Archives for March 2015

How To Tie Wrist Wraps For Crossfit

Knowing how to tie your wrist wraps around your wrist could be problematic, because if it’s too loose then you won’t get the support you need, conversely if it’s too tight then you could restrict too much movement, but even worse, restrict the blood flow to your hands. Check out what wrist wraps we think are the best in the marketplace today.

There finding a happy medium is what you should be aiming for.

Everyone is different when it comes to putting wrist wraps, some people prefer them tight while others like to have a little ‘play’ in them, to allow for maximum movement, but also good support.

The only way to find out what would be the best method for you is from trying it out, yep that’s right, using good old trial and error to find the sweet spot for you.

You’ll find that this process won’t take as long as you might think, in as little as a week you become a pro at what gives you the most support and the biggest benefits.

Here’s a video of how to start the wrapping process.

What Are The Benefits of Wrist Wraps for Crossfit

by John

For as long as I can recall there has always been some sort of debate on whether you should use wrist wraps for training or whether you should use them.

One of the negatives about using wrist wraps, that some people think can be a potential problem, is that using them can or will weaken your wrist as a result of not using them properly.

Some think that if you take away your bodies need to strengthen the joint, then you ultimately sacrifice strengthen the joint, and I can see where they’re coming from.

But, I guess my view is that you have to strike a balance in terms of not getting a full workout, or potentially workout that in the end might make you a far better athlete, verses going as far as your joints allow you to.

So here are the benefits in using wrist wraps.

1) Allows you to lift heavier – more pull ups, more squats.

When you put on wrist wraps, you’ll feel an immediate difference to your perceived strength. Your wrists feel more sure and more solid, much the same way knee wraps feel when you’re using them for squats. In a way they are more solid. You see, using wrist wraps is like (for short time at least) growing a whole bunch extra tendons around your wrist joint

2) Wrist joints pain – alleviating stress on joints.

I don’t know about you, but for me, I get pain in my wrist joints when I’m doing bench press and lifting heavy. I can also sometimes feel as if the bar could slip from my grip especially when I go heavy. After using wrist wraps a lot of that psychological fear disappears. Instead I feel a lot more in control and the bar is more steady, allowing me to do more reps and sets.

3) Gives you more confidence to lift heavier thereby strengthen both your physical and psychological self.

Knowing that I cam in control of the weight give me the confidence to lift weight that I would normal steer clear of, in case I can’t handle it. Knowing that bar is not going anywhere kind of makes a big different when slogging it out.

4) Less chance of injury

Because wrist wraps acts like a you’ve temporarily just grown a whole bunch of new tendons, thereby strengthening your wrist joint, it also means that you’re less likely to drop the bar or to slip and sprain your wrist joints. I know of a lot of people who train like demons in the gym only to have to stay away from the gym due to injury. Any type of injury that involves joints or muscles can set you back weeks if not months.

Conclusion

If you have often felt like you have painful joints following a workout or feel as if you could lift heavier if you weren’t put off from the bar slipping from your grip, then wrist wraps could be a good $20 insurance policy that will could improve your performance inside the gym.

Are Wrist Wraps Necessary For Crossfit?

by John

One of the most common questions asked when it comes to wrist wraps and Crossfit is whether wearing wrist wraps are necessary or not. And just like most things, when it comes to exercise, especially accessories in sport, wrist wraps are not essential to Crossfit.

Having said that, shoes are not entirely necessary for Crossfit either, nor are shorts or tank tops, I mean you can get away with doing Crossfit in a pair of loose baggies, T-shirt and flip flops. Granted this scenario is a little extreme, but the fact is, you just don’t need those accessories.

You can happily do Crossfit without wearing wrist wraps, most people do, but the real consideration to wearing or not wearing wrist wraps comes from whether you are experiencing any pain in your wrists following a workout. Or whether you feel that your wrists are hurting and the rest of your body can do more.

This is a good sign that your wrists are weak and are giving out on you, before you can get a good workout in.

So whilst wrist wraps could be thought of as an unnecessary accessory, some folks see a marked improvement in both their fitness and strength.

Having those little accessories can improve your performance in the gym, and it is this same philosophy that needs to be applied to wearing wrist wraps.

The real benefit of wearing wrist wraps for Crossfit is that they will eliminate (to some degree) the weakness in your wrist, which means that for certain exercises such as pull ups the focus on the movements tends to move away from your any weakness in your wrist and more towards your lateral muscles where it really should be.

So sure, whilst you don’t need to wear wrist wraps, they can prove to be helpful in all of your exercise routines where your wrist take a beating.