Knee wraps, do they really make a difference?

[bealedozer]

I'm one of those guys who can leg press the world and only squat like....well not much. (I can take about 40 pounds over my max on squat and come about 4'' above paralell), and i got to ask, do knee wraps really help?

[xahliftinracerx]

Originally Posted by bealedozer

I'm one of those guys who can leg press the world and only squat like....well not much. (I can take about 40 pounds over my max on squat and come about 4'' above paralell), and i got to ask, do knee wraps really help?

By your signature, it looks like your above quote is completely flipped around. You can squat a lot and can't leg press crap. 400 is a great squat, 765 is really nothing on leg press, especially for someone who squats 400.

In an answer to your question, yes knee wraps help, but only use them in prep for a competition because if you use them all the time your knees will get weak and will depend on knee wraps not jus for lifting, but other things too.

[ZachG85]

I'm going to take a wild stab that the squat is not exactly deep enough. I can't imagine hitting a proper squat but not being able to leg press that much.

Regardless, knee wraps are nice. I feel a lot more secure with them, particularly as the weight gets heavier. You'll get maybe a 30 pound jump with them, but the bigger issue is that you're less prone to injury. I know my knee doesn't "click" as much when wrapped.

[powerinme]

wow, i work out at gold's and have yet to see anyone put more than maybe 700-800 on the leg press, which would be me

[ZachG85]

Originally Posted by powerinme

wow, i work out at gold's and have yet to see anyone put more than maybe 700-800 on the leg press, which would be me

On the 45 degree angle sled? Are you serious? ****, I've used 1014 on it for a set in the past and there was a dude at my gym we called Big Dave that near maxed the thing out. I know there's guys on the board here who don't use the leg press because it can't hold enough weight for them.

[powerinme]

yeah, u know know some guys on here who max it out, which would be like 10-15 of the million o ppl that do it, no biggie there

[Ashford]

When I squatted 395 I was doing sets of 5 with uhm... alot of weight on the legpress. I can't say what the max was but the weights for reps was somewhere north of 500. I didn't really pay attention since it was only the leg press. I know that 700 would have came easily for me. Now I don't touch leg press, I just do deadlift/squat variations all day

[Newbtime]

Originally Posted by xahliftinracerx

In an answer to your question, yes knee wraps help, but only use them in prep for a competition because if you use them all the time your knees will get weak and will depend on knee wraps not jus for lifting, but other things too.

Myth number 2,693 about powerlifting.

Knee wraps DO NOT PROTECT YOUR KNEES PEOPLE.

They give you rebound out of the hole. and are to be used on max effort attempts.

I.E 85% and above 1rm.

[ZachG85]

Originally Posted by Oldtime

Myth number 2,693 about powerlifting.

Knee wraps DO NOT PROTECT YOUR KNEES PEOPLE.

I noticed my knee doesn't click when I wrap, so although I never train in 'em, I know I feel more secure wearin' 'em.

[football101]

Originally Posted by powerinme

wow, i work out at gold's and have yet to see anyone put more than maybe 700-800 on the leg press, which would be me

I'm 17 and I have leg pressed over 1000lbs and only squat like 400

[Titania]

I've just started using knee wraps and they have made a big difference in the bottom position. They have added around 30 to 40 lbs to my 5RM ATG.
Recently, I have been doing 3 sets of 5 reps with knee wraps ATG, then I'll drop the weight and do another 4 to 5 sets of 8 - 10 reps without wraps ATG.

Bump about the leg press too. 1000 lbs is not really that much. I don't believe it does much for squat strength either.
Before I started training mainly for powerlifting, I was doing leg presses after squats on leg day and regularly used more than 1100 lbs but my squat wasn't that great. I was only squatting around 250 for a 1RM to just below parallel.
My squat max has increased significantly since then to a parallel 1RM of 374 lbs but I doubt that my leg press has increased much. I haven't done leg presses for months.

[Strongerthanall]

i wrap at 495 and higher. Yes they help.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

Originally Posted by Oldtime

Myth number 2,693 about powerlifting.

Knee wraps DO NOT PROTECT YOUR KNEES PEOPLE.

They give you rebound out of the hole. and are to be used on max effort attempts.

I.E 85% and above 1rm.

Damn, I always thought they protected also.

Not saying you're wrong, but where do you get this info?

[ZachG85]

Originally Posted by ArchDukeOfTops

Damn, I always thought they protected also.

Not saying you're wrong, but where do you get this info?

One thing I've read in multiple places is that knee wraps can actually give your knees problems because by their nature they aren't holding straight inward (like a knee sleeve would), but since they wrap around they'll actually pull the patella to the side which can lead to difficulty later.

One thing I always noticed with wraps is that your knees CAN'T completely lock out at the top of a squat, which always struck me as a good thing.

[NewBlackDak]

The only time I wrap is at competitions, and I don't even like it then.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

I go loose in training, unless I'm doing a max then I'll go fairly tight. I've been wrapped so tight that I could hardly walk though, and the dude that wrapped me said he considered that loose, so its all relative I guess.

[TheSheepdog]

Originally Posted by NewBlackDak

The only time I wrap is at competitions, and I don't even like it then.

you do comps at your height
thought about it
but i know guys who are 250 lbs at 5'9 and have helluva leverage

[Newbtime]

Originally Posted by ArchDukeOfTops

Damn, I always thought they protected also.

Not saying you're wrong, but where do you get this info?

Erm thats a tough one, i dont remember the article.

