Bands and Chains for Stability Training

Bands and Chains for Stability

Chains and Bands are a great way to add stability work into your training. I recommend when doing stability training with barbell that the athletes start off with chains and then progress to bands. Just like when we discussed chain training and band training for power  the athlete should master straight weight first before progressing to these exercises.

The way to utilize chain for stability is to set them up with the chain hanging OFF the floor. You can use a carabineer to clip the ends the chain together and then loop it over the bar. You can also use special collars to attached the middle link of the chain onto the barbell. The reason the chain are great for stability is because when the athlete walks out the weight from the rack the chain will want to swing and the athlete is FORCED to stabilize the barbell. The athlete also must brace the abdominals extra hard in order to maintain good form and prevent the chains from swinging during the set.  This set up is great for squats variations and overhead presses. Another effective exercise you can do is go for a walk with the chains hanging on the bar overhead. This is great for shoulder, core, and hip stability.

Bands can also be used for stability training as well. The athlete must utilize jump stretch bands and either 25 pound plates or Kettlebells. You will quadruple up the bands and loop it through the weight and hang it on the bar. As the athlete takes out the bar the weight will start to oscillate on the bar. This creates an incredibly unstable environment. This athlete must brace extremely hard and lower the weight under control in order to maintain good form. This is the ultimate way to build rock hard stability. If the athlete goes too fast or uses bad form, the athlete will lose control of the bar during the set.  The athlete is forced to “turn on” their core in order to keep their technique. This set up is great for bench presses, squats, military press and Romanian deadlifts.

Hanging Chains and bands are a great way to add stability training into your program. Substitute the strength exercise of the day with stability variations from time to time. I would only use these exercises with your more advanced athletes. Make sure to use a very competent spotter at all times during these exercises due to the instability of the exercises.  After working with these exercises it will make traditional barbell lifts seem much easier due to their increase in stability.