Power XL -Issue 4
Q: Hey Coach XXX I really like the last column on the bench press. I found it really interesting how you broke down that guy’s training program and picked out all the different mistakes that he had with his bench routine. I am new to powerlifting so I have a new be question for you about knee wraps. What is the best way to wrap? What kind of wrap should I buy? Is there a difference between the many different brands that are out there? What about tips on getting the most out of them? Please help me out, as I am new to using them. Thanks for all your help Sincerely, A: Hey Victor I am glad that you liked the last column. Now knee wraps are a big part of the sport of powerlifting. They play a huge role in training and competing so making sure you know them inside out is of key importance not only for protecting your knees from injury but also getting the most carryover on your squat. So you are interested in knowing what the best wraps to buy are. Well there are many good wraps on the market and each has their own benefits. With wraps you need to know what you want to get out of them. Are you trying to just protect your joints? Are you looking for a comfortable fit with decent rebound? Or are you looking to get as much carryover on your squat no matter how uncomfortable they are? These are all the questions you must ask yourself before looking into what type of wrap that you want to buy. Now you mentioned you are a powerlifter so your ultimate goal should be for joint protection and maximum rebound and tightness. Now there are several different manufacturers on the market that make knee wraps and they include Metal, Inzer Advanced Designs, and Titan Support Systems. These are the top three manufacturers of powerlifting knee wraps. Now let’s take a look at some of the wraps they make. Inzer has two wraps on the market. The first is the Iron Wrap Z and Iron Wrap A. Now if you are looking for comfort with good rebound then you are looking for Iron Wrap A. If you are looking for a super tight wrap with the most rebound then Iron Wrap Z is the one that you would be looking for from this company.
Titan makes the THP Wrap, the Titanium Wrap as well as the Red Devil Wrap. The THP wrap would be in the same category as the Iron Wrap Z since it is tight and gives maximum rebound. The Titanium Wrap would be in the other category of comfort and max rebound. The Red Devil Wrap is a very basic but good wrap that can get a beginner started out nicely.
This wrap is Titan’s Top of the Line and boy are they tight! If you are looking for comfort and rebound then the Titanium wrap is for you!
Metal has three different wraps. They include the all Black Wrap, the Triple Black lines, and the Double Black lines. The Triple black lines would be comparable to the Iron Wrap Z and THP Wrap. The Double Black Lines would be comparable to the Iron Wrap A, and Titanium Wrap. Now when talking about the
Here is Jim Wendler squatting over 1000 pounds using the Metal Triple BlackLines! All Black Wraps they are in a league of their own. These are no doubt the strongest and most supportive wraps currently on the market. They are 25% rubber and provide spring and tightness that the other wraps can’t compete with. If you are looking to get the most carryover to how much weight you can increase your squat by regardless of comfort then these are the wraps for you.
Now I warn you they are very tight and by no means should you think that wearing them would be comfortable. Hell that is the farthest thing from the truth! They are very tight and uncomfortable but the amount of rebound you get out of the bottom of your squat will have you happy to bear the pain. These are no doubt the best all around wrap for improving your max squat. But I have warned you ahead of time that when these are cranked on your leg you are going to feel what I was talking about. They take a little while to get used to due to the extreme tight feel, but once you do, you are going to be more than happy with the performance benefits that you get out of them.
Scivation Athlete Travis Mash uses the ALL Black Wraps to destroy World Records! So now you know what is the best wrap on the market to improve your squat let’s take a look on how to properly wrap you knees. Now for the bodybuilder wrapping your knees is done on just about every set of every exercise. This my friend is a waste of time. I have even seen some idiots wrap their knees for a set of leg extensions. Or another gym clown that wraps his knees after he has loaded the leg press to the gills with a dozen plates only to barely bend his knees an inch if you are lucky. Ok enough talk about all these ass monkeys and let’s take a look at what you need to do here. Now the purpose of the wrap as I stated before is to one support the joint as much as possible and to protect it from injury. The second reason why lifters wear them is to get maximum carryover or to increase how much they can squat.
