Wrist And Knee Wraps

[asickber]

I'm getting back into strongman and will be getting some wraps to use when I go heavy. I especially need wrist wraps for push press type of work. I've never used wraps before and think I'm going with APT but have no idea on which ones and the lengths. Any advice especially on the length?

[kyle102887]

Yeah I need help with this too. I was thinking of getting knee wraps for when I squat but didn't know really what I needed and where to look.

[AP]

Here's a related thread at Marunde Muscle

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15035

For overhead people seem to like 12" wrist wraps better, for benching you can go longer but the 12" ers still work fine. For knee wraps it seems 2.5 meters is what most people want.

I recommend the convict pro type they are pretty awesome, though you might want to go with something lighter if you are squatting less than 400. There's a chart to give you a rough guide http://www.prowriststraps.com/wrap_use_chart

If you buy APT make sure you search around their site for discount codes, they always have something going on.

[climber511]

APT also has sponsored quite a few grip contests - something to think about.

[oscar4883]

APT ZRV-Pro is a great first time wrap. They are supportive but still soft. Not at all cast-like. I use the wrist wraps often but usually just use their knee sleeves to squat in. The knee sleeves are great as well. If you are going to compete in PL get the longest wrap you can use in whatever fed you will be in. If you have no plans on competing I would go with 2.5 knee wraps regardless. Hope this helps.

[asickber]

Does wrist size have anything to do with the size you pick, or is it just the support you're looking for? My wrists are 8". Would this make 12" too small or am I thinking about this too much?

[AP]

Does wrist size have anything to do with the size you pick, or is it just the support you're looking for? My wrists are 8". Would this make 12" too small or am I thinking about this too much?

Shouldn't make any difference, you'll get it around twice with 12" wraps. Its all about how many times you want to wrap it around to add extra support. There are some brands that offer 20" as kind of a mid-size if you are worried. Not sure why some people are bothered by the longer wraps for overhead work frankly.

And don't forget that you don't really NEED wraps, they don't provide that much support for bench or overhead stuff, knee wraps add a lot of pundage but you don't really NEED them. I don't start wrapping my wrists benching until I get to 365 or more, so for overhead work even into the low 300s I'm not sure how much the support even helps. Probably a mental thing for most people.

[asickber]

I tried some farmer's walk the other day and now my knees are a little sore. Does anybody use wraps or knee sleeves for support during farmer's walk?

[underdawg]

I wear APT's heavy duty knee sleeves for pretty much all of my lower body and event training. They're not quite as nice as Rehbands, but they're a lot cheaper. They give me a little warmth and a good bit of compression.

I don't think wraps are a good idea for farmers walks, they'll just slow you down way too much. I know a lot of people wear them for heavy yoke walks, but I don't like them there either. I want to be fast.

[CoC#3]

I like APT gear. I have APT wrist and elbow wraps - great bits of kit

[diesel]

silly question, but what do wraps actually do? is it more injury-prevention or lifting-assistance (like a bench suit or something like that)? do they actually work?

[AP]

Knee wraps I think are more about getting more weight, though some people do claim injury prevention or at least less knee pain from squatting. And yes they will get you more weight 30-50 lbs+ based on how well you wrap and how you squat. If you are looking for something healthy for your knees I would go with rehbands or Kono bands, they offer minimal support and help warm your knees. Use knee wraps if you want to compete or maybe for a training cycle or two a year to hit some heavier weight.

For wrist wraps they do seem to keep my wrists from getting beat up as much from heavy benches, stuff like board work where I'm handling more than I can flat bench. They don't add much weight to 1 rm but seem to help me stay tight when I'm doing a few reps like 3-5. I haven't noticed any help for overhead work yet.