If you do a lot of strength training, suffer from weak wrists or have experienced an injury to this part of the body, then keeping a pair of the best wrist wraps in your gym bag may be beneficial to your training.
“Wrist wraps are a training accessory that help to support your wrists during various strength exercises,” says CrossFit Coach and athlete, Lucy Campbell. “They are often used by Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and CrossFit athletes.”
They’re particularly useful for big compound movements, like bench press and overhead press, which can put a lot of strain on this area of the body. However, just like with other training accessories, such as lifting straps and a weightlifting belt, wrist wraps shouldn't be relied on twenty-four-seven and only be used when necessary.
Best wrist wraps at a glance:
• Lucy recommends: SBD Apparel Wrist Wraps - View on SBD
• Best budget buy: AQF Power Weightlifting Wrist Wraps - View on Amazon
• Designed by Strongman Eddie Hall: Alpha Designs 'BEAST' Wrist Wraps - View on Amazon
• For weightlifting: Gymreapers Weightlifting Wrist Wraps - View on Amazon
Here are our picks of the best wrist wraps to take your lifting to the next level.
The best wrist wraps to buy now
Recommended by CrossFit Coach Lucy Campbell
sbdapparel.com
“I love my SBD wrist wraps,” says Lucy. “They’re velcro, so they are easy to put on and take off, and they provide great support.” As well as being able to select from small, medium or large, you can also choose whether you want the material type to be ‘stiff’ or ‘flexible’. Plus, they have been accredited by the International Powerlifting Association (IPA), so you know they're going to be quality.
Pros
- Approved by the IPA
- A range of sizes and material stiffness to choose from
- Available in different colours
Cons
- A little more pricey, but are worth it as they’ll last
Best budget buy
If you're new to trying wrist wraps and don't want to part with too much cash, then this pair from AQF Sports is a good shout. At 18" long, you'll have plenty of wrap to determine how tight you want them to be. The material is soft, so they won't dig into your skin and distract your lifts, while the strong velcro fastening provides easy access.
Tried and tested by Health & Fitness Product Writer, Bryony Firth-Bernard: “The material of these wrist wraps is soft and stretchy, so it’s gentle on my skin, but means I can wrap it around my wrists multiple times to make them rigid. They’re great at keeping my wrists in a neutral position and the velcro is strong — there's no pinging off halfway through my bench press, like my old pair. Price-wise, they’re an absolute steal too.”
Pros
- Six different colours to choose from
- Thumb loops for ease putting on
- Very affordable
- Also available in 13 inch
Cons
- Can’t be machine washed, only hand washed
Designed by Strongman Eddie Hall
Looking for some serious support during heavy weightlifting? These wrist wraps have been developed with Strongman Eddie Hall. As well as two lengths to choose from there are three stiffness levels, so whether you're a beginner, or advanced, there's a wrist wrap to suit your level.
Pros
- Cool design
- Different stiffness for different abilities
- Thick, strong material for extra rigidness
- Thumb loops for ease of putting on
Cons
- No colour variety
Best for weightlifting
Approved by the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), these wrist wraps are ideal for providing support if you're moving a lot of weight, whether that be powerlifting, bodybuilding or strength training. Made from high-grade material and stitching, you can rest assured these wrist wraps are made to last. The heavy-duty thumb loops create a securer fit so that your wrists have optimum support during your lifts. There are eight different colours to choose from too, so there'll be something to match your gym attire.
Pros
- IPF approved
- Heavy-duty thumb loop for an extra secure fit
- Eight colours to choose from
Cons
- Only available in 18"
Best Gymshark wrist wraps
uk.shop.gymshark.com
If you’re a fan of Gymshark, then you’ll be pleased to know they also sell wrist wraps. Available in either black or pink, these velcro wraps are made from a blend of latex and polyester to provide some extra stretch. They also come with a handy carry bag and, of course, they’ve been finished with the iconic Gymshark logo, so everyone will know where they’re from.
Pros
- Comes with a carry bag
- High-stretch woven material
- Available in two colours
Cons
- No other sizes are available
Best for beginners
These wrist wraps are great if you're testing the water and want something that's affordable, but is still a quality product. They're approved by the International Powerlifting League (IPL) and with 25 per cent more stretch you have the option to make your wraps even tighter. They offer a little more flex than some of the other options we've listed, which is why we think they're best for beginners who don't want to start with something that's too rigid.
Pros
- IPL approved
- Variety of colours to choose from
- Very affordable
Cons
- Not as rigid as some of the other wrist wraps listed
Best for CrossFit and Olympic lifts
Another great product from Gymreapers is these tie wrist wraps. Easy to adjust, these are ideal for CrossFit training or if you're doing Olympic lifts and need to adjust the compression to quickly perform your next movement.
Pros
- Good colour variety to choose from
- Come with a lifetime warranty
- Strong and durable
Cons
- Not suitable for all types of training, especially powerlifting
- Tie fastening can take some getting used too
Different types of wrist wraps
There are two main types of wrist wraps — velcro and ties. Velcro are the most common and is popular amongst gym-goers. “They tend to be more secure and thicker, so are more suitable for heavy Olympic lifting and powerlifting,” says Lucy.
Ties are better suited to CrossFit as you perform a lot of different functional movements at a high intensity. “With ties, you can loosen them easily to perform other movements where you need your wrists to be more mobile, such as gymnastics. They’re also a great choice for CrossFit if you feel you need support for more than just the heavy lifts, as they can be worn under grips and therefore used for a bigger variety of workouts.”
For ease of use, our guide mainly consists of velcro wraps.
FAQs
What are the benefits of using wrist wraps?
Wrist wraps and straps are among the most important weightlifting accessories. Your wrist isn’t just one big joint, but a collection of small bones, ligaments and tendons. They’re easily prone to injury, especially while playing sports or working out, and even more so if they lack flexibility or strength.
“The main benefit of using wrist wraps is to provide extra support to your wrist area by helping it stay in a neutral position and not extending too far back so they can help to reduce stress on the joints, particularly during overhead and pressing movements,” says Lucy.
Who should use wrist wraps?
Lucy says they’re great for heavier lifts that are around 85 per cent of your one rep max, but if you lack mobility in your wrists then you shouldn’t rely on them.
“If your wrist and shoulder stability is a major limiting factor of how much you can lift, then you should be working on improving that and lifting without wraps as much as possible and only using them when completely necessary," she says.
“On the other hand, if you regularly include bench press in your workout routine largely for hypertrophy, and your wrist strength is the limiting factor, it may be appropriate to use wraps. This is because your goal is muscle building, rather than specifically working towards improving your one rep max bench.”
If you’re returning from an injury then wraps can be ideal to support this. But, again, Lucy says it’s important to train without them to help build the stabilising muscles to protect the injured area.
How do you apply them?
Depending on what type of wrist wraps you get will determine how to apply them properly. Below Lucy shares how to use velcro and tie wraps correctly:
Velcro — These are easier to put on as you simply wrap them around your wrist as tight as you require to provide the necessary support, and without cutting off your circulation, and attach to secure.
Ties — To put these on, wrap the material part around your wrist, followed by the ties and secure.
What size do I need?
Check out this advice from Bear Grips to help you pick the right-sized wrap for your wrists.
Bryony Firth-Bernard is a Health and Fitness Product Writer for What's The Best. She specialises in strength training.
Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from the rest of the What’s The Best team.