benefits. Bands increase the kinetic energy involved, causing the force to be applied more quickly. As a result, the body must react by exerting force more quickly. Banded lifts increase the difficulty at lockout; and change the speed of the entire rep. During a typical lift, your goal is to accelerate through the sticking point, and as force is continually applied, momentum generates. When adding bands to the equation, you must generate force throughout the WHOLE movement. Band tension increases as the bar travels upward.
Essentially, with the additional energy applied, the body absorbs & generates force more quickly, improving power production and acceleration to the top of the lift.
Always ensure that you position yourself/the bands so that the resistance lines up with the bar path. Any deviation may ruin your positioning.
Chains- Besides looking cool as hell, what is the training purpose? Chains add additional weight to the lift. When resting on the floor, little resistance transfers to the barbell. As the barbell travels upward, more weight is progressively added to it, overloading the end portions of the lift. In a typical rep, the weight is heaviest closest to the floor, as one is working directly against gravity, changing the direction of the barbell. Chains alter this aspect, adding extra variation and overload to the movement.
How do these purposes transfer over to the competition lifts, you may ask?
Benefits of Accommodating Resistance:
Targeting Sticking Points-
Because bands and chains allow one to overload strategic positions, you can directly target your weaknesses.
Struggle with locking out a deadlift? Increase the difficulty of that portion via chains, and you can improve your strength in that area.
Struggle with power out of the hole on a squat? Add bands, and you’ll be required to accelerate during that sticking point.
The solutions aren’t always this straightforward, but these examples show potential applications of Accommodating Resistance.
Because the lift progressively gets heavier, you’re required to continue exerting effort to finish each rep. Targeting these weaker areas can blow up those comp lifts.
2. Alters the Strength Curve-
Typically, raw lifts are usually most difficult at the bottom portion of the rep. We've all been there- trying to press the bar up, and you damn near die underneath it. Or putting your all into pulling that weight, and it's stapled to the floor.
By adding bands and chains, the difficulty instead increases at end portions.
When performing the competition lifts, athletes usually exert more force at the bottom portion-since it’s the hardest-and lower that force production as the bar travels up.
Bands & chains force you to do the opposite: pushing through the entirety of the lift. This is an essential aspect of building strength. More force produced=more weight moved. By altering the strength curve, one can optimize this principle.
3. CNS Overload Adaptation-
Another benefit of Accommodating Resistance is that it allows you to lift maximal or even supramaximal loads without *actually* maxing out. As fun as max-effort singles are, it's unsustainable to perform them all the time. This way, you can *slightly* feed your ego while getting a training effect.
Bands & chains allow you to train with heavier weights-without training with heavier weights.- Since the resistance dissipates at the bottom portion of the lift, you’re lifting less weight where you’re weaker, and as you move up, the weight becomes heavier. In turn, you’re being exposed to greater loads, more than you could typically lift without Accommodating Resistance.
Overload techniques accustom your central nervous system (CNS) to heavier weights. That's the end goal, right? Exposing the body to greater loads forces you to adapt to the stimulus, and confidence improves under those weights in the future. Once you hold a weight- even with an overload technique, you’ll be more likely to achieve that lift in the future. So then, you'll be able to complete those weights *without* the overload techniques.
4. Improved Rate of Force Development (RFD)-
"Rate of force development" is how quickly one develops force during any effort. During a standard lift, peak force occurs when changing direction; and dissipates as the bar comes up.
When using Accommodating Resistance, the acceleration time during the lift increases. Why? The difficulty rises as *you* rise- so you're required to quickly exert force on the way up. Energy is like a balloon-if you continue blowing into it, it expands. If you let the air out, it collapses.
When you can reach peak effort more quickly, you can optimize the stretch reflex of the muscles, and continue exerting effort throughout the lift. Accommodating Resistance trains this directly.
Heavy weights don’t necessarily move fast. But, it’s about the *intent* to move them quickly; when working against gravity, that makes the difference between hitting or failing a lift. The entire movement doesn't need to be speedy, but during the sticking point, more force is required. Bands and chains require you to continue producing effort with the greatest intent throughout the lift, so you can fully lock it out, not bail out on the way up.
