Do any of you guys wrap your knees when squating?

[hard2core2]

Do any of you guys wrap your knees when you squat? I used to 10 years or more back..and then I stopped I made it up to 465 without squating for 5 to 6 reps which is heavy for me!...These days I do more rep work with a rep range of 15... I made it up to 405 without wraps...however as I a "trying" to climb heavier.. when my joints feel good.. I am thinking about investing in a good set of wraps...to use on my heaviest set.

Heavy High rep squats..really makes (forces) your body to grow..arms, chest quads, forearms..etc.
Incidentally..have you every seen Derik Farnsworth Training video...where he squats 405 for 30 reps I believe..

 

[diesel158]

Do you have/had any issues with your knees? I go heavy without wraps because my knees are fine with it.

 

[hard2core2]

Knees are ok

Do you have/had any issues with your knees? I go heavy without wraps because my knees are fine with it.

Nope Thank God I never have had any knee issues...I usually use Tommy Kono bands for several months then don't use it for a couple of weeks.. I used Inzer knee Sleves..last week when I went heavier I hardly every use those things.

 

[diesel158]

it sounds like you're fine without them

 

[blackhole]

i am of the opinion that thinks like wraps and belts are not neeed. after all - muscle growth is an adaptive response to stress. wearing wraps and/or a belt removes some of this stress from the body and hence the certain areas recieve varying amounts of stress. i believe this could lead to problems. if u can't do the weight without pain, do a lower weight and let u body grow at its own pace - until u CAN do the weight without wraps or belts. i have never worn a belt for deadliting and my lower back has always been injury free.

 

[csuperman]

i dont like wraps on my knees it feels as if they are springs under me.

 

[mike1107]

I use it now, since 3-4 years now

I have no knees problem but they started to be painful a while back so I decided that when I go heavy I wrap my knees ... and now pain is gone

 

[Stump]

As a young kid growing up in the gym I used to (think it was all mental) but since I resume lifting 2 yrs ago I no longer wrap and my lifts are just as strong.

 

[Sesshomaru]

I find that people who need wraps are people who either 1) go too heavy too often before tendons adapt, 2)have crappy form, and/or 3) do so much volume that they develop an imbalance that imposes stress on the tendons and ligaments.

Story time: I had a friend that tore his MCL, ACL, ruptured a few meniscus, and tore some ligaments in one knee. After about 9 months of very smart rehab, he was squatting 365x10 all the way to the bottom (hes a competitive lifter so its a legit full squat). He did it without wraps as well.

 

[Potimus]

Well damn, I have good form so I must be doing something wrong. I just wrap because when I do squat without them I feel movement, there is no stability there. I only wrap when it's over 315lbs though.

Im in the same boat LiLS.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Depends on what I'm doing. If you use the wraps as an aid to the lift, no good. If you use just enough wrap to stabilize the joint and still allow for flexion, no big deal. But yeah, the heaviest I go, I'll wrap the joint as a precautionary measure. I have never had a knee problem. My hip sockets, lower back, and sometime neck have had more issues. My shoulder is the big problem but it has been fine for a while now. Doing Every Change Adaptively helped my shoulder though.

 

[Milkstud]

I've been wrapping them if I go above 455 on squat...

 

[bluto]

over 500

Over 500pnds on Full Depth Squats without wraps is asking for trouble if you ask me. You should always wrap up tight when you go over 5 plates. Same with Hack Squats.

I dont think they should be used to help lift heavier, only for protection.

 

[tatteredxangelx]

i only wrap them when I am doing triples or less ... but i powerlift ...

 

[ironfreak83]

Depends on what I'm doing. If you use the wraps as an aid to the lift, no good. If you use just enough wrap to stabilize the joint and still allow for flexion, no big deal. But yeah, the heaviest I go, I'll wrap the joint as a precautionary measure. I have never had a knee problem. My hip sockets, lower back, and sometime neck have had more issues. My shoulder is the big problem but it has been fine for a while now. Doing Every Change Adaptively helped my shoulder though.

lol gotta love that DECA approach

my shoulder is about 95% or better now big man.

in regards to the knee wraps, i had sore knees for years while using wraps. i found that when you wrap to tight to get more weight in the squat(the powerlifter way ) that it puts a lot of stress on the patella. anyways i haven't used knee wraps in 2 years at least and i have no more knee problems.

INZER makes those strongman knee sleeves and they're really good for keeping the knee warm and giving just enough support while still allowing good flexion. i've been using those a couple times of month with great success.

 

[Ironmanpits]

I have to wrap for anything more than 4 plates...or my right kneecap feels like its going to shoot across the room. Wraps are a real pain in the ass also...on then off then back on etc.

 

[Sesshomaru]

Well damn, I have good form so I must be doing something wrong. I just wrap because when I do squat without them I feel movement, there is no stability there. I only wrap when it's over 315lbs though.

Oftentimes, the instability is caused by the fact that most people who attempt to squat do not go all the way down, meaning what stops the movement is the fact that your leg cant flex any more.

Deliberately stopping midway is going to take out a lot of the stretch reflex, esp at angles where the torque on the knee is greatest (i.e. 90 degrees).

Unless you have some previous knee issues or injury, or just fall into the other categories (i.e. large strength/muscle imbalance), there shouldnt be instability during the squat.