Should I Use Wrist Wraps When Benching?

[BarkBrunz]

I've been considering buying some wrist straps so that I can properly align my wrists at the correct angle when benching. I genetically have extremely small wrists, regardless of the amount of muscle I possess, and I find that when benching heavy my wrists tend to twist back so I don't have a straight line from my forearms to the bar itself.

I was just wondering if anybody has had any success with wrist wraps and if they can help to keep my wrists straight when benching. I'm not sure if they'd be worth using though, as I fear that I may lose strength in my wrists due to relying on them every time I bench.

[chadsalt]

"genetically have extremely small wrists" don't know WTH that means, but do grip training. Pretty much only time I wrap is if wrists hurt during BP...and that's usually because I slacked on grip training.

[radrd]

"genetically have extremely small wrists" don't know WTH that means, but do grip training. Pretty much only time I wrap is if wrists hurt during BP...and that's usually because I slacked on grip training.

This. I also have small wrists and used to wrap, until I started doing grip and forearm strengthening. Once I got going on that, I stopped wrapping and many years later have still never gone back.

In my case, I think the wraps were a crutch.

[BarkBrunz]

"genetically have extremely small wrists" don't know WTH that means, but do grip training. Pretty much only time I wrap is if wrists hurt during BP...and that's usually because I slacked on grip training.

What else could it mean other than the obvious? Some people have really thick wrists (not counting muscle) whereas others such as myself have small wrists. I do grip training and my grip is fine, but I'm not talking about grip strength. I'm talking about the fact that the bones in my wrist are small.

[chadsalt]

What else could it mean other than the obvious? Some people have really thick wrists (not counting muscle) whereas others such as myself have small wrists. I do grip training and my grip is fine, but I'm not talking about grip strength. I'm talking about the fact that the bones in my wrist are small.

There's nothing obvious about it, that's why I asked? You said "wrists tend to twist back", the wrist is a joint. What do you think holds your wrist straight? Grip strength. Your wrist bends because it's not strong enough to hold the joint straight under the weight you're BP. Pretty simple.

I guess you could be holding the bar wrong. But that has nothing to do with wrist size either.

[StillbornSoul]

I have small wrists. My left one is demonstrably smaller than my right. (right thumb and pinky cant touch wrapped around left wrist, but not vice versa.) Genetically some of us have smaller wrist bones than others. I started using wraps recently. Unsure if it really matters.

[jdboyd78]

I guess you could be holding the bar wrong. But that has nothing to do with wrist size either.

Good portion of the people I see, they have the bar in the incorrect position in their hand, which typically causes the wrist to roll.

[Domicron]

Am i the only one who feels like 99.99999% of people bringing up "genetics" are whiners? like, I am small, weak, skinny fat, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE to bitch and moan, but to blame 'genetics' for stuff like this isn't up my alley. "Bad Genes" is ALS, Sickle Cell, Alcoholism/addiction, Cancer, being a ginger, etc...

having small wrists just means your forearms look bigger by proportion, right? stop being self conscious about **** you can't control. your height, the way you laugh, the size of your dick, don't let people give you **** over stuff like that because it's nothing you can control and it doesn't matter (having a small dick probably sucks but it's probably not too tiny, my man)

I guess you could be holding the bar wrong. But that has nothing to do with wrist size either.

probably this and/or they're using too much weight.

watch some videos on how to properly grip the bar, lower the weight until you can bench that much without pain. Not saying you shouldn't bench heavy or that you shouldn't wrap, just saying you need to figure out if you're holding the bar properly.

When i first got my wraps (for pulling) i tried them out for benching and it did feel nice and comfortable, but i soon realized i wasn't benching nearly enough for it to matter and just ditched it. I have small girly hands and wrists, but don't imagine it'll be a problem.

[jdboyd78]

Honestly, if you aren't competing geared, I don't see the point for the most part. If you are just trying to stay healthy and strong, it can just create an imbalance with too much use. I have pretty much stopped using knee sleeves, straps, and wraps. The straps make your forearms lag, if you can't hold it, put it down and pick it up again, but keep grinding till it catches up. My knee sleeves have been on the shelf since the winter, I'll probably use them again when the temp drops.

I still use a belt on my heaviest squats and deads.

[jdesey]

Hell yes you should use him. I discovered rest wraps about five years ago and swear by them now. Keep in mind I have broken my left wrist twice and have a plate with four screws in it. You will feel so much more secure and avoid wrist pain and injuries