Reverse bands are much less taxing. Charles did both (separate times). To feel the weight either will work. The chains are an easy addition.
(I believe bands address acceleration the best. Force due to bands comes on much faster than force due to gravity, is how I would describe it. Reverse bands don’t contribute to acceleration.)
He trained box squats. He trained plates only. He trained plates plus chains. He trained plates, chains, and bands. He had a impeccable sense of knowing how much to do, and even whether to skip a day. He never did more than 5 reps that I saw, regardless the weight on the bar. He usually did 3 to 5 (what I would call) heavy sets.
Charles would say that powerlifting is as much of what is between your ears as it is what is below your neck. He said that he never tried a weight that he didn’t know he could complete. What stuck most in my mind is that he would say, “I am not training to learn how to miss. I don’t miss.”
Someone might ask how much he can squat and he would tell them what he did the last meet. He trained knowing he can do that weight (baring any injury). He never needed to “test” how much weight he could do; he already knew.
I firmly believe that training to test your limit (1 rep max) teaches your body how to miss. You never want to get good at that.
