Belt and Knee wraps for squats! How important?

[Hogg]

he appears to be pretty lean in that photo but is he 330? Kaz was not a particularly tall fellow as I remember so unless I'm way off and he is 6-3 or so, or unless the guy has 36" quads, I dont see 330 in that picture.

Perhaps that was a lighter period in his career ?

 

[Hogg]

he appears to be pretty lean in that photo but is he 330? Kaz was not a particularly tall fellow as I remember so unless I'm way off and he is 6-3 or so, or unless the guy has 36" quads, I dont see 330 in that picture.

Perhaps that was a lighter period in his career ?

Well well well.....I stand corrected.....Mr. Kazmeier was indeed 6-3.....and had 32" quads. Quite interesting.

What threw me off was that i see him on the WSM contests and he does not look particularly tall next to the competitors leading me to believe that he was my height or perhaps even 6'.

Anyway, I stand corrected. I'll buy 330 at somewhere around 7%. He had a 60" chest and a 40" waist which one cannot even begin to grasp in a photo.

 

[john primo]

I use a knee wrap on one knee because of previous reconstruction do to acl tear. Other than that I prefer not to use it. I dont really think if you havent had an injury it makes that much of a difference unless your powerlifting. JP

 

[JoeMoore]

I don't think its necessary until you start squatting pretty heavy (300+). Majority of bb's that i know with huge legs wear belts and wraps. Make sure you get good quality stuff.

 

[Nico Cujo]

I use a VALEO weightlifting belt and RHEBAND knee sleeves on front squats over 3 plates and back squats over 4 plates. The knee sleeves do bunch up a little in the back but I can still sit pretty deep in the squats, cleans and snatches with them on. I just adjust them between sets.

 

[bigboy]

i agree with animal mass. you need a strong core. lifting with a belt and wraps is a crutch in training unless your going really heavy. you really need strong liegments and tendons, you wont get that using a belt and wraps all the time.

 

[NCBIGGJ]

I used to wear a belt on everything... I guess I thought it was better, but then started noticing my lower back wasnt as strong. I now do not use a belt for anything. I see the idea that some posted about using the belt from letting your stomach expand so much on squats.. i did squats last night and I use knee wraps from 315 and up. I finished last night after doing leg curls heavy, leg extensions heavy and then doing squats up to 455 by 8. If I dont use knee wraps it seems like the front of my knee cap starts to hurt after lifting. Mybe Im just dreaming.. LOL..

 

[Matto]

No belt or wraps needed

Im a competitive powerlifter, and I pride myself being able to throw around a bunch of weight without gear. Im one of the leanest heavier guys Ive seen in a while, but I think that comes from not being a gear head.

If your looking for size increases only, then train raw and let your body adapt the way its supposed to.

If your getting into powerlifting, then have wraps on every once and a while to get the feel for them.

Never use gear to cover up injuries, fix whats wrong, and dont let your ego of moving heavy weight around get in the way. In the long run you will be in better shape.

The heavy weight will come if you give it time and train correctly

 

[jago25_98]

Personally I get pain straight away if I don't use a belt. I don't even squat a lot. If they's one available from your gym why not?

I guess it depends on:

- weight
- your back

 

[supirman]

I like to build core strength and not become overly dependent on equipment, so I wouldn't use wraps or a belt until over 400 on squats. As I pushed up into the 500s and up to 600, I always put on some wraps and a nice inzer 13mm belt. Even with that, I managed to get a herniated disc at my L5. I suppose my 5'7" frmae and spine wasn't meant to hold over 600lbs... who'd have guessed?

 

[johnsmith182]

hogg, youve seen pics of me weighing around 360, and id suppose looking fairly big. ill tell you straight that ive stood next to kaz and he looks bigger than me. he didnt weigh as much as me, but hes just got that sort of build, hes taller than me, with wider shoulders, just ungodly big. he might not look that big to you in pictures, but in person, hes really huge, and i dont know about 7%, but hes pretty damn lean. i also believe that at several times in his career, he was closer to 350 than 330, and still lean enough to have abs.

Well well well.....I stand corrected.....Mr. Kazmeier was indeed 6-3.....and had 32" quads. Quite interesting.

What threw me off was that i see him on the WSM contests and he does not look particularly tall next to the competitors leading me to believe that he was my height or perhaps even 6'.

Anyway, I stand corrected. I'll buy 330 at somewhere around 7%. He had a 60" chest and a 40" waist which one cannot even begin to grasp in a photo.

 

[Desibaba]

hogg, youve seen pics of me weighing around 360, and id suppose looking fairly big. ill tell you straight that ive stood next to kaz and he looks bigger than me. he didnt weigh as much as me, but hes just got that sort of build, hes taller than me, with wider shoulders, just ungodly big. he might not look that big to you in pictures, but in person, hes really huge, and i dont know about 7%, but hes pretty damn lean. i also believe that at several times in his career, he was closer to 350 than 330, and still lean enough to have abs.

How big was your waist at 360? By the way do you know who "Angelface" is?

 

[johnsmith182]

i dont think i ever measured. i wore pants or shorts that were anywhere from 44 to 48 waist, depending on the brand.

How big was your waist at 360? By the way do you know who "Angelface" is?

 

[chris1975]

wrap

he appears to be pretty lean in that photo but is he 330? Kaz was not a particularly tall fellow as I remember so unless I'm way off and he is 6-3 or so, or unless the guy has 36" quads, I dont see 330 in that picture.

Perhaps that was a lighter period in his career ?

no wraps

 

[Desibaba]

i dont think i ever measured. i wore pants or shorts that were anywhere from 44 to 48 waist, depending on the brand.

What r ur best lifts in the squat, bench and deadlift? U still compete as a powerlifter?