The link at the top of this article will give you access to an old PowerPoint presentation that I created. The presentation discusses research that dives into the use of chains for strength training.

This is a screenshot from the presentation. It is obviously rudimentary, but gives a general idea of what using chains looks like on a deadlift. At the bottom of the deadlift the chains are on the floor, meaning they don’t add any weight to the overall load. However, as the bar is lifted off the floor, the chains lift off the floor as well. This creates a bit of an overload, and by the end of the lift (when the chains are mostly lifted off the ground), they add to the overall load (taking the weight from “495” at the bottom to “525” at the top when using roughly 30 lbs. of chain).

Loading with chains can have some potentially interesting benefits (as discussed in the screenshot from the presentation). Chains will theoretically force you to continue accelerating a load, as it is continually “getting heavier” by being incrementally overloaded. Essentially, chains don’t allow you to take your foot off the gas once you pass your sticking point – they allow you to keep accelerating longer without having to worry as much about decelerating the load.

To see the study, my thoughts, and much more, click the link to access the PowerPoint presentation!