Workouts and fitness have become the need of the hour today and keeping the current pandemic in mind this is the only way left to relieve stress. Because of this reason, various equipment and gym accessories are being made to help athletes in their sports and workouts. One of the most common accessories that you find today is Wrist Wraps.
These pieces are usually not appropriately worn, and one needs to understand them and learn how to use them properly to work in the most effective way possible. If you are passionate about lifting heavy and don’t want to risk your joints, investing in these accessories is your safest bet. It doesn’t guarantee any injury but is an excellent product for prevention.
Wrist wraps are most often used by lifters, bodybuilders, and even those who are starting to provide the necessary wrist support, especially when it comes to lifting weights. These wrist wraps are primarily used to add specific compression around the wrist to protect it and safeguard it and provide the right kind of balance or sturdiness required.
Why Are Wrist Wraps Important?
There are various benefits attached to using wrist wraps, and some of them are highlighted below:
Provides Adequate Support to the Wrists:
Wrist wraps are great for providing stability and preventing the wrist joint from getting injured. It’s essential gear when one is lifting heavy weights or doing heavily weighted lifts. If these are not used, the wrists can weaken up, and it can cause certain levels of strain on the wrist joints. Moreover, those who are prone to injuries must make sure to wear wrist wraps as the risk is reduced.
You Can Lift Heavier:
Not only does it provide the right kind of support to your arms and wrists, but it also helps with training much harder and helps you push yourself to go heavier with your sets. The heavier the weights, the more strain it can cause to your wrist joints and arms, which can eventually even lead to injury. But making use of wrist wraps avoids such scenarios and significantly reduces the risk.
Faster Recovery:
One of the most common injuries that beginners or weightlifters experience is wrist injuries. The silver lining about it is that even though they are more prone to injury; the wrist joints also come with faster recovery with good rest. Injury-prone hands and those who have already sprained wrists can wear these wrist wraps and protect themselves in the future. This is the most practical gear for a workout and reduces strain. You can push out weights in your heavy sets comfortably.
Wrapping Steps
There are two types of wrist wraps, and one can choose either of them depending upon their comfort. First are the fabric wrist wraps that are not at all bulky and aren’t even that sturdy. These can easily be adjusted to your size by twisting them and wrapping them around the wrist.
The other type of wrist wraps are Velcro ones, and there are specific easy steps you need to follow to wear them:
You can start putting the wrist wrap in either of the hands since the process for both hands is precisely the same. These are also interchangeable and can be worn in either of the hands.
Step 1: Starting with finding the thumb loop on the wraps and line it with your wrists from the inside.
Step 2: Now, put your thumb into the loop, whether it is the right hand or the left hand, to place the wrist wrap comfortably in your hand.
Step 3: The Velcro side of the wrap should be faced inwards. Once you have wrapped the wrist, the Velcro needs to be placed outside the wrist. Remember to keep the edges in line once you cover the accessory to your wrist.
Step 4: Make sure you tighten it in a comfortable position and ultimately fix it with Velcro. The tightness should be at the level where it puts in an adequate amount of pressure, but make sure it doesn’t cause any discomfort.
Repeat the entire process with the other hand’s wrist wrap, and the same sequence of steps needs to be followed.
Various companies produce wrist wraps called hook straps, which come with a built-in hook that can be looped around a bar. It is recommended to avoid using these as they can tamper and loosen your grip.
An important thing to keep in mind is that the wrist wrap must cover the wrist joint, otherwise wearing it or putting it on is mostly pointless. Also, cotton wraps provide added comfort to the wrists and are perfect for snatches and cleanliness.
Read our article and choose the Best Hand Wrist for you.
When Should One Wear Wrist Wraps?
Although one should always wear wrist wraps when working around weights, especially the heavy ones, they are indeed quite important when one is pressing or doing the overhead lifting. These wrist wraps are accessories that are used for heavy lifting but are not 100% effective.
Also, make sure not to wear these wrist wraps for every workout as that can get your body used to it and weaken the mobility of the wrists for different workouts. For heavy weight lifting, this piece of accessory is quite helpful.
Some of the other exercises that wrist wraps should be worn for max overhead squats, bench presses, front squats, shoulder presses, snatches, etc.
Conclusion:
Therefore, wrist wraps work as an excellent supplement for heavy lifting but are not a replacement for anything. It would help if you kept switching and alternating when you are using these to reduce the dependency on them. Those who do bodyweight workouts or are into CrossFit should avoid using wrist wrap because they need the most mobility.
