The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chain- (CBP) and plate-loaded (PBP) bench press training on measures of strength, shoulder pain, and muscle soreness in Division II baseball players. Twenty-eight subjects with previous resistance training experience (4.8 +/- 2.7 years) completed the study while participating in off-season baseball practice. All subjects completed a one-repetition maximum pre- and posttest on the CBP and PBP and reported shoulder pain and muscle soreness on 15 occasions during training. Two treatment groups, CBP and PBP, trained 2 d.wk for 9 weeks during the off-season with a linear periodization strength training program. The CBP group used chains attached to the bar as the entire load, and the PBP group used only traditional plate-loaded resistance. The chains provided a variable resistance, with a reduction in load during the descent as the weight collected on the floor and with the load increasing during ascent as the weight was lifted from the floor. Statistically significant increases were found in strength scores after training for the CBP test (p < 0.001) and the PBP test (p < 0.001). Both groups were able to improve strength on the CBP and PBP, but no significant differences were found in strength gains between the groups on the CBP and PBP tests. Although levels of pain and soreness were not significantly different, a threefold difference was found for perceived levels of shoulder pain (mean totals of 2.15 vs. 6.14), whereas reported soreness was similar (9.38 vs. 10.57) for the CBP and PBP group, respectively. The data indicate that training with chain- and plate-loaded resistance produce similar short-term strength improvement on the chain- and plate-loaded bench press. Baseball players may benefit from CBP training with improved free-weight strength while minimizing shoulder stress.

The purposes of this study were to determine the validity and test-retest reliability of the 1 repetition maximum (1RM) chain-loaded, free-weight bench press (CBP) and to examine possible learning effects that may occur between the test-retest measurements. Nine resistance-trained men (20.58 +/- 1.31 years, 188.24 +/- 9.29 cm, 92.07 +/- 16.94 kg) and seven resistance-trained women (20.42 +/- 0.98 years, 175.61 +/- 9.32 cm, 73.61 +/- 10.80 kg) participating in Division II college basketball completed this study. Two familiarization sessions took place using light to moderate loads to learn proper technique. The subjects completed a 1RM test on the traditional plate-loaded bench press 4 days before completion of the CBP 1RM, which was followed by 4 days of rest before completing the retest. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the percent coefficients of variation (CV) were used to determine relative and absolute test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was determined from the Pearson correlation coefficients between the CBP and the plate-loaded bench press. Test-retest differences were analyzed with the paired t-test. ICC and CV for the men (r = 0.99, 1.4%) and women (r = 0.93, 3.5%), respectively indicate that highly reproducible 1RM scores can be found with the CBP. High validity was also found with high correlations between the CBP and plate-loaded bench press for the men (r = 0.95) and women (r = 0.80). A statistically significant (p = 0.04) but clinically small (2.57 kg) shift in the mean occurred between the CBP test and retest for the men, whereas no change occurred for the women. The data indicate that valid and reliable 1RM scores can be found after two familiarization sessions in men and women athletes who have previous resistance training experience.

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