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Post by Cormac on Apr 23, 2015 7:00:09 GMT -5
I understand this forum is as raw as it gets but I just wanted to get some of your opinions on knee wraps?
The federation I lift with in Ireland is a raw with wraps federation. Although for my last meet I didn't wear wraps I was the only guy out of 200+ lifters who didn't wear knee wraps. I was always of the opinion that I needed to squat at least 400 raw before putting on the knee wraps, although i'm very close to that now my coach is insisting I use them for my next meet in July.
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Post by Ryan on Apr 23, 2015 8:03:21 GMT -5
I understand this forum is as raw as it gets but I just wanted to get some of your opinions on knee wraps? The federation I lift with in Ireland is a raw with wraps federation. Although for my last meet I didn't wear wraps I was the only guy out of 200+ lifters who didn't wear knee wraps. I was always of the opinion that I needed to squat at least 400 raw before putting on the knee wraps, although i'm very close to that now my coach is insisting I use them for my next meet in July. You don't NEED them for knee health/safety, unless you use drugs, in which case your joints can be out of balance re: muscles that attach at those joints (drugged lifters get musculature that is far stronger than connective tissue because they recover quicker and are able to train more and longer than rest of us, and so their joints wind up being less and less stable the stronger the athlete becomes, muscularly). However, there are people who insist on knee wraps for safety purposes, and I certainly do not begrudge them that. I think they're ok for people with pre-existing knee conditions, and are basically just a crutch for others. Unless you're purposely looking to add pounds to your squat from the rebound the wraps create, but if that's your goal, then are you truly raw?? I dont know.... So in my personal, humble opinion, knee wraps aid a lift more than they aid the knee joint. If you know someone who is able to wrap you properly and you have a good pair of wraps, you can easily and I mean EASILY add 20-30lbs to your squat within just maybe 3-5 sessions of getting used to having the wraps on. Notice I said if you train with someone who can wrap you up right; you're never gonna be able to optimize a knee wrapping by doing it yourself. You just wont get it tight enough on your own, and getting them on yourself will tire you the h*ll out AND affect your lift. FYI - I have seen numerous lifters at or under the 90kg bw threshold squat well into the 500's and a few into the 600's, drug free and without injury with nothing but knee sleeves, and some without anything on their knees at all. For what it's worth to you, I have squatted up to 515 without wraps or sleeves at bw of about 88kg, and I regularly squat for reps into the mid/upper 400's at same bw without wraps. I'm certainly not looking for a pat on the back; just using myself as an example. And by the way, I've had multiple knee problems in the same knee from age 13 that flare up from time to time, but are actually more problematic when deadlifting and have never contributed to problems in my squat. If injury is you or your coach's concern, drill your form constantly, work on your joint mobility, eat properly and get lots of rest. Don't add implements to your lifting unless you need them (pre-existing injury, or if you're looking to add pounds to compete with other lifters who do same). I might catch some sh*t for this viewpoint, but I really don't care. That's my $.02 my friend. Good luck! -Ryan |
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Post by 3speed on Apr 23, 2015 11:02:08 GMT -5
There is no predetermined point where you should start using wraps. You use knee wraps to squat more weight - period. If you want to use them to assist your lift, go for it but don't do it because someone else wants you to.
If you decide to use wraps, continue to train without them and only use them during your peaking cycle leading up to a meet gradually tightening them as you get closer to the meet. A good set of wraps used correctly could give you a boost of 30- 40 pounds.
BTW: ^^^ An excellent post from Ryan above.
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Post by osu122975 on Apr 23, 2015 11:31:43 GMT -5
I've worn them when the weight gets heavier. If you don't want to use them regularly, use them as a tool similar to the slingshot to overload your squat.
As far what's considered true raw? I'd like to see what guys/gals can do w/ just a singlet. No matter what, wraps of any kind and belts all tighten things up and allow us to lift more weight. They won't assist the movement by taking strain off of a certain point in the lift, but they do allow us to move more weight by keeping certain joints more stable and all wraps and belts have a compressing effect, which ALWAYS helps the lift.
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Post by Cormac on Apr 24, 2015 4:24:24 GMT -5
In my last meet a lifter squatting 280 kg /600 lb wearing knee wraps tore his quadriceps right of the bone, he had a very nasty fall with a lot of weight on his back, subsequently his lifting days bar bench only are finished, so I definitely don't think that knee wraps are that safe. I'm thinking of using them in the peak for my next meet so I can be more competitive in my weight class, but I totally agree with doing the bulk of my training without belt, sleeves , knee wraps etc, that's were the real strength is built.
The thing I don't understand is there was a lot of novice lifters in my last meet, for example women squatting 135lb with knee wraps on and I couldn't understand this. Many 0f these lifters haven't even developed an acceptable base of strength and are more concerned with adding knee wraps so they can squat 10lb more. They train there entire off season and peaking cycle with knee wraps on, and I think this shortsightedness probably leads to more injuries than anything else as thre joints and ligaments aren't exposed to any volume without protective gear.
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Post by dbunch on Apr 27, 2015 11:31:22 GMT -5
Basically ditto what everyone else said. Knee wraps are only there to help you lift more. I don’t use them but I train with several lifters who do / did use them. One of the thing that that point out that was not mentioned so far in this thread is if you don’t wrap them correctly the will be of little help and they can actually hurt you. Now when I train heave I will sometimes wear knee sleeves to help keep the joints warm.
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Post by Cormac on Apr 27, 2015 14:48:13 GMT -5
Perhaps I should just go wrapless like i did at my first meet, before I ever even joined this powerlifting federation I never had used a belt or knee sleeves or wrist wraps and definitely not knee wraps. At the end of the day it's more bad* competing fully raw and I don't wanna get caught up with trying to use knee wraps correctly just so I can squat 20 pounds more.
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Post by Ryan on Apr 27, 2015 14:54:39 GMT -5
Perhaps I should just go wrapless like i did at my first meet, before I ever even joined this powerlifting federation I never had used a belt or knee sleeves or wrist wraps and definitely not knee wraps. At the end of the day it's more bad* competing fully raw and I don't wanna get caught up with trying to use knee wraps correctly just so I can squat 20 pounds more. Understood, and really what it comes down to is: What are you looking to get out of this sport? Do you want to find out how strong you are as a person, are you looking to get better at the craft to beat all comers, etc. Without getting too philosophical, I am one who just wants to see how strong I can possibly get within my own skin, and so frankly, I even try to train without a belt for as long as possible. I dont bench with a belt ever (mainly though because I feel it cuts my arch....lol) and only put one on when squatting or pulling once I'm above 80% to max. As a total aside, I've even stopped using wrist wraps for benching because they seem to screw with my grip and also mess up my groove/alignment. Again, this isn't a right/wrong situation and by no means do I want to derail this thread by starting another endless/foolish debate on "Raw v. The World"; just saying let your reasoning behind becoming a powerlifter guide your decision on what implements to use or not use (including knee wraps), and when to use them. -Ryan |
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