The Chained Ground Shove: Because Plain Wasn't Enough

Mechanism · Protocol Notes

So you've mastered the basic ground press and thought to yourself, 'This is fine, but what if I added dangling metal links to make it progressively harder as I push up?' Congratulations, you beautiful maniac, this is that exercise. Set your J-hooks to the proper height, then drape chains directly over the ends of the barbell. Try to keep the chain links from sitting on top of the weight plates — give them their own real estate hanging off the bar ends.

Plant yourself on the floor, head near the uprights of the rack. Squeeze those shoulder blades together and unrack the bar. Now here's where the chains work their sneaky magic: as the bar sits on your chest, most of the chain is piled on the floor, so the weight is relatively light. But as you press upward and the chains lift off the ground, more and more weight gets added to the bar. It's like the exercise is trolling you in real time.

Lower the bar toward your lower chest or upper stomach area, actively trying to rip the bar apart with your grip as it descends. Keep those elbows bending the whole way down. When your upper arm kisses the floor, pause. No bouncing — the floor is your strict coach here.

Then blast the weight upward as fast as humanly possible, maintaining alignment of bar, wrists, and elbows. The chains will make the top portion significantly heavier, which is exactly the point — it overloads your lockout where you're strongest. It's self-adjusting resistance, and it's brilliant. Repeat for the designated rep count and marvel at how something so simple can be so diabolically effective.