Is it necessary to use wraps in squats?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-06-19

The full question of this article is: Should knee wraps be used in barbell squats for those who do not compete in powerlifting?

Recently, it's become more common to see guys in gyms squatting with wraps on their knees, but they do not compete in powerlifting and have no intention of doing so; they simply want to be big and strong.

The motives behind such individuals usually look like this:

1. Wraps protect my knees from injury.

Knee wraps do not protect the knees from injury at all. They have no impact on increasing or decreasing the risk of injury. No matter how much weight you have on your shoulders, your knee joint will not dislocate. It’s simply built that way. No matter how tightly you wrap your knees, it won’t protect the ligaments and tendons from tearing (if they suddenly "decide" to tear). Simple mechanical compression of soft tissues around the joint does not protect them from rupture.

2. With wraps, I can squat more, and therefore, I'll get stronger.

This is true. When you use external assists to lift weights above your limit, you overcome not only a psychological barrier but also a physiological one. You might be able to squat your one-rep-max and then do three reps with wraps. Or you could add 10 kg or 20 kg over your maximum weight. Both of these will increase the strength of your leg muscles.

3. Heavy weights should always be squatted with wraps; otherwise, you could injure yourself.

The risk of injury does indeed increase with the amount of weight on the bar. However, wearing wraps will not reduce the risk of injury. See point 1.

4. Since these big guys squat in wraps, to become as big and strong as them, I should do as they do.

These "big guys" compete in powerlifting, and they are required to use wraps (if they compete in the equipped division), whether they want to or not. Otherwise, their chances of winning will decrease. However, non-equipped divisions are becoming increasingly popular, and many powerlifters train and compete without wraps.

I don’t want to offend anyone, but these are the kinds of responses I get when I ask a guy why he squats in wraps. Now, some conclusions can be made regarding the question of this article.

Conclusions

Novices definitely do not need to use wraps. If you can squat at least one and a half times your body weight for one repetition, you may occasionally use wraps for heavier weights (80% of your max and above). Occasionally means about once a month. This will give an additional boost to the growth of strength and volume of your leg muscles.

But know that using wraps is not necessary and will not protect your knees, as some claim. Good luck!