Wrist Straps? + Wrist Problems!

[KieranDowson]

How good are wrist straps? they're only a few quid on ebay but are they worth getting? what exercises do you use them in?

I have really weak wrists and sometimes while doing different exercises it hurts? i wear a wrist support on one wrist but occasionally the other one hurts, any tips?

[PaulWog]

How good are wrist straps? they're only a few quid on ebay but are they worth getting? what exercises do you use them in?

I have really weak wrists and sometimes while doing different exercises it hurts? i wear a wrist support on one wrist but occasionally the other one hurts, any tips?

I used to have real wrist problems. Now they're not such an issue. Example: I used to have too much pain doing barbell curls, and now I can go super heavy on barbell curls and my wrists have no pain. The same went for some other things. I think you need to train through it a little bit, but also pay attention to your wrists and don't damage them. I spent 2 months or so with damaged wrists because mine were weak (my wrists are naturally not too big).

Wrist wraps are pretty good. I have them. I find they're useful when doing bench press, dips, barbell curls, and anything else that might hurt your wrists. They keep your wrists/hand straight with your forearm so there's no issues. Do note that you should try not to use them as often as possible in order to improve your wrist strength (but take note of your wrists too when you're lifting; for example, if you're doing a barbell curl, pay attention to your wrists and see if they're straight with your forearm, or if they're sagging down with the barbell).

The main thing is to avoid injury (use wrist wraps when needed), but don't get lazy about it; you should keep your wrist strength in check with what you're lifting as best as you can, meaning you shouldn't use wrist wraps 100% of the time.

[KBKB]

Which exercises are hurting your wrists? It may be a matter of form, or your wrists may simply need to get stronger.

[KieranDowson]

Thanks for the info PaulWog thats quite helpful.

KBKB - mainly stuff like barbell curls, have some problems sometimes with bench press, skullcrushers also hurt them! it seems alot of exercises that work triceps hurt my wrists

[KBKB]

KBKB - mainly stuff like barbell curls, have some problems sometimes with bench press, skullcrushers also hurt them! it seems alot of exercises that work triceps hurt my wrists

Ah, good, this is precisely why I asked...

First off, I've never used straps. Either my grip is really good, or I've never gone heavy enough to require straps - probably the latter.

But I do know that straps are only used on really heavy pulling movements, like the deadlift, rack pulls, or heavy shrugs. To the best of my knowledge, they should not be used for any of the movements that you mentioned.

For the exercises that you mention, wrist wraps may be of some help, though I would try other stuff first.

Try experimenting with your hand spacing. Move your hands either towards each other or away from each other where you grip the bar to see if one position is easier on your wrists than others.

It's possible too that you have trigger points in your forearm extensors or flexors (or possibly elsewhere too) which are referring pain to your wrists. If you do a deep massage of your forearm muscles and find a particularly tender spot, work on that knot over several sessions until it disappears. It's really quite amazing how doing something so simple can ease pain in various parts of the body.

[Cleveland33]

there is a good chance it is a combo of your form and needing to strengthen your wrists. I don't think either would be solved with wrist wraps or straps at the level you're at.

If your wrists are hurting on bench presses, I would bet that you're holding the bar too far back in your hands and that your wrists are being strained by supporting the weight themselves. The bar should be directly above your wrist and also directly above your elbow.