This is a pretty simple and easy article. When I started using a bench shirt, I miraculously gained 150 lbs on my bench. No practice, no technique work, nothing. That is the magic of these cheater shirts—you automatically “get it.” Anyway, with this increase in bar weight, my wrists were taking a beating and I needed some help. This is where I was bestowed with this knowledge, which I am now giving to you.
This may be something you’ve already read before, but this little tip helped me maintain proper position in the bench press, take stress away from my wrists, and stay healthy.
For the demonstration, I will be using the Metal All-Black Wraps, which have a thumb loop. Like J.D. Salinger, these have been in hiding for a long time.
The typical way to wrap your wrist
Notice that only the wrist is covered. This is typically how I would wrap my wrist when squatting, not bench pressing.
Casting your wrist
In this picture, notice the big difference is that the heel of my palm is covered by the wrap. By doing this, I am essentially bracing my wrist with my hand. This gives enormous support and keeps my wrists healthy. You will have to play around with how much of your heel you are going to cover.
Jim Wendler is the senior editor and sales manager at Elite Fitness Systems. If you are not familiar with his writing, the first paragraph is always laced with sarcasm. He loves nachos, loves writing his bio in the third person, and hates it when people call it HYPER-tro-FEE, not hy-PER-tro-FEE. Let’s all get on the same page here, people.
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