Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Using wrist wraps for lifting


bluedevil008

Recommended Posts

I just wanted to point out that last year I started using wrist wraps (support straps, whatever you call them), and it has helped keep my wrists pain-free when shooting.  I like to do front squats, clean and jerks, benching, lifts like that that can put pressure on the wrist.  Many times I would leave the gym with my wrists hurting from being stretched too much, and that would translate to paint during dry-fire or shooting.  

 

Let me tell you, wrist-wraps were the best $15 I have spent for my health.  It makes a world of a difference, and if you like lifting weights, you need to get you some.  I'm trying to think long term to avoid arthritis.

 

Proper shoe insoles, weight lifting belt (for heavy full body lifts) and knee sleeves also make a difference in staying injury free!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got a picture of your front rack position?

 

Your pain is more than likely caused by either crappy front rack flexibility (which is shockingly common in men) or crappy bar position (also very common). As soon as your elbow/upper arm is pointing downwards from horizontal, you're immediately vastly increasing the load the wrist has to support. A proper front rack puts no stress on the wrist whatsoever because the bar is fully supported by your shoulders. All the hands do in this situation is keep the bar tight to your neck to ensure the weight is in line with the frontal plane (the plane that bisects your body front to back).

 

Common flexibility issues that cause front rack wrist pain are elbows that don't have full range flexion, tight shoulders or lats that prevent the elbow from being raised high enough to create a proper shelf on the shoulder for the bar to sit, and wrist extension flexibility although I hardly see this. I'd highly recommend you try to sort out any/all of these flexibility issues rather than relying solely on the compression support of wrist wraps. A good place to start for learning how to mobilize this position would be to youtube search kelly starrett front rack mobility.

Edited by Jake Di Vita
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Jake Di Vita said:

Got a picture of your front rack position?

 

Your pain is more than likely caused by either crappy front rack flexibility (which is shockingly common in men) or crappy bar position (also very common). As soon as your elbow/upper arm is pointing downwards from horizontal, you're immediately vastly increasing the load the wrist has to support. A proper front rack puts no stress on the wrist whatsoever because the bar is fully supported by your shoulders. All the hands do in this situation is keep the bar tight to your neck to ensure the weight is in line with the frontal plane (the plane that bisects your body front to back).

 

Common flexibility issues that cause front rack wrist pain are elbows that don't have full range flexion, tight shoulders or lats that prevent the elbow from being raised high enough to create a proper shelf on the shoulder for the bar to sit, and wrist extension flexibility although I hardly see this. I'd highly recommend you try to sort out any/all of these flexibility issues rather than relying solely on the compression support of wrist wraps. A good place to start for learning how to mobilize this position would be to youtube search kelly starrett front rack mobility.

That's a good point.  My rack position is not what it should be, and I do need to work on it. All the weight is on my shoulders, but I don't have the arm/elbow flexibility to bring my elbows high. That said, there are plenty of movements that still put pressure on my wrists that the wraps have helped mediate.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah for sure. I'm definitely not saying don't wrap your wrists. I'm saying don't settle for only wrapping when you can work on correcting the cause of the problem. I have a whole series of mobilization exercises I use specifically for the front rack that I make everyone I teach go through before doing work sets. Takes about 15-20 minutes, but it makes a profound difference both in the short term and long term if done consistently. 

 

The weight may be totally on your shoulders when standing, but at the bottom of the squat (unless you have a superbly upright torso) is where the weight of the bar will shift to the wrists. Forward inclination of the torso at the bottom of the squat effectively lowers the elbows even more and makes the movement real harsh on the wrist. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Don't forget when you wrap anything, wrists weight belt etc., you are transferring stress to another part of your body. If you are lifting more weight than you can handle or using poor form those are 99% of the time the cause of pain. Don't try to be a show off in the gym. Really NO one cares how much you lift it is all about your ego........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 3/3/2018 at 9:08 AM, Boy said:

Don't forget when you wrap anything, wrists weight belt etc., you are transferring stress to another part of your body. If you are lifting more weight than you can handle or using poor form those are 99% of the time the cause of pain. Don't try to be a show off in the gym. Really NO one cares how much you lift it is all about your ego........

 

Agree 100%. Used wrist wraps for about a year doing Crossfit and it really messed up a few things. Work on the flexibility and most of the pain will go away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe I'm just in better shape and more flexible, but I haven't been using wraps the list couple of months.  So I guess y'all were right! haha I didn't find that other aspects became weaker or anything but I just don't feel like I need them.  I have spent more time warming up and stretching the wrists before lifts that require it.

