Chain Press
Trains the Pecs.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a rack, chains and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Lie on a flat bench and set a barbell with chains hung from each end, so that some chain lies on the floor at the bottom of the press and lifts off as the bar rises.
- Unrack the bar with a grip a little wider than the shoulders, and set the shoulder blades down and back.
- Lower the bar under control to the lower chest, letting more chain settle on the floor as it descends.
- Touch the chest lightly, then drive the bar up.
- Keep driving hard through the top, where the chain has all left the floor and the bar is heaviest.
- Lock out fully, then lower and repeat.
Common mistakes
- Hanging the chains so none of it reaches the floor. The point is that the bar gets heavier as it rises; if the chain never touches down, it is just a lighter bar that swings.
- Letting the chains swing. They hang still if the bar travels straight; a swinging chain means the bar path is wandering.
- Easing off at the top. The bar is heaviest at lock-out, and the drive has to continue right through it rather than coasting once it has left the chest.
- Bouncing off the chest. The bottom is lightest, which tempts a rebound; the bar touches and is pressed, not dropped and bounced.