Bench Press with Chains

How to do it

1. Hang a chain from each end of the barbell so part of each chain rests on the floor at the bottom.
2. Set up on a flat bench with the safety pins in place.
3. Take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders and unrack the bar.
4. Lower to the chest under control — the chain unloads onto the floor as you descend.
5. Press back up, taking on more chain weight with every inch.
6. Rack the bar carefully; the chains swing when it moves sideways.

Common mistakes

• Hanging the chains so they never touch the floor. If no links unload at the bottom they are just awkward extra plates.
• Loading the bar as if the chains were not there. The lockout carries the whole chain, so a weight that comes off the chest may not finish.
• Letting the chains swing during the set. A swinging chain changes the load through the repetition and makes the bar want to rotate.
• Using chains to fix a weak bottom. They are lightest at the chest, so they train the lockout — a slow first inch wants pauses or a wider grip instead.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Triceps

Secondary

• Pecs
• Lats
• Shoulders