Wrist wraps are important gear for calisthenics practitioners. The wrist area experiences a lot of pressure during a variety of calisthenics workouts such as pull-ups, handstands, and dips.
Your wrists can withstand a lot of pressure but wrist wraps can support them, help you strengthen them, and keep you from injuring them. They also can help you if you already have an injury, offering support to allow you to continue to workout.
Now that you know what wrist wraps are and why they are essential for calisthenics practitioners, let’s take a look at the 5 best wrist wraps we found in the market to help you assess your choices before making a purchase.
How are wrist wraps used in calisthenics?
Wrist wraps work by applying pressure using your hands to your wrist area. They help avoid muscle overextension which can result in muscle fatigue in your wrists. Calisthenics devotees will find wrist wraps extremely beneficial as they are yet to develop wrist muscle strength. Having wrist wraps will let you progress in progressions like the I-sit even as you develop your wrist muscles.
Benefits of Wrist Wraps
Provide extra support and help prevent injury
Bodyweight movements directly cause pressure on the wrists. Wrist wraps give additional support, thus help you avoid injuries. These two always go hand in hand. Lack of ample protection and poor mobility of the wrist may lead to serious injuries eventually. These injuries include wrist fractures, tendonitis, arthritis, and more.
Progress Faster
And because you are avoiding injuries, you can train consistently and make progress faster. Injuries can derail your capacity to train for a long time and may even cause permanent damages. So if you do a lot of floor movements like handstand and planche, it is highly recommended that you buy wrist wraps and use them every time you train.
How to Choose the Best Wrist Wraps for Calisthenics?
Wrist Wrap Styles
With thumb loops
Wrist straps with thumb loops are arguably the most popular style among wrist strap variations. These loops give more relief to your wrist area by distributing the pressure to your thumb.
Simple wrist wraps
These wrist wraps don’t have thumb loops, they cover just the wrist. So if you’re looking for a more affordable wrist wrap style with no frills, the simple wrist wraps are perfect for you.
Wrist Wrap Closures
Velcro
The most common type of wrist wrap closures is velcros. And that’s understandable because the velcro holding system makes it easier and faster to secure the wraps tightly on your wrists.
The main drawback of this method, however, is that some brands that try to cut costs don’t use quality velcro or don’t stitch it appropriately with the design. As a result, these low-quality wrist wraps may have a shortened lifetime. This means, relatively quickly they will lose their ability to wrap your wrists tightly.it’s impossible to have it tightly.
Cord
There are only a few products on the market use a cord closure. The cord is tied/laced using whenever you want to tighten or adjust the wrist wraps. Compared to velcro, tying cords can be inconvenient. An advantage of cord closures, however, is that they are more durable than velcro. And if you take care of them properly, they can be literally indestructible
What Calisthenics Exercises can you do with Wrist Wraps?
Push-Ups
To do proper push-ups, start by getting down on all fours. Your hands should be positioned a bit wider than your shoulders. Make sure that you engage your core and straighten your legs and arms. Move your body lower until your chest nearly touches the floor. Pause briefly, then push yourself back up. Repeat for as many times as you can.
Pull-Ups
Of course, the classic pull-ups. Jump and grip the bar (your pull up bar or even a monkey bar). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower yourself to the ground and repeat for as many reps as you can.
Handstands
Doing handstands may require progression training for beginners. But basically, here is a simple way of describing how to do it. First, stand up straight with your feet comfortably apart. Then, kick your dominant leg and tip your body forward. Straighten your legs as your hands land on the ground. Keep your hands straight, strong, and steady as you move your head toward the ground. Maintain your base while you straighten your legs and torso toward the sky.
Conclusion
Wrist wraps are an excellent piece of gear for every calisthenics practitioner. They provide you support and help you avoid wrist injuries, especially when pushing your limits! After comparing five different brands, our top recommendation goes once again to the Rogue Wrist Wraps. They are affordable and provide very rigid yet comfortable support. The overall length and thickness are just enough to give sturdy support without feeling bulky. If you’re thinking of buying one soon, Rogue wrist wraps are a perfect option for beginners and veterans alike.
