Wrist Wraps for Bench Pressing?

[JustPlaneJane]

Since all of you are bench pressing leviathans who rep out with 500 lbs on the flat bench I wanted to ask about wearing wrist wraps while bench pressing.

Are people wearing them for support ?

Are they wearing them to protect against long-term wrist damage ?

Or is this poser gear and I should spend my money on white Otomix lifting shoes instead ?

Can we please get a few serious answers before you boys venture off on a tangent and turn the discussion into something about dicks ?

[ThisisOverload]

Additional wrist support to lift heavier weights.

That's about it.

It works great for BB presses.

When i was powerlifting i could press an extra 15-20 pounds with the Titan wraps on.

[JustPlaneJane]

Additional wrist support to lift heavier weights.

That's about it.

It works great for BB presses.

When i was powerlifting i could press an extra 15-20 pounds with the Titan wraps on.

So essentially like knee wraps for your wrists ?

Do you think they have saved you from some long-term wrist issues due to heavy benching ?

[ThisisOverload]

So essentially like knee wraps for your wrists ?

Do you think they have saved you from some long-term wrist issues due to heavy benching ?

I actually think they are worse for you because if you use them too much it weakens your wrists.

We used them mainly on max attempts or anything 3 reps or less, but some people use them all the time.

The more you rely on them the worse they are IMO.

I never had wrist problems, but they helped me quite a bit on heavy lifts.

[JustPlaneJane]

I actually think they are worse for you because if you use them too much it weakens your wrists.

We used them mainly on max attempts or anything 3 reps or less, but some people use them all the time.

The more you rely on them the worse they are IMO.

I never had wrist problems, but they helped me quite a bit on heavy lifts.

Do you use thumbless grip when you bench ?

[Coach is Back!]

Since all of you are bench pressing leviathans who rep out with 500 lbs on the flat bench I wanted to ask about wearing wrist wraps while bench pressing.

Are people wearing them for support ?

Are they wearing them to protect against long-term wrist damage ?

Or is this poser gear and I should spend my money on white Otomix lifting shoes instead ?

Can we please get a few serious answers before you boys venture off on a tangent and turn the discussion into something about dicks ?

I do. Because of my chronic tendonitis I use both athletic tape and use straps

[JustPlaneJane]

I do. Because of my chronic tendonitis I use both athletic tape and use straps

Coach, why do you prefer the wrist wraps over elbow wraps ?

I’m assuming if you use wraps to bench press, then you must use straps for all your pulling exercises ?

And the thumbless grip puts less strain on the wrist when you bench ?

[DanM]

They are nothing like knee wraps, which store kinetic energy. They do offer support and prevent your wrist from buckling under the heavier weights though

[JustPlaneJane]

They are nothing like knee wraps, which store kinetic energy. They do offer support and prevent your wrist from buckling under the heavier weights though

Wouldn’t knee wraps store elastic potential energy and then release it once you let it go ? I thought kinetic energy was the energy of movement.

Your experience sounds like the wrist wrap is more for stability than for keeping the bones in the wrist from compressing or wearing against each other ? Or maybe stability is the principal effect and long-term protection is secondary ?

[ThisisOverload]

Do you use thumbless grip when you bench ?

I did a long time ago, but with heavier weights it didn't feel the same.

[JustPlaneJane]

Oh, when I’m referring to bench pressing I’m assuming that barbell versus dumbbell doesn’t make a difference for wrist wraps.

Not sure if it does or doesn’t.

[ThisisOverload]

Oh, when I’m referring to bench pressing I’m assuming that barbell versus dumbbell doesn’t make a difference for wrist wraps.

Not sure if it does or doesn’t.

I never used them for DB's. I need the flexibility to keep the DB's in the right range of motion. I only used them for heavy BB flat presses.

[JustPlaneJane]

I did a long time ago, but with heavier weights it didn't feel the same.

I understand the purpose for thumbless grip for really heavy lifting, but it does seem like it could be a little dangerous.

Obviously I’m not training with those types of poundages.

[ThisisOverload]

I understand the purpose for thumbless grip for really heavy lifting, but it does seem like it could be a little dangerous.

Obviously I’m not training with those types of poundages.

I used it in high school and college. Once i was more advanced and learned to "tear the bar apart" while pressing, using a regular grip with thumbs worked better.

That said, a lot of heavy lifters feel differently and believe a false grip is better for heavy presses.

Since i pushed in a "j" pattern, as the bar moved away from my head, the false grip did not feel safe.

My best lifts were with a regular full grip and wraps.

[JustPlaneJane]

I used it in high school and college. Once i was more advanced and learned to "tear the bar apart" while pressing, using a regular grip with thumbs worked better.

That said, a lot of heavy lifters feel differently and believe a false grip is better for heavy presses.

Since i pushed in a "j" pattern, as the bar moved away from my head, the false grip did not feel safe.

My best lifts were with a regular full grip and wraps.

Is the “J” pattern for more pec contraction or more of a powerlifting, move more weight strategy ?

I never thought about it and always tried to bench in an “I” pattern.

Of course I try to lessen the bounce at the bottom of each rep, I don’t have much of a rib cage, and that kind of hurts.

[ThisisOverload]

Is the “J” pattern for more pec contraction or more of a powerlifting, move more weight strategy ?

I never thought about it and always tried to bench in an “I” pattern.

Of course I try to lessen the bounce at the bottom of each rep, I don’t have much of a rib cage, and that kind of hurts.

