THE BEST AND WORST TRAINING ACCESSORIES

Everyone has someone who is dragging a lot of equipment and accessories artillery with him/her to the gym. You’ve probably wondered what all this equipment is for and if you should try it too!

It all base on the kind of training you do, so the demand on your body. You should know that strengthening your stabilizing muscles is more important than buying equipment. Also, this kind of tool could help you to continue your training without too much pain during your rehabilitation process. Other tools also exist to protect our joints from an overload for which they are not designed. Some of these tools is;

1. THE WEIGHTLIFTING BELT

The weightlifting belt is an abdominal belt used to stabilize the lower back. By cons, the danger of using it for exercises without excessive demand is to make your abdominal muscles lazy and thus reduce your lumbar stabilization. The risk of injuries, such as a herniated disc or lumbar sprain, is increased.

When it comes time to test your 1RM squat or deadlift, for example, it can give you additional support and allow you a better posture. So, unless you’re one of those who lift heavy loads regularly, the weightlifting belt is not needed. You will prefer the strengthening of your abdominals, which will benefit you in the long run.

2. KNEE SLEEVES

A knee sleeve is a supportive sleeve that slips on the leg to support the knee.No danger here of making the knee muscles lazy, as they have no choice to contract to allow movement. If you have never had knee pain or control problems, there is no need to spend on this tool.

According to the studies, knee sleeves would send additional proprioceptive information to your brain, which would improve the control of the joint. Proprioception is the ability to feel and move your body in space. Most often, a lack of knee control will make it more likely to go inward. With time, this can cause overuse injuries such as Patellofemoral Syndrome or Strip Syndrome.

Of course, it will be much better for you to go to consult to identify the cause of the pain and remedy the problem for good. The knee sleeves will be able at this time, to help you to continue your training, according to a tolerance of course, throughout your rehabilitation by “patching” the problem temporarily.

Guards in mind that if you avoid the problem, in the long run, knee sleeves alone will not do the trick. Maybe your question will be fixed in the short term, but it may come back as soon as you increase your training volume. It is, therefore, on your biomechanics that you must act.  Finally, just like the lap belt, knee sleeves can be used when lifting heavy loads to provide additional safety.

3. THE WRIST WRAPS

The wrist wrap is a band most often elastic, and Velcro used to stabilize the wrist. Just like knee sleeves, there is no danger in making the wrist muscles lazy, because to hold your weight, your muscles have no choice but to contract.

They will be used primarily to avoid the hyperextension of your wrist, especially in the situation where a load will be applied: front squat, weightlifting, push-up, handstand, wall-balls, etc.

This tool is recommended to anyone practicing a sport requiring the extension of the wrist in charge, mainly CrossFit and weightlifting. The wrist is a fragile joint capable of handling and careful movement, but not able to withstand the overload, especially in extension.

These could save you from long-term wear. As they serve to avoid the hyperextension of your wrists, so you have to put a little above the joint, so slightly on the hand to prevent the end of the movement, without harming you.