Strength Training · Powerlifting
Chain-Resisted Deadlift
The chain-resisted deadlift trains your hips, legs, and back while getting heavier as chains lift off the floor. It adds resistance toward the top of a conventional deadlift.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Attach matching chains at equal lengths to both barbell sleeves, with most of each chain resting on the platform.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart beneath the bar, positioning it over your midfoot.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs with your hips back and knees bent.
- Position your hips so your shins touch the bar, with your shoulders slightly ahead of it.
- Take the slack out of the bar with a gentle upward pull.
- Push through the floor to stand upright with your hips and knees straight.
- Lower the bar to the platform by moving your hips back, bending your knees once the bar passes them.
- Let the plates and chains settle completely before starting another repetition.
Form cues
- Brace your trunk before each pull.
- Keep the bar close.
- Keep your arms long.
- Keep pressure through your whole foot.
Common mistakes
- Leaning back at lockoutFinish with your ribs over your pelvis rather than arching backward against the heavier top load.
- Hips shooting up firstRaise your hips and shoulders together so the lift does not turn into a stiff-legged pull.
- Uneven chain pickupAdjust the attachment lengths and floor piles so both chains leave the platform at the same rate.
Safety
Resistance increases as you stand, so an underestimated top load can overload your back or break your grip. Swinging or tangled chains can shift the load or catch your feet.
- Secure the plates with collars and the chains with purpose-built attachments.
- Keep chain piles outside your foot space, with some chain still touching the platform at lockout to limit swinging.
- Test the full chain travel with a light bar before working sets.
- Start below your usual straight-weight deadlift load and increase gradually, accounting for the chain weight lifted at lockout.
Use a conventional deadlift first if your technique is not consistent, and seek professional advice before loading if you have ongoing back or hip pain.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell
- Barbell Collar
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Lifting Chain
- Weight Plate
- Weightlifting Platform
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 3–5 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Choose a load that leaves about two clean repetitions in reserve.