Knee Wraps.

[CanadianIron]

I picked up a set of WSF knee wraps recently because I've been feeling some pain at the bottom of my knee caps after deep squats, thought i'd try some support before going heavier.

I watched this video and Im "down" on the wrapping techniques, im just wondering how tight they should actually be. I wrapped up my knees at home like this and couldnt even straighten out my legs, not to mention the pressure in the lower legs. Is this normal? Just wondering how tight they should be?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCfruLGBv-0

[tiramisu]

Knee wraps are darn uncomfortable. If they are on right you are going to want them off at the end of each set that you use them.

[CanadianIron]

Thats what I thought... as soon as I put them on, I want them off, they pinch the shit out of the skin behind your knee too.

[GYMBRAT]

I go super tight and on the outside of my sweats if I'm not wearing my shorts that day, but yeah super tight for max squats and vice versa...

[GYMBRAT]

plus the guy in that vid dosen't look like he's ever done a squat in his life LOL

[CanadianIron]

I was thinking they'd feel a bit better over my workout pants... I imagine they add a bit of weight to your squats too, I can actually feel resistance when I try and squat BW while they're on.

[GYMBRAT]

yeah man it does help wit the pinching, lol that sucks I know!

[natenator]

plus the guy in that vid dosen't look like he's ever done a squat in his life LOL
doesn't mean he still can't squat a ton.... olympic lifters for example.

[GYMBRAT]

oh well good for him, i'd still rather have massive legs than toothpics

[Big J]

I would put the wraps away. I put away my belt and wraps about a year ago. It took me awhile to get my lifts up but it is worth it. It feels much better without them.

[_Ragnar_]

I love my knee wraps my squats have come a long way since i have started using them. I wrap them so tight my feet go white.

[GYMBRAT]

I would put the wraps away. I put away my belt and wraps about a year ago. It took me awhile to get my lifts up but it is worth it. It feels much better without them.

for me they are a necessary evil because of past damage I've done to my knees...(Doctors recommendation actually)

[Big J]

for me they are a necessary evil because of past damage I've done to my knees...(Doctors recommendation actually)

Ya what help me was putting on layers of clothing and peeling it off as the workout progressed. I was training in a cold ass place and i felt that the wraps were necessity because my joints were hurting like ****. I need to go back to doing this now that it is getting cold.

[bobbyorr]

Ya what help me was putting on layers of clothing and peeling it off as the workout progressed. I was training in a cold ass place and i felt that the wraps were necessity because my joints were hurting like ****. I need to go back to doing this now that it is getting cold.

try knee sleeves from rehband or something similar, they keep the knee joint warm and you don't have to put them on and off a lot like knee wraps... they don't give nearly the support, if they give any at all

[Rhinobolt10]

Knee wraps are a tool for powerlifting... but because of the way they're used they don't let the kneecap track properly, so longterm this really won't work out.

Unless you're using them on docs orders...

Some knee pain here and there, I've found is generally tight IT bands... anybody who squats fairly heavy is going to have it come up. Just get a foam roller and roll that shit out, should be good in a week or two...

Keep in mind tight knee wraps will give me around 70lbs on my squats.

[GYMBRAT]

Ya what help me was putting on layers of clothing and peeling it off as the workout progressed. I was training in a cold ass place and i felt that the wraps were necessity because my joints were hurting like ****. I need to go back to doing this now that it is getting cold.

I hear ya brutha! ..........great advise bobbyorr and rb10, thanks guys was hoping one of ya would chime in on this subject :)

[tiramisu]

I like the idea of using wraps to allow me to put more weight than I could otherwise on my back when I'm squatting. I tend to treat squats and deadlifts as a strength exercise rather than a bodybuilding exercise.

[tex]

box squat. sit back Then down and kiss your knee/tendon problems goodbye......watch your knees when you squat....if they track over your toes then widen your stance.....knees tracking over toes creates a shit tonne of shearing(sp?) force on your patellar tendons.....you can also throw some tiger balm on your knees about 30 min. prior to training...helps with pain and warming them up as well.....

[cheesesteak]

I wear Inzer wraps. Life savers for me as I probably wouldn't be able to train legs without them. I've had 2 ACL tears along with bone fragments chipped off the knee cap.

[GYMBRAT]

yup same issues EXACTLY with my knees bro...they are a must in our situation!

[Jeff Vanco]

doesn't mean he still can't squat a ton.... olympic lifters for example.

Any real O lifter I've seen, regardless of weight class, has immense legs.

[Shortdave]

plus the guy in that vid dosen't look like he's ever done a squat in his life LOL
But it does look like he deadlifts :)

[liquidfire]

Knee wraps won't help your knee pain main... I'd invest in some Rehband knee sleeves if you're wanting just a bit of support. I wear real cheap nylon knee sleeves just to keep my knees warm.

I compete in powerlifting and when my program has lots of knee wrap work in it my knees get worse than usual.

If you have pain in the "bottom of you knee cap" it'd do some reading on patellar tendonitis and watch the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZYIMSpZNZo&feature=related

[#8]

are the elastic knee wraps worth getting? i see a lot of huge guys in videos wearing them. not sure where to get good ones either. any feedback?

[tiramisu]

knee sleeves; tommy kono, rehband, mcdavid. they keep your knees warm.

[Adonis13]

are the elastic knee wraps worth getting? i see a lot of huge guys in videos wearing them. not sure where to get good ones either. any feedback?

Shoppers usually has some good ones, that's were i got mine

[519Muscle]

Never tried the knee wraps, been really considering it lately. As a get stronger with squats knees r in pain at night, I find that icing the knees also really helps.

[#8]

knee sleeves; tommy kono, rehband, mcdavid. they keep your knees warm.

what does this mean "it helps keep your knees warm"? as in temperature? why is warm knees beneficial?

[tiramisu]

warm, as in temperature, they don't breathe so your knees sweat, warm joints generally work better than cold ones.

[rickyboy36]

I had the same problem as Canadian Iron.Just below the knee caps is where it hurt me....the part where the doctor checks for reflexes with his hammer.Some powerlifter gave me a trick to help out in the healing process without having to give up squats.The trick is to have your feet about shoulder length apart with toes "slighty" pointing outwards and just just before comming down and reaching parallel,open your legs(imagine both your knees moving outwards and pointing towards the cage) maybe 6-9 inches and push back up.Takes all of the stress off your injured knees(transfers the force to another part of your knee i would imagine).I did this with straps for about a week,then i went strapless for another 2 and I can say im about 95% healed.

[bobbyorr]

I had the same problem as Canadian Iron.Just below the knee caps is where it hurt me....the part where the doctor checks for reflexes with his hammer.Some powerlifter gave me a trick to help out in the healing process without having to give up squats.The trick is to have your feet about shoulder length apart with toes "slighty" pointing outwards and just just before comming down and reaching parallel,open your legs(imagine both your knees moving outwards and pointing towards the cage) maybe 6-9 inches and push back up.Takes all of the stress off your injured knees(transfers the force to another part of your knee i would imagine).I did this with straps for about a week,then i went strapless for another 2 and I can say im about 95% healed.

It loads up your hamstrings and low back. A good way to practice this is squatting facing a wall. Just using an empty bar, face the wall about 4 inches awayand do a shit load of reps to get used to it.