One of my students and I doing chain squats with 215kg total weight, 150kg of which is chain. We’re just having fun with some of the new kit in the MMA/strength gym I just opened.
We will be taking off the chains and adding more actual plate weight over the next few weeks to periodize us into testing our powerlifting and full olympic squats. Just a fun way we decided to do it and enjoy ourselves.
I am 70kg/155lbs and Liam is 90kg/200lbs
Looked to me that you were all walking out nearly 500 lbs very easily, especially considering one of you is only 155 lbs. Are you sure you added up the chains right?
So you can all squat close to 500, deep and beltless, with very little effort?
If so you are all very strong, but I’m not convinced sorry. I’d like to see the same amount or close, done with plates.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Looked to me that you were all walking out nearly 500 lbs very easily, especially considering one of you is only 155 lbs. Are you sure you added up the chains right?
So you can all squat close to 500, deep and beltless, with very little effort?
If so you are all very strong, but I’m not convinced sorry. I’d like to see the same amount or close, done with plates.[/quote]
it’ll always be more difficult with just plates - remember that at the bottom of the squat, some of the chains are on the floor, the weight is reduced at the bottom.
however I agree that they moved the weight surprisingly fast, considering the size of the squatters
[quote]yarni wrote:
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Looked to me that you were all walking out nearly 500 lbs very easily, especially considering one of you is only 155 lbs. Are you sure you added up the chains right?
So you can all squat close to 500, deep and beltless, with very little effort?
If so you are all very strong, but I’m not convinced sorry. I’d like to see the same amount or close, done with plates.[/quote]
it’ll always be more difficult with just plates - remember that at the bottom of the squat, some of the chains are on the floor, the weight is reduced at the bottom.
however I agree that they moved the weight surprisingly fast, considering the size of the squatters
[/quote]
I have squatted with chains and realise the chains would take a fair bit of weight off the bottom, but one of those guys is supposed to be 155 lbs!! We are talking a triple bodyweight squat here (maybe not at the very bottom, but from half way up) beltless, without spotters and it doesn’t even look like it’s close to his max. I just don’t believe those chains are 150 kilos.
I’d be interested to hear what the guys from the 200 lbs and under progress thread have to say on this. I should imagine they will share my skepticism.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Looked to me that you were all walking out nearly 500 lbs very easily, especially considering one of you is only 155 lbs. Are you sure you added up the chains right?
So you can all squat close to 500, deep and beltless, with very little effort?
If so you are all very strong, but I’m not convinced sorry. I’d like to see the same amount or close, done with plates.[/quote]
You should now that it is far far easier with chains. But thats not the point of lifting with chains. The whole point of lifting with chains is to get full stimulus at both the bottom and the top. It teaches you to handle more weight on the top half (paralell and up) portion of the squat. With chains the weight collects on the floor on the bottom half, the whole point is to over load the top half. Its much harder holding the weight at the top, the top half is actually harder if anything. When you first walkout, the first thought is ‘holy crap, this hurts.’
You get the stimulus of extra weight that a max on half squats or parelell squats gives you, but we also get to go ass to ground and get full ROM because its easier at the bottom because the weights have collected on the floor.
Like I said, we are just having fun and are proud of our new gym, so just thought we would share. But would be no point in lying about the weights we are lifting just to boost our egos.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
[quote]yarni wrote:
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Looked to me that you were all walking out nearly 500 lbs very easily, especially considering one of you is only 155 lbs. Are you sure you added up the chains right?
So you can all squat close to 500, deep and beltless, with very little effort?
If so you are all very strong, but I’m not convinced sorry. I’d like to see the same amount or close, done with plates.[/quote]
it’ll always be more difficult with just plates - remember that at the bottom of the squat, some of the chains are on the floor, the weight is reduced at the bottom.
however I agree that they moved the weight surprisingly fast, considering the size of the squatters
[/quote]
I have squatted with chains and realise the chains would take a fair bit of weight off the bottom, but one of those guys is supposed to be 155 lbs!! We are talking a triple bodyweight squat here (maybe not at the very bottom, but from half way up) beltless, without spotters and it doesn’t even look like it’s close to his max. I just don’t believe those chains are 150 kilos.
I’d be interested to hear what the guys from the 200 lbs and under progress thread have to say on this. I should imagine they will share my skepticism.[/quote]
yes i am 155lbs but also train full time in powerlifting and MMA. Owning an MMA/Powerlifting gym is kinda awesome like that. Just having fun and living life at the moment. Am getting ready for the british powerlifting championships and competing as much as I can next year.
[quote]miltonkeynesmma wrote:
You get the stimulus of extra weight that a max on half squats or parelell squats gives you, but we also get to go ass to ground and get full ROM because its easier at the bottom because the weights have collected on the floor.
[/quote]
Great that you opened your own gym, but remember, you can go ass to ground regardless of chain or plate. I’m pretty sure everyone in this forum understand the usages of chain and know that it deloads at the bottom. That being said wish I had that amount of chains, I’ve only got 50 lbs worth, can’t find a local dealer around here sadly to buy from.
What is that? 3 sets of 5/8 chain each side? Plus the attachment chain?
I don’t think you’re lying about the weights, but I do think you’re mistaken.
My guess is someone told you your chains weigh 35, and you thought that meant kilos, but 35lbs is about right for a 6’ length of 3/4" chain. 150kg for 4 chains would be 37.5kgs (80lbs) each!
Weigh your chains.
[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:
[quote]miltonkeynesmma wrote:
You get the stimulus of extra weight that a max on half squats or parelell squats gives you, but we also get to go ass to ground and get full ROM because its easier at the bottom because the weights have collected on the floor.
[/quote]
Great that you opened your own gym, but remember, you can go ass to ground regardless of chain or plate. I’m pretty sure everyone in this forum understand the usages of chain and know that it deloads at the bottom. That being said wish I had that amount of chains, I’ve only got 50 lbs worth, can’t find a local dealer around here sadly to buy from.[/quote]
I do go ass to ground with normal plate weight as well. I do the olympic lifts twice per week so this helps. Like I said, just doing a lot of this stuff for fun
[quote]johnnytang24 wrote:
I don’t think you’re lying about the weights, but I do think you’re mistaken.
My guess is someone told you your chains weigh 35, and you thought that meant kilos, but 35lbs is about right for a 6’ length of 3/4" chain. 150kg for 4 chains would be 37.5kgs (80lbs) each!
Weigh your chains.[/quote]
We have weighed all of the chains pal, as soon as we got our hands on them. would be stupid not to.
on that bar is.
65kg bar weight.
6x5kg chains
6x20kg chains
Not going to bother debating this any further though, only reason I posted the video was to share our fun.
Good job on the squats…but it would take 16.5 5ft 5/8" chains to equal 150kg. A 5ft 5/8 chain(what Westside and EFS use) weighs 20 lbs. There most definitely are not 16 5ft chains there…or 15, or 14, or 13, or 12, or 11, or 10, or 9, or 8, or 7…
And for the record, having chains hanging off the ground when you are near/at the top of any movement is not the same training stimulus as simply deloading chains on the eccentric and reloading them on the concentric.
where are you based mate?
Didn’t read your username lol
Can you post a video of your max squat with only plates?