Strength Training · Powerlifting
Chain-Resisted Back Squat
The chain-resisted back squat trains your legs and trunk with resistance that increases as you stand, lifting more chain off the floor, and decreases as you lower.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Attach equal-weight chains to both bar sleeves at matching lengths.
- Position yourself under the bar with it across your upper back, below your neck, using a firm overhand grip.
- Straighten your legs to lift the bar clear of the hooks.
- Step back into a roughly shoulder-width stance with your toes turned slightly outward.
- Lower your hips between your knees to the deepest position you can control without rounding your lower back.
- Push through your feet to return to a fully standing position.
- Pause upright until the chains stop swinging.
- Return the bar to both rack hooks after your final repetition.
Form cues
- Breathe in and brace before descending
- Keep your knees tracking over your toes
- Let your hips and chest rise together
Common mistakes
- Chains hanging entirely off the floorAdjust the attachments so some chain stays grounded at standing height and most rests on the floor at squat depth.
- Bar drifting toward your toesKeep the bar centered over the middle of your feet throughout the repetition.
- Bouncing out of the bottomReverse direction smoothly rather than using a sudden rebound that can whip the chains.
Safety
A failed repetition can trap you under the bar, and heavy loading with a loss of trunk control can strain your back. Swinging or snagged chains can pull you off balance.
- Set the safety supports just below your lowest bar position, verified with an unloaded bar.
- Secure the plates with collars and check that the chain attachments cannot slip.
- Keep chain piles outside your footpath and clear of the rack throughout the movement.
- Introduce chains with a lighter bar weight than usual; end the set when you can no longer control the bar path.
Choose a regular back squat first if your technique is inconsistent, or seek advice from a physiotherapist if squatting causes back, hip, or knee pain.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell
- Barbell Collar
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Lifting Chain
- Power Rack
- Rack Safety Supports
- Weight Plate
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 4–6 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Choose a load that leaves about two repetitions in reserve despite the added resistance near standing.