It's primarily for powerlifting. As you press the weight off your chest, you press it slightly away from you and then upwards. It puts you in a better mechanical/leverage advantage. You tuck your elbows more and flare them out during the last 50% of the movement to engage the triceps.

For bodybuilding, it's better to move in a straight line for a better contraction. You get a better stretch and contraction generally, but a lot of it depends on how long your arms are.

I have long arms, so a wider grip while tucking the elbows gives me an advantage for moving weight. However on incline presses and all DB presses i stay in a pretty strict straight line, but i rotate my wrists a bit so the DB's are not completely perpendicular to my body.

[JustPlaneJane]

It's primarily for powerlifting. As you press the weight off your chest, you press it slightly away from you and then upwards. It puts you in a better mechanical/leverage advantage. You tuck your elbows more and flare them out during the last 50% of the movement to engage the triceps.

For bodybuilding, it's better to move in a straight line for a better contraction. You get a better stretch and contraction generally, but a lot of it depends on how long your arms are.

I have long arms, so a wider grip while tucking the elbows gives me an advantage for moving weight. However on incline presses and all DB presses i stay in a pretty strict straight line, but i rotate my wrists a bit so the DB's are not completely perpendicular to my body.

I have pretty long arms for a woman. Now that I think about it, I do press in a “J” pattern more than I realized. I’m not sure about tucking my elbows though ? It seems like I would have to roll my shoulders somehow to get my elbows to rotate inward ?

[MAXX]

no never felt my wrists couldnt handle my weights. I rarely go above 315 though

I think most people use it because it looks cool 

[Henda]

Never wear or have ever wore them. If I ever had some form of injury and they enabled me to keep benching that’s only time I’d use and only if completely necessary but for general prevention reasons i wouldn’t bother

find training benches with a pause at bottom to be far better for muscle growth if that’s your goal tried it years ago and never went back think spending a bit time in the stretched position helps a lot

[homebodybuilding]

Since all of you are bench pressing leviathans who rep out with 500 lbs on the flat bench I wanted to ask about wearing wrist wraps while bench pressing.

Are people wearing them for support ?

Are they wearing them to protect against long-term wrist damage ?

Or is this poser gear and I should spend my money on white Otomix lifting shoes instead ?

Can we please get a few serious answers before you boys venture off on a tangent and turn the discussion into something about dicks ?

[wes]

I used to always use a thumbless grip while benching.......had a few mishaps where the bar ALMOST fell out of my hands when grinding out one last hard rep, but it never did, then over time, I saw a few people and even more on tape
of todays gym idiots on video drop weight on their face/chest/ribs/hips even.......... so I simply re-taught myself if you will, to go back to my roots and stopped using a thumbless grip.........felt fine once I got used to it again.

As far as wrist wraps go, if you have bad or weak wrists use athletic tape.......the best stuff to use in my opinion.

If your wrists are OK, skip the wraps or tape.

When going extra heavy if it makes you feel better mentally tape those bad boys up, but don`t become reliant on them.................... they will make the wrists weaker and/or become a mental crutch.

[tommywishbone]

Wrist wraps are an excellent addition to your bench pressing arsenal. They add...

-stability
-safety from wear and tear
-actual support, especially for those of us with average wrist thickness
-are fully adjustable so can either be "snug and barely helping" or "cranked down tight" for that one big brief effort
-certain brands will give you a cool factor in the powerlifting world. Mark Bells "gangsta wraps" are a perfect example.

I am a lifetime 551 pound raw competition bench presser and have always worn wraps, even on lighter training sessions. I also wear them on heavy squat days. My current wrap is the Mark Bell 36" Gangsta wrap. It's a lot of wrist wrap but I like it.

[wes]

I have pretty long arms for a woman. Now that I think about it, I do press in a “J” pattern more than I realized. I’m not sure about tucking my elbows though ? It seems like I would have to roll my shoulders somehow to get my elbows to rotate inward ?

A few tips from an old ex powerlifter....crunch your shoulder blades together hard, elbows should be approximately under hands for most people.........it will vary of course due to how we are all built differently,  arch your back slightly, breathe in deeply at start of lift exhaling as you push the weight up,  and stay tight throughout the lift.....yes tighten your whole body.... even push feet into the floor as hard as possible, squeezing the bar hard in your hands at all times.......all of the above will help your bench in various ways, and like Ovrerload said push up then back towards the uprights in an arc like manner.

[The Scott]

The only supports I have ever used in training were either a 4" or 6" belt (usually the former unless I left it at home and then I'd borrow the larger one from a friend) and a single ACE bandage to wrap around each knee if I was squatting.   That's it.

I never was much of a bench presser but I doubt it's cuz I didn't use  a wrist wrap.  I just wasn't strong enough on that movement to warrant additional support.

[IroNat]

The only supports I have ever used in training were either a 4" or 6" belt (usually the former unless I left it at home and then I'd borrow the larger one from a friend) and a single ACE bandage to wrap around each knee if I was squatting.   That's it.

I never was much of a bench presser but I doubt it's cuz I didn't use  a wrist wrap.  I just wasn't strong enough on that movement to warrant additional support.

That's all I ever used also.

I wore a belt all the time, even for doing curls.  Everybody did

Now, I only use a belt occasionally for squats or deadlifts and usually not.

You don't need it if you become accustomed to not using it and you learn to still create the abdominal pressure to stabilize the spine.