 

Today is heavy clean and jerk day, though, so we will see how my wrists feel. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, bluedevil008 said:

Maybe I'm just in better shape and more flexible, but I haven't been using wraps the list couple of months.  So I guess y'all were right! haha I didn't find that other aspects became weaker or anything but I just don't feel like I need them.  I have spent more time warming up and stretching the wrists before lifts that require it.

 

Today is heavy clean and jerk day, though, so we will see how my wrists feel. 

 

Voodoo flossing your elbow flexion before clean day will change your life. You'll be shocked how much less stress is on the wrists when you can actually flex your arm all the way in the front rack.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Jake Di Vita said:

 

Voodoo flossing your elbow flexion before clean day will change your life. You'll be shocked how much less stress is on the wrists when you can actually flex your arm all the way in the front rack.

Where to wrap the band for this flossing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, NMBOpen said:

Where to wrap the band for this flossing?

 

Start about 2 inches below the elbow, wrap to about 2 inches above the elbow. Wrap as tight as you can stand, then bend the arm completely to full flexion with palm away (same position as front rack) multiple times. Take the wrap off when you can't take anymore or if anything goes tingly/numb. Test your front rack position before and after to note difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Jake Di Vita said:

 

Start about 2 inches below the elbow, wrap to about 2 inches above the elbow. Wrap as tight as you can stand, then bend the arm completely to full flexion with palm away (same position as front rack) multiple times. Take the wrap off when you can't take anymore or if anything goes tingly/numb. Test your front rack position before and after to note difference.

+1

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, bluedevil008 said:

Well I didn't do that today ^^^ but I did get a new PR by 30 pounds, 215.  Wrists felt good!  Took my sweet-ass time warming up since I was the only person there.

 

Cool.

 

That's how it should be. The higher the intensity of your daily programming, the longer the warm up should be. Going for a 1 rep max should be preceded by a gigantic amount of prep work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the advise I will be investing in some very soon. I have issues with my wrist anyways from a fracture when I was a kid and much weight on them will make them hurt for days, hopefully the straps will help. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 3/3/2018 at 8:08 AM, Boy said:

Don't forget when you wrap anything, wrists weight belt etc., you are transferring stress to another part of your body. If you are lifting more weight than you can handle or using poor form those are 99% of the time the cause of pain. Don't try to be a show off in the gym. Really NO one cares how much you lift it is all about your ego........

Well said!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget when you wrap anything, wrists weight belt etc., you are transferring stress to another part of your body. If you are lifting more weight than you can handle or using poor form those are 99% of the time the cause of pain. Don't try to be a show off in the gym. Really NO one cares how much you lift it is all about your ego........


Sorry, but I disagree with this statement. Straps/wraps/sleeves do not put stress on other parts of the body when used correctly. They should be used to support parts of the body when that part would otherwise be a limiting factor in a lift i.e. the wrists in a bench press or squat.

Sure, form is important but you need to be able to apply progressive stress to get stronger and if you can’t do that because of a limiting factor then you won’t get stronger.

You should absolutely address whatever mobility issues are contributing to pain but simply backing off the weight isn’t necessarily the right answer.

(I’m making this comment as a competitive powerlifter with mobility issues who never expected to see this type of post on benos between sets [emoji12])


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/29/2018 at 9:36 PM, Matt1 said:


Sure, form is important but you need to be able to apply progressive stress to get stronger and if you can’t do that because of a limiting factor then you won’t get stronger.

You should absolutely address whatever mobility issues are contributing to pain but simply backing off the weight isn’t necessarily the right answer.
 

 

 

I agree with this. But if there is an issue that is requiring you to use a support like straps or a brace to perform a lift, you would be much better off addressing that issue first. 

 

It's like using a Smith machine for your squats. Sure you can lift more, but the first time you try to lift that same weight on a power rack, you're in for a bad time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't think this would be this contentious.  Several months later, I have been taking it a little easier on the powerlifting as I had to prepare for my annual PT test and uspsa nationals, but I don't regret using them.  My wrist mobility has increased enough that I find myself needing them less, and that is with very little work on wrist mobility.  I do spend a lot of time working mobility drills through ROMWOD which has been extremely helpful in keeping me healthy and limber.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/15/2018 at 3:58 PM, bluedevil008 said:

I do spend a lot of time working mobility drills through ROMWOD which has been extremely helpful in keeping me healthy and limber.

 

It's good that you're doing something and that it's helping, however I've always felt romwod was a very poor substitute for mobilitywod.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...