Westside barbell makes extensive use of bands in their successful power lifting program, especially in their squatting and bench pressing program. But don't think power lifters are the only lifters who can benefit from incorporating bands into their training. Olympic lifters, strongmen and other strength athletes can benefit from band training as well. Here are two exercises with bands that can enhance one's strength in these two particular lifts: the squat and overhead pressing or jerking.

However, many lifters who have tried bands in their squatting program complain that using the bands, especially when hooked to the bar, pull their bar out of its normal squatting groove. They have claimed that it has taken them some time off the bands to get their squat groove back to normal. One way of solving this problem and still get the benefit from band training is to hook the bands up to your body instead of the bar.

This is the way JumpStretch advocates, but unfortunately you need one of their platforms to do it their way. If you are like many lifters who do not have a JS platform, do not despair; all is not lost. There is a way out of that dilemma: simply cris-cross the bands over your body. Grab a band in each hand and put your feet inside one end of the band and stand on it- one foot standing on the end of a separate band. Then loop the band over your head and rest it on the opposite shoulder- standing on the end of a separate band. Then loop the band over your head and rest it on the opposite shoulder- right foot band rests on your left shoulder; left foot band rests on your right shoulder. When this is done, the bands cross over your back and chest from your shoulders to your feet like bandoleers of ammunition. When using the stronger bands, you will be advised to put the bands on from the bottom position of the squat. While anchoring the bands to the floor with your feet, make sure you have a training partner pull the bands over your head. Once both bands are settled on your shoulders, stand up, shuffle under the bar, remove the bar from the rack, shuffle back and squat.

Don't worry about the bands slipping off your feet, Newton's Law helps you- for every action there's an opposite and equal reaction. The force from your feet while standing on the bands is more than sufficient to pin the bands to the floor- unless of course, you squat on your tiptoes, then you could be in trouble.

With this band setup, the bands aren't effecting your bar groove. They will have a major effect on your form. If your form is off, you'll have instant feedback from the bands! For this reason, we strongly recommend doing band squats in a power cage. Safety is a must, so use your power rack.

When your set of band squats is done, you simply rack the bar as you normally do, lift one foot up off the ground, step out of the band and repeat with the other foot.

Band work is also good for overhead pressing and jerking. Master lifter, Rick Bucinell who is shown in the photos, uses bands on his rack jerks. I use them for military pressing. We strongly recommend a technique we borrowed from Jim Parrish who developed the Joe Average template for power lifting. Instead of choking the bands around the pins in the power rack, double the bands around the pins. To do this, loop one end over the bar and drop the other end inside the pin you are anchoring the band around, then bring that end up and loop it over the bar. Use a pair of JumpStretch minis or Iron Woody's number 1- one band for each end of the bar and have at it!