Squat with Chains
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a rack and chains
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Hang a chain from each end of the barbell so part of each rests on the floor at the bottom.
- Rack the bar across your upper back and step back until the chains hang evenly.
- Set your feet a little wider than shoulder-width with the toes turned out.
- Squat down, letting the chain pile on the floor and unload the bar.
- Drive back up, picking up links with every inch.
- Let the chains settle before the next repetition rather than starting on a swing.
Common mistakes
- Setting the chains so they never touch the floor. If no links unload at the bottom they are awkward extra plates.
- Letting the chains swing. A swinging chain changes the load mid-repetition and makes the bar want to rotate on your back.
- Loading the bar as if the chains were not there. The top carries the whole chain, and that is where a squat is usually already easiest — which is the point, and still has to be planned for.
- Hanging them at different lengths. Uneven chains tilt the bar across your back.