Chains & Bands Produce Greater Strength Gains (*meta-analysis)

Many of the strongest lifters in the world will attest to the effectiveness of using bands, chains, and other forms of variable resistance in their training. Depending on the technique used, this type of training can be help address weaknesses at one’s personal sticking point in any major barbell lift. It’s thought to achieve this via the training of the nervous system and musculature to generate additional force at a specific point during a movement (where it had previously been lacking).

But other than in specific instances, to improve on an acute region within a lift, does variable resistance have a place in strength training? In other words, should it be included all of the time, for people looking to gain strength, or is it mostly of use in specific instances?

The answer is that using variable resistance is something that should probably be part of a program more often than not; A recent meta-analysis examined seven studies (235 total subjects), and found that there were significanly greater strength gains with the use of chains and bands in long-term (> seven weeks) programs, as opposed to programs that simply relied on conventional weight training.

Check it out:

Effects of variable resistance training on maximal strength: A meta-analysis.

Soria-Gila, Miguel A.; Chirosa, Ignacio J.; Bautista, Iker J.; Baena, Salvador; Chirosa, Luis J.
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Abstract

Abstract: Soria-Gila, MA, Chirosa, IJ, Bautista, IJ, Baena, S, and Chirosa, LJ.  J Strength Cond Res 29(11): 3260–3270, 2015—Variable resistance training (VRT) methods improve the rate of force development, coordination between antagonist and synergist muscles, the recruitment of motor units, and reduce the drop in force produced in the sticking region. However, the beneficial effects of long-term VRT on maximal strength both in athletes and untrained individuals have been much disputed. The purpose of this study was to compare in a meta-analysis the effects of a long-term (≥7 weeks) VRT program using chains or elastic bands and a similar constant resistance program in both trained adults practicing different sports and untrained individuals. Intervention effect sizes were compared among investigations meeting our selection and inclusion criteria using a random-effects model. The published studies considered were those addressing VRT effects on the 1 repetition maximum. Seven studies involving 235 subjects fulfilled the selection and inclusion criteria. Variable resistance training led to a significantly greater mean strength gain (weighted mean difference: 5.03 kg; 95% confidence interval: 2.26–7.80 kg; Z = 3.55; p < 0.001) than the gain recorded in response to conventional weight training. Long-term VRT training using chains or elastic bands attached to the barbell emerged as an effective evidence-based method of improving maximal strength both in athletes with different sports backgrounds and untrained subjects.