Knee wraps

[kingersman]

Okay fellas. Im looking at buying a pair of knee wraps. My main goal is body building with odd heavy day and maybe a powerlifting comp in future. Had a wee search for wraps. I see there are soft/hard wraps and also 2m/2.5m. What would be the best go for me if the comp in future would be gpc?

[BeastBuilder]

From a bodybuilding perspective I wouldn't bother with wraps, I'd just use a good pair of sleeves.

 

If in future and you're going GPC I'd go 2.5m wraps.

There's endless options. Depends what suits your squat style is. Usually you'll be better off with a stretchier pair rather than a more cast like wrap for a beginner, especially from a bodybuilding background.

I haven't tried every kind of wrap and can't be considered any kind of expert but from personal experience, I would recommend Inzer Iron Zs. They're quite stretchy, get good rebound out of them, get lots of revs if you are game enough.

I also now have Loaded Lifting's Ricochets. I can rate those highly as well, definitely a good stepping stone from the Inzers as they're still relatively stretchy and get good spring out of them but is tougher material and get more stopping power like some of the more cast like ones others prefer.

[teamfatboy]

Length -  as BB said, if you're going GPC then 2.5m is fine.  It also depends on size of your quads/knee/calf - bigger guys don't get as much coverage as the little fellas.

 

But, technique's very important - knowing how to wrap will be as valuable as the brand of wraps.  Done wrong, they could be dangerous - if one came loose down in the bottom of a squat, for instance.

 

Apart from knowing how to wrap effectively, they're hard to apply for yourself - so if you train alone it would eat up a lot of time.  Plus, they hurt like hell, wound up tight. 

 

Finally, I've heard a few people say that a tight pair of sleeves, notably the SBD ones, give you as much as a half-way decent wrap. 

[jbrauch53]

 

Cory Gregory is the founder of MusclePharm.

I did a program of his on bodybuilding.com called Squat Every Day last year. Got knee wraps then. I like using them for my barbell squats. Protects the knees and gives me some potential energy at the bottom of my squat to spring back up which I like personally because it helps me get more reps and do some heavier weights and I feel like a get a good pump. Try em for yourself and be the judge!