Wrist Wraps - How To Up Your Bench Press

I don't think the 'tools' of weight lifting are that well known. It seems very little information is directed their way. From what I've read on wrist wraps, they're good for injuries of the wrist, and shouldn't be used as a crutch. A similar thing is said with wearing a belt - that you should only do it on your heaviest sets. The same can be said for wrist straps, but these rules can be broken obviously, and should be. Why not explore, and see why things are done the way they are, and also see if perhaps the popular opinion is incorrect, which is common.

So far I've used the wrist wraps on Barbell Bench Press, Barbell Military Press, Standing One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press, Barbell Incline Bench Press, and Dumbbell Rows. I found them to create a stability that you do not ordinarily have, which is similar to a belt. I found an easier route to muscle contraction while wearing them. I've felt this way in the past while using wrist straps, but ultimately used wrist straps in a way that delayed my grip strength and technique. That said, there are still situations where the wrist straps are 100% necessary, like a Rack Deadlift with 100lb over your Deadlift PR, and you're going for sets and reps.

On Bench Press, I lifted 10lb over my PR using the wrist wraps for the first time. I think they're for real, and can even be useful for push-ups, especially if you have a weak wrist or two. I recommend the Shiek extra long wraps. They go on pretty quickly. They'll cut off blood circulation if you either wrap them too tight or have them on too long. It's easy to keep them loose between sets though. I found my Military Press especially a much tighter technique.

It doesn't matter what lifting tools you use within the gym - a belt, chalk, straps, or wraps. Outside of the gym no one knows it, and if you can increase your safety, stability, strength, and muscle mass then it's worth it at some point.