Powerlifting Equipment Part 2
Powerlifting Equipment PT5.) Knee sleeves vs. Knee wraps
So in this post I will be covering the difference between knee sleeves and knee wraps. But first of all if you’re reading this and you don’t compete in powerlifting and you don’t want to wear either don’t it’s all hood to squat without knee sleeves or wraps however you may find that knee sleeves keep your knees a little warmer and more comfortable when you perform squats! Now if you’re competing in powerlifting you need to figure out if your federation allows knee sleeves or wraps or both or neither and you must abide by the rules set regarding so. Now if you’re looking to compete and want to know whether you want to do a meet with wraps or sleeves hopefully this post will help as I will be explaining the differences between them and how I feel about them.
So starting with knee wrap; knee wraps are long fairly thick pieces of elastic that you wrap around your knees and if properly wrapped will pull apart, expand and resist your knee from flexing and pull together, compress and assist your knee in extending. In terms of your squat this means it will be assisting you in standing up and quite a bit from what most people say even know it’s hard to put an exact number on it as it’s different for everyone. Full disclosure I’ve only used knee wraps once in my life so I don’t have a ton of personal experience to go off of but when I did try them on I was able to squat something that without them on I could only do for 3 and with the wraps I managed 8 reps fairly easily so it’s safe to say I felt quite a strength difference! Now I choose to compete in RAW meets(without supportive equipment like knee wraps) because I’m not a particularly huge fan of supportive equipment or knee wraps personally. They’re great and hey maybe I’ll even do a RAW with wraps meet one day but I personally just prefer the feel of knee sleeves and I think that knee wraps have a slightly higher injury risk. I can’t be for sure why that is as there is a lot of factors but more often than not when I hear about knee injuries in powerlifting it’s In knee wraps and not sleeves therefore it’s just not my cup of tea but if it’s yours good on you!
Which brings me to knee sleeves what I compete in for RAW powerlifting. Knee sleeves are neoprene coverings for your knee. Now I know some people find a supportive effect to knee sleeves similar to knee wraps but much less. I can’t see the material stretching really giving all that much support I think the support more so comes from the compression of the sleeve behind the knee when you squat compressing and giving you maybe a little pop out of the hole. I will say I love training in my knee sleeves I’ve found a big difference in the comfort levels of my knees during squats and they feel much better! If you haven’t tried squatting in knee sleeves I would strongly suggest it whether it be for competition or not! Hopefully this helped you understand knee wraps vs sleeves a little better! If you have any questions feel free to let me know!
Powerlifting Equipment PT6.) Singlets
So every powerlifter that competes has to wear this really funny looking awkwardly tight thing called a singlet! Everyone hates them just accept it and get over it no one at the meets really care cause we're all in the same boat besides it's probably good to get outside your comfort zonrzone every once and awhile anyways and wearing a singlet in your first meet can be one way to do it. Every federation has different rules on singlets so make sure you're up to date on your federations rules and other than that wear a singlet that's comfortable and you think looks cool and you're good to go!
Powerlifting Equipment PT7.) Belts
A powerlifting belt is one of the most important pieces of equipment that you will own. It will help you lift more for Squat bench and deadlift. You probably only really need one belt even know some prefer different belts for each lift. There are two main types of belts; prong belts and lever belts
Prong Belts are nice because you don't have to carry around a screwdriver to adjust the belt you just select the holes you want to put the prongs in and you're good to go. The issues with these belts are that they are fairly hard to get tight, if you prefer your belt a little tighter you may prefer the lever belts!
Lever belts are a set tightness depending on where you screw in your lever on your belt. This presents two issues. The first issue is that if your weight fluctuates at all you will have to adjust your belt, I find this to be especially difficult for women that find their weight fluctuates a lot with their cycle and they find that the lever belts are not ideal. The other difficulty is if you like to have your belt at different tightness levels for different lifts you have to adjust your lever belt with a screwdriver in between lifts which can be a pain in the butt.
For these reasons I suggest either a prong belt or I have the SBD adjustable lever belt which is the best of both worlds but pretty pricey! Another thing to consider with belts is the belts thickness, based on comfort you may want to consider how thick you want your belt, for example, I like having a thicker belt for squat and deadlift however for bench I prefer a thinner belt the bends with the arch in my back a little. If you want help finding a belt that perfect for you feel free to message me!
Powerlifting Equipment PT8.) Wrist Wraps
When it comes to Wrist Wraps in powerlifting I believe there is one main thing to consider. How Thick/stiff do I want my wrist wraps to be? In my experience this is really up to personal preference. Thicker/Stiffer wrist wraps provide a little extra support for keeping your wrist Neutral on the Squat and Bench However may take extra effort to get wrapped as tight. I have found that the tighter I wrap my wrist wraps the more effective they are for supporting my wrists which is a benefit of slightly less stiff wrist wraps is that you can wrap them tighter with ease. The biggest thing ive noticed with thicker/stiffer wrist wraps is that they cost more which I would take into consideration before purchasing that if you're going to find the same or more benefit for half the price it's probably worth it so I would suggest starting off with a good but cheaper pair if it's the first pair you're purchasing.
