Wrist Wraps and Forearm Strength?

[rbowman91]

Hey bros,

Appollonian and I were discussing this on a previous thread and I'm curious to see what the consensus is.

I used wrist wraps for a long time due to wrist pain while benching. I don't mean the kind that hook to the bar when doing shrugs for grip, I'm talking about the straight wrist wraps that go on tight for support while pressing.

When I finally took these off (after a year of using them), I developed a bad forearm pain which my Doc attributes to underdeveloped muscles compared to the rest of me. They can't handle the poundages, simply put.

I'm wondering if these kinds of wrist wraps have an effect on forearm strength, even though they don't help with grip? Any thoughts? Thinking of ditching them all together. Especially since I'm not power lifting, and have been using them as a crutch. Could the wrist wraps have caused my forearms to lag in growth?

[Deathride]

Could just be that the wraps helped you through whatever was causing the pain (ligaments in the wrist / wrist bending back during benching etc) and when you removed them, the pain recurs......

I'm not convinced that they reduce forearm strength (I mean you should still be gripping the bar with all your might and the wrap is there to keep your wrist upright under maximal poundages - which will push your wrist back unless you forcibly keep it upright anyway). I only use them when I get to my last heavy sets and only then on benching....and my forearms are growing just fine :-)

[Stovall]

Think of it this way, if you use only a smith machine to do squats all of your core muscles are left out and can weaken over time. When you decide to go back to regular squats you will not be able to handle as much weight due to the weak and unstable core muscles. This is the same reaction you will have if you always use wrist wraps. If the wrist is not allowed to stabalize itself when under a load then it will grow weaker and the grip will suffer. I too have a bad wrist. I can scratch my ass and sprain my left wrist and hurt like hell for days. You may just need to alter your bench grip like I have had to do to relieve the pain. Hope this helps.

[BryanSmash!]

have been using them as a crutch

This is probably the culprit to your problem.

The ligaments in your wrist have become weak from using support all the time. If you cant bench without wrist pain, first ensure that youre wrists are straight and not bent back while pressing, and if that doesnt solve the problem go get it checked out by a doc.
Hope that helps!

[Solid Dreams]

This is probably the culprit to your problem.

The ligaments in your wrist have become weak from using support all the time. If you cant bench without wrist pain, first ensure that youre wrists are straight and not bent back while pressing, and if that doesnt solve the problem go get it checked out by a doc.
Hope that helps!

^ This. Also, if you have access to a fat bar, I found that helps me with my wrists a lot. The forced expansion of my grip helps me stabilize a lot more.

[rbowman91]

Solid guys, I appreciate the help. I DO have access to a fat bar, I just always assumed that would be worse on the pain? I'll have to give it a try though. I'm also currently working to strengthen my forearms a lot, which is something I always neglected. Really, the whole lower half of my arm past the elbow needs to catch up with everything else. Hope I'm not screwed forever though.

[Solid Dreams]

Solid guys, I appreciate the help. I DO have access to a fat bar, I just always assumed that would be worse on the pain? I'll have to give it a try though. I'm also currently working to strengthen my forearms a lot, which is something I always neglected. Really, the whole lower half of my arm past the elbow needs to catch up with everything else. Hope I'm not screwed forever though.

no such thing bro, everythings baby steps.