Heavy lifting chains for top-end work. Each chain weighs 20 kg, the pair brings 40 kg of variable load to the bar, and the 14 cm chrome links are sized for repeated drops from heavy squats and bench presses. Once the bar moves off the chest or out of the hole, the chain lifts off the floor and the top of the lift gets a lot heavier. By lockout, the full 40 kg hangs free. This is the load level Westside-style lifters use to overload the hardest part of a heavy bench or squat, not a starter set.
Heavy Top-End Load for Bench, Squat and Deadlift
Powerlifters add chains for a good reason: the lockout strength bottleneck. A bench press at 160 kg might fail at the top because the triceps cannot finish what the chest started. A squat at 200 kg might stall just above parallel, where most lifters lose bar speed and miss the rep. Add 40 kg of chain weight that only kicks in during the lockout phase, and the strongest range gets the overload it needs. Total bar tension stays near-constant through the rep, the bottom feels normal, the top feels heavier than the plates suggest. That is accommodating resistance done at a meaningful load.
On heavy bench, this builds tricep lockout and bar speed off the chest under expanding load. On heavy squat, drive out of the hole gets sharper because the curve demands acceleration. Deadlift lockouts, dips with serious chain weight on the traps, push press for shoulders, sled drags for conditioning that respects strength curves. Carry one chain over the shoulder for Strongman / Strongwomen, drape across the traps for chain-loaded dips. Pair with a powerlifting barbell and you have the Westside accessory toolkit in two pieces.
Specifications
- Material: chrome plated steel
- Weight: 20 kg per chain / 40 kg per pair
- Length: 1.5 m per chain
- Link dimensions: 14 cm x 8.5 cm x 2.5 cm
- Sleeve fitting: Olympic 50 mm
- Includes: 2 chains with end collars
- Sold as: Pair
FAQ
At what lifting level do these heavy chains make sense?
Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell recommended roughly 10% of your top squat weight as chain load (5-8% for bench). A 40 kg chain pair therefore matches advanced lifters: squatters in the 350-400 kg range, or geared benchers at very high weights. If your top sets are below that level, the 5 kg pair is the better fit.
Will my barbell handle the extra 40 kg from the chains?
The chains hang off the sleeves like any plate, so they add to total bar load not bar stress. A standard powerlifting barbell rated for competition loads handles this without issue. Cheaper or older bars with weak sleeves may protest, but a competition-grade bar shrugs at 40 kg of chain.
Do these barbell chains fit any Olympic barbell?
The end collars are sized for the Olympic 50 mm sleeve standard, same as our 5 kg chains. That covers powerlifting bars, weightlifting bars and EZ curl bars with Olympic sleeves. The chain itself is bigger and heavier, but the attachment is identical.