WRIST WRAPS: The Complete Guide and How NOT to Put Them On! (Lifting Gear Series)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Wrist wraps - what are they, why you’d want to use them, where to find them, what to look for when you’re shopping, how to use them, and perhaps most importantly - how not to use them. Be sure to check out the included videos as they also cover some additional material (and a shortcut or two) not included in this article.

This is the fourth article in our “Lifting Gear” series, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks for future articles in the series. Click below to read the previous articles in the series:

What is a Wrist Wrap?
Not surprisingly, a wrist wrap is a wrap that goes around your wrist. Brilliant, I know. Common lengths include 18” and 24”, and while you can find longer versions, these are probably the two most common lengths.

Figure 1: BAsic design of a wrist wrap (from left to right) - thumb loop, elastic body (including soft velcro portion), and velcro tab (i.e., the rough velcro “hook”).

The typical design (Figure 1) includes a thumb loop at one end, the elastic body of the wrap, and then a velcro closure system at the other end of the wrap.

Why Would You Want to Use Wrist Wraps?
A wrist wrap provides support for your wrist. It lends a measure of bracing to the wrist and acts as a kind of exoskeleton or belt for the wrist, which is very useful when your wrist is under compression as in a heavy press or bench press.

This bracing helps your wrist remain relatively straight and stay out of extreme extension (i.e., a very bent-back wrist position), a position that is inefficient for force transfer. As a result, the proper use of a wrist wrap helps you lift more efficiently.

Where Do You Get Wrist Wraps?
You can often find a few decent pairs at local sporting goods stores, but I generally recommend shopping for wrist wraps online as this allows you to select from a much wider range of wraps. Amazon, Rogue Fitness, and other online retailers provide a host of options, and many reputable manufacturers (e.g., Pioneer Fitness, Stoic, and SBD) sell directly from their websites as well, so that’s another option.

figure 2: 18” wraps from Harbinger (these are the wraps i use)

What to Get
We’ll provide a couple of reasonable options below, but for starters, I recommend either 18”-long wraps or 24”-long wraps. You can find 36” options, but most people will find wraps of this length to be rather unwieldy. Don’t get any wraps that are less than 18” long as such wraps provide very little support.

An 18” wrap is a good all-around option suitable for pressing, benching, and squatting (if you need to put your wrists in extension), and it can also be useful for the Olympic lifts, i.e., the snatch and clean-and-jerk.

figure 3: 24” wraps from pioneer

A 24” wrap is useful for pressing, benching, and squatting, but due to the added support and stiffness provided by the additional length of such a wrap, a 24” wrap is typically not as well suited to the Olympic lifts, where the wrists need to remain pretty mobile.

Some manufacturers provide different levels of stiffness (e.g., SBD) for their wraps, so be sure you read the product description completely before you purchase.

Below are a few solid options:

Which Lifts Benefit From Wrist Wraps?
A wrist wrap can be useful any time your wrist is supporting a load in compression, i.e., whenever you are pushing on something. As a result, pressing and benching benefit from the use of wraps as the weights get heavier. 

The snatch and jerk may both benefit from the use of wraps as both receiving positions involve supporting a heavy load overhead with the wrists in compression. However, note that although the jerk may benefit from wrist wraps, the clean - which immediately precedes the jerk - requires quite a bit of flexibility in the wrist to rack the bar on the shoulders. As a result, if you wear wraps for the clean-and-jerk, you may need to experiment with how tightly (and possibly where on your wrist) you wear the wraps so you can find a middle ground that provides support in the jerk while still allowing for mobility in the clean.

Of course, you’re welcome to use wrist wraps on lifts involving tension such as a row or a chin-up, but they won’t provide any benefit in these situations.

When Do You Wear Wrist Wraps?
Keep it simple. For starters, I recommend treating wrist wraps like your belt - put the wraps on for your last warm-up set, and then wear them for your work sets as well. Over time, you’ll figure out exactly when you want to start wearing them, and if you have a wrist that is a bit aggravated, you’ll probably start wearing a wrap a bit earlier than usual in your warm-ups.

How to Wear a Wrist Wrap
I strongly recommend watching the included video (above) as it’s easier to see and understand the process as opposed to reading and looking at a few pictures.

figure 4

  1. Place your thumb through the thumb loop. (Most wraps have a right and left wrap, so make sure you’re using the correct one - see Figure 4 for reference.)

  2. Apply a slight amount of tension as you lay the wrap across the back side of your wrist. Be sure the wrap covers the actual wrist itself - i.e., the hand and the forearm - and not just the forearm. A reasonable approach is to bias the initial position a bit more toward the hand and then wrap slightly “down” toward the forearm as you continue the process.

  3. Continue to wrap around the wrist and apply more tension once you’ve gone most of the way around.

  4. Secure the wrap using the velcro closure.

  5. Remove the thumb loop from your thumb before starting your set (the loop is only used to anchor the wrap when you’re putting it on).

figure 5: applying the wrist wrap and removing thumb loop

With practice, you’ll get a sense for how tight the wrap should be, but make no mistake - it should be quite snug. It should be tight enough that two criteria are satisfied; first, you should want to remove the wrap (or at least loosen it) between your sets, and second, it should make it difficult to bend your wrist. In other words, it needs to be tight enough to provide support, which brings us to . . .

What NOT to Do
The most common mistake with a wrist wrap is to wear the wrap too much (or entirely) on the forearm and not enough on the hand.

figure 6: demonstration of what not to do - this wrap is entirely on the forearm. don’t do this.

Remember - it’s a wrist wrap. Not a forearm warmer. The wrist is the joint connecting the forearm to the hand, so the wrap needs to cover both. If the wrap only covers the forearm (Figure 6), then - no matter how tight you get it - it won’t provide any support.

Can you move your wrist around easily with your wrap on? If you can, then it’s not tight enough, or more than likely, you’ve got it around your forearm and not your wrist.

Fix it, compadre.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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