Matt Smith uses the ALL Black Wrap to protect his knees when smashing 1141 in the squat! For those of you not using powerlifting style knee wraps and don’t understand what I am talking about I will tell you now. With a properly wrapped knee done very tight, it can add anywhere from 50-90 pounds on your raw squat. So if you can squat 500 pounds without any wraps and just a belt, by throwing them on you should get at least 550 on your next max set. Now this doesn’t mean you will get the 50 plus pounds the very first time you put them on due to the fact that sometimes you have to know how to work with them to get the most out of them. It may take a few weeks to get used to them and learn how to get the most rebound out of them. Now for most bodybuilders wrapping your knees in any haphazard fashion is what most do. They just wrap it around in any manner with no rhyme or reasons often leaving part of the knee open or even improperly balanced. This is not good and if you do this you can either look forward to an injury or not getting anything rebound wise out of you sloppy wrap job. Now even among world class powerlifters there is debate on what is the best way to wrap the knee. Again you have to find what suits your needs and what style you like. I have done a consensus among several world champion powerlifters and most of them follow the same school of thought when it comes to putting on their knee wraps. The first thing that you should know about putting your wraps on is that you should shave your legs. This will give you a smooth surface from which you can place them onto. Next always use something that will help anchor them to your skin. Now most use chalk rubbed on the front and back of the knee. Others will use Stickum Spray to help harness it as it will give a super grip on the knee. Now let’s take a look at how the wrap should go on. In my opinion the best way to start is that the bottom of the knee. Now, when wrapping the knees I like to start from the inside and wrap outward. I would make sure that you have one wrap width below the knee as your low point on where the wrap would start. Once that is wrapped once over and anchored securely then I would then start a criss cross formation across the patella or kneecap. Now another key point is that when you are doing the criss cross formation it is of great importance that you pull hard not only on the downward stroke but also on the upward stroke as well. So as you cross it down pull it as tight as you can. Then on the upward turn pull it hard as well to get the most out of the wrap. This way you are making it tight and secure from four angles instead of only two. Lots of lifters make this mistake and don’t realize that they are losing stability and rebound on two stokes out of every four. This is not a good idea if you want maximum rebound from the wraps that you decide to use.
Criss Crossing your wraps will give you more stored energy for a bigger squat! Now once you have gotten at least two criss cross formations across
the knee complete one full straight turn across the kneecap. From
here go upwards and finish two full straight turns above the knee.
To get maximum support and rebound make the first upper turn one
wrap above the kneecap and the second turn is two wraps widths above
the kneecap. This will provide amazing support all the way through
the range of motion and will give you more support than just going
one width length above the kneecap. Now we have to look at where
to tuck the remaining end of the wrap. Most lifters like to tuck
on the outside of the wrap. Others like to tuck it in the front
and pull it out, as it will give the referee a greater impression
of depth when judging your squat. With judging aside, I would tuck
it outside on both wraps since it will help keep the knees flared
out. This is what you want when going for a max attempt so this
is my top choice. Now another point that you should always due before
each heavy attempt is to have your wrap pre rolled. Now when I say
this I am not talking about just rolling them up in a ball like
all the gym idiots do. Now they must be pre rolled by stepping on
the wrap and pulling it until maximum stretch has been pulled out
of it then roll it little by little until it resembles a baseball.
If you have done this properly it should be as hard as a rock and
if you threw it at someone it would knock them out! This will help
transfer the built up energy from the wrap and help give maximum
tightness and rebound. This is the best way to get the most out
of you wraps. So as you can see just simply wrapping your knees
in any haphazard manner will not help you very much in regards to
joint protection or getting the most pounds out of your wraps. These
tips that I have just laid out for you are some of the elite secrets
of world class powerlifters. I suggest you give them a whirl and
you will see exactly how much you can truly get out of your wraps! |
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