5. Optimizes the Force-Velocity Curve-
The force-velocity curve is a graph expressing the relationships between peak force, peak velocity, and all that falls between.
At heavier loads, force is greater, and velocity is lower.
At lighter loads, velocity is greater, and force is lower.
Heavy weights require higher efforts and move slower. Lighter weights move faster.
Yet, when lifting heavy, both variables shall optimize. Force=mass x acceleration. Moving a heavier load (greater mass) with more acceleration (improved RFD into the bar) means more force is exerted, aka more strength gainz.
By using Accommodating Resistance, you can train overload while training rate of force development at the same time, essentially training amounts of force and velocity simultaneously. That way, you can continue producing effort when hitting those monster PRs.
Accommodating Resistance helps you break through sticking points, exposes your body to heavier loads, and increases your rate of force development. In turn, weaknesses in competition lifts can become strengths.
Why shouldn’t it be used all the time?
Bands and chains provide benefits, yet they shouldn’t become the majority of your training. We all know about the dumb workouts that Fitness Influencers post on the ‘gram, just for views, right? The same can *easily* hold true for coaches (and lifters). Novelty is intriguing, and let’s face it, bands & chains are the “sexy stuff.” But, basing your training solely on how “cool” or “fun” an exercise seems is counterintuitive to the goal of “training” as a whole. A Band& Chain-ed rack pull may look fun, but is it ego; or truly helping you? Each exercise should make you better and serve a purpose. Proper programming is knowing WHEN to use bands/chains and when not to.
Raw lifters don’t need that much lockout specificity.
As a raw lifter, locking out a lift generally isn’t your weak point. Some lifters may struggle in end ranges. But, you’re still at a more disadvantageous position:
-off the chest in a bench press,
-out of the hole in a squat, or
-off the floor/to the knees in a deadlift.
Why? You’re working directly against gravity, have the least amount of momentum to help you, and the weight is the heaviest during these portions. You don’t have the support of a suit or wraps to help you get back up.
Using bands & chains can be helpful for lifters who struggle to lock out a lift. But, *only* targeting this portion is not specific to raw lifting as a whole and can weaken competition lifts.
2. One can become accustomed to it.
We all know that when repeating the same variations, the body eventually gets used to it. It’s why we use variation in the first place: to provide a new stimulus. The same principles hold true for bands and chains.
When you’re band-ing and chain-ing every lift (or even the majority), your body will adapt to the effect over time, and soon, it will become stale. Accommodating Resistance should be seen as a *tool* to help lifters continually progress, not a training staple to use year-round. That way, when introduced, it can provide the stimulus that you require to continue reaching for more.
3. Can be unspecific to the competition lifts.
There’s always a balance between specificity and variation. Both are essential. But, performing lifts that are highly unspecific to the competition lifts in the first place will have a detraining effect. Bands & chains can quickly fall into this category when programmed poorly. To help mitigate this, train variations that both address mid and end ranges of a lift.
Over & underloading variations.
Don’t change too many variables at a time.
Always consider the specificity of comp lifts- that's what you’re training for in the first place.
4. Beginner lifters don’t need much of it.
Not necessarily a con, just an important note: as a newer lifter, Accommodating Resistance likely, isn’t a tool you need yet.
As a budding Powerlifter, you can progress on simply training the comp lifts, adding in some accessories, and being consistent. Much variation is unnecessary in your beginning months. Your bench isn't "weak of the chest," your bench is just *weak.* Leave some tools in the toolbox for when you *truly* need them, so you can continue making progress.
Mastering the competition lifts, developing proficiency in your technique, and being consistent with your training will get you far. Do that first, and you’ll thank yourself in the future.
As it turns out, bands and chains do have a training purpose. Yet, they can quickly become overused. Accommodating Resistance can help address weaknesses, increase the rate of force development, serve as an overload technique for the CNS, and add a new stimulus- when used properly. When overused, it can alter the comp-lift technique, weaken your bottom-and-mid range positions, and lead to staleness & stagnation. Bands & Chains are one tool- not a primary lift.
After all, there are no chains in competition. Your training should reflect that.
Have fun with it, but don't go TOO crazy.