But it was somone with credibility, lol.

However, i do remember "Five" a member here, saying that also.

EDIT: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=2408

[Fast Twitch]

Hey guys
Just finished my ME Dead cycle and i'm going for ME full free olympic squats (to 1rm)

My max should be 264 atm. i'm 190lb
I have knee clicks...

Should I wrap em when going for a new PR ?

[chuckt]

To the origional poster of this question, yes knee wraps do help, but if you're looking to increase your squat you'd be better served to work on strengthening your back and abs, while continuing to strengthen your hammies, glutes and quads. Knee wraps although helpful are really not worth using unless you're competing, there is no reason to use any kind of gear unless you're stepping on the platform in my opinion.

I have no proof, but it seems that knee wraps have to provide some sort of protection. A knee wrap acts as a cast/support of sorts which has to remove some of the lateral stresses on your knee while also providing support to the whole structure.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

Originally Posted by Oldtime

Erm thats a tough one, i dont remember the article.

But it was somone with credibility, lol.

However, i do remember "Five" a member here, saying that also.

EDIT: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=2408

Oh well, I don't wear 'em for protection anyway, I wear wraps because they make me feel sexy.

[bealedozer]

thanks for the info,i need to change that legpress max, that max was not only the day after a cross country 5k race but i was touching the sled to the bottem,so basicly my knees were in my face. I didn't try anything higher cause half the gym (highschool gym full of tall skinny basketball players and lasy ass's+ an occasional stoner) was staring directly at me. Not to mention my coach for the class hates me because i'm strong and i don't play football.

[NewBlackDak]

Originally Posted by armymuscle01

you do comps at your height
thought about it
but i know guys who are 250 lbs at 5'9 and have helluva leverage

What does height have to do with it? I really could be 15-20 lbs lighter, but I'm pretty lazy with my diet.
I don't understand the height thing with everybody, especially since Squat is by far my best lift.
I fully expect to go 650(SQ), 400(BP), 625(DL) at my next meet if I actually get to lift in January.
If I have to wait until end of next year to hit another comp I'll be looking for 700, 450, 675.
I have a huge project going on at work though. I'll be traveling alot, so I'm not sure if I can get a meet in.
Might be a while until I can update my sig.

[TheSheepdog]

Originally Posted by NewBlackDak

What does height have to do with it? I really could be 15-20 lbs lighter, but I'm pretty lazy with my diet.
I don't understand the height thing with everybody, especially since Squat is by far my best lift.
I fully expect to go 650(SQ), 400(BP), 625(DL) at my next meet if I actually get to lift in January.
If I have to wait until end of next year to hit another comp I'll be looking for 700, 450, 675.
I have a huge project going on at work though. I'll be traveling alot, so I'm not sure if I can get a meet in.
Might be a while until I can update my sig.

height has a lot to do with it
1.leverage
2. the length of the limbs, shorter guys who powerlift usually have shorter limbs, thus less to go.

there's a reason why most of the powerlifters you see are under 6'1, because the balance it takes to squat at 6'2 for some become tricky. For some shows, if your doing a weight tally to go along with your lift, then height has a lot to do with it.

but hey man, if you can do it, with your awesome numbers, rock on,

[Tigers7508]

This coming from a kid so haha my buddies in the weight room complain about how its not fair because they are blah blah height and they are short but it all equals out in the long run if have a bigger frame there for you should be able to do more but to answer your question everything raw is better

[joshwilson1]

My lifting mentor in highschool would never let use use wraps until we got to the end of a heavy workout. He did not want us to develop a dependence on them. They did seem to make a world of difference when going for a PR. At 6'9", I needed all the help I could to get over 300lbs.

[lemina]

Although height is a factor, I find alot of people using it as a scapegoat. There are plenty of guys who are 6'+ who are putting up big numbers.

[joshwilson1]

You are probably right.

[Perceptionist]

this is not towards to anyone in particular, i'm just saying this to express what I feel and to help motivate others to become more powerful lifters....well i'm tired of hearing people using height as an excuse, and guess what? height is not even the culprite, it does have a correlation to certain lifts, but ultimately it is different builts that that indicates ones leverage for a particular lift...and i've said it before and i'll say it again, just because you are built a certain way and have a disadvantage due to leverage, it still should not be used as an excuse to not improve...just keep getting stronger, faster, continue to work on technique, and have the mentality and positive atittude of a champion. I know it sounds eaiser then done, but you will get no where if you keep making excuses for yourself...."oh i have such long arms that's why I suck at bench", "oh i have such short arms and long torso that's why I suck at deadlifting", "well those guys are freaks but at least I have a life outside the gym", "but that guy takes steriods", "blah blah blah" SHUT UP AND LIFT!

here's a 2-part article that I enjoyed to read about overcoming lousy leverages...enjoy

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=739197

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=740326

thank you

[Vadim Beliaev]

Originally Posted by Oldtime

Myth number 2,693 about powerlifting.

Knee wraps DO NOT PROTECT YOUR KNEES PEOPLE.

They give you rebound out of the hole. and are to be used on max effort attempts.

I.E 85% and above 1rm.

I gotta strongly disagree with that. I used to have some major knee pain doing squats over 315, in fact it was so bad that i couldnt even sit down for more than 5 mins due to the knee pain. When i got my Inzer wraps, tried them out and easily did 405 for 12 with NO pain at all, NONE! There was no pain at all postworkout either. And my squats are always ass to the floor. But i gotta say that those wraps really cured my knees.