Hey guys, my questions pertains to regular training, not necessarily any sort of competitive lifting. Feel free to talk about either one, though.
When do you find it’s time to use any sort of wraps (wrist, knee, etc.)? After you come back from an injury? More preventative, so like beyond 90% of your 1RM? All the time? Never?
I’ve never really considered using wraps, as I’ve never really felt too much pressure or discomfort in my joints. I just don’t want to look back in ten years and wish I would have taken better care of my body while I still had a chance.
When it comes to knees, sleeves are usually recommended for preventing injuries and keeping the joint warm. Wraps to a)lift more or b)lift despite injuries
Elbow wraps… feels like they don’t add very much to your lift compared to a shirt, but I know some use them to lift despite past injuries.
Sleeves have done wonders for my elbows. Especially combined with fish oil.
Wrist wraps: If you think you need them. If you lift a lot and feels that your wrists are a weak point holding you back. Can help you keep the wrist in line with the bar. I thought I needed them for squats (had to cut a few sets short because of pain) and bought wraps for that reason, but just adding some more meat to my back was a way better solution. I squat without wrist wraps now.
I don’t know your lifts, but if you start to feel like your knees and elbows are taking a beating, exercise selection, sleeves and fish oil could help you, and if you need more compression, wraps might help.
i use knee sleeves for longevity, and wrist wraps to continue lifting heavy while my left wrist heals from an injury at work. There isnt anyloss of power, and its fine if i keep it straight, so I wrap them to prevent adverse movement
I think opinions vary. One idea is to use wraps as a prevention. The idea being to prevent areas that are potentially weak and prone to injury. Another idea is not to use wraps as a prevention. The idea being to strengthen areas that are potentially weak and prone to injury.
I guess that like most things it really depends on what your goals are. There is a balance / trade-off between strengthening potentially weak areas and protecting them.
People often find that knee sleeves help by keeping their knees warm. If you warm joints then the joint fluid is more liquid and many people find that more comfortable. Might not be such a problem with youth, however.
[quote]kakno wrote:
When it comes to knees, sleeves are usually recommended for preventing injuries and keeping the joint warm. Wraps to a)lift more or b)lift despite injuries
Elbow wraps… feels like they don’t add very much to your lift compared to a shirt, but I know some use them to lift despite past injuries.
Sleeves have done wonders for my elbows. Especially combined with fish oil.
Wrist wraps: If you think you need them. If you lift a lot and feels that your wrists are a weak point holding you back. Can help you keep the wrist in line with the bar. I thought I needed them for squats (had to cut a few sets short because of pain) and bought wraps for that reason, but just adding some more meat to my back was a way better solution. I squat without wrist wraps now.
I don’t know your lifts, but if you start to feel like your knees and elbows are taking a beating, exercise selection, sleeves and fish oil could help you, and if you need more compression, wraps might help.[/quote]
so, do you put the fish oil on the inside of the wraps?
lol I kid. thanks for the info.
I wonder if any of you guys have experience using wrist wraps to prevent/work around ulnar wrist pain while doing bicep curls? yes, I am being serious. occasionally something on the pinkie side of my wrist will flare up when doing supinated curls (once it flared up when I was turning my hand over doing paperwork). I usually use the EZbars instead and avoid straight bb curls, or if it’s really bad i just do hammer curls instead.
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
so, do you put the fish oil on the inside of the wraps?
lol I kid. thanks for the info.
I wonder if any of you guys have experience using wrist wraps to prevent/work around ulnar wrist pain while doing bicep curls? yes, I am being serious. occasionally something on the pinkie side of my wrist will flare up when doing supinated curls (once it flared up when I was turning my hand over doing paperwork). I usually use the EZbars instead and avoid straight bb curls, or if it’s really bad i just do hammer curls instead.
[/quote]
There are like 10 decent curl variations, use the ones that don’t hurt. CC has written quite a bit about this. If straight bars hurt, use the EZ bar, dumbbells or any variation that lets you get stronger.
I sometimes get the same problem, sometimes not. Tried wraps one time and it helped a little, but doing a different exercise would be my first recommendation.