How to Wrap a Knee When Weightlifting
Lifting weight can be strenuous on the joints, especially when performing lifts with the body's strongest muscles, like the quadriceps. If you are planning to lift a large amount of weight with the legs doing squats or a similar exercise, you can wrap your knees with weightlifting wraps to provide some additional support to the joints. Knee wraps may also be helpful for those coming off knee injures for some extra support while doing rehab exercises with lighter weights.
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Instructions
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Sit down and extend one leg out in front of you. Hold the loose end of one knee wrap with one hand under the knee and just below the knee joint, then use your other hand to unroll the wrap around the leg, looping it around the leg one full time below the knee. You should start your wrapping with each band rolled up to make it easier to apply the wrap. As you unroll the wrap, pull it slightly so that it has moderate tension, but do not pull it so that it constricts the knee.
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2
Continue unrolling the wrap and cross up across the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the knee joint, and wrap it around the top of the knee joint once. Continue unrolling the wrap as desired and stick the wrap to itself with the Velcro at the end of the wrap. You can cross back down across the kneecap to the bottom of the knee if you wish. The method of wrapping the knee beyond the first couple wraps is largely a matter of personal preference.
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3
Repeat steps 1 through 4 on your other leg to finish wrapping. Wrap the second knee in the same manner and with the same tension as the first to keep the knees balanced.
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Tips & Warnings
Using knee wraps for lighter lifting may deprive the knees and supporting tendons and ligaments of work necessary to build strength.
Wrapping the knees too tightly can assist with lifting the weight since the bands will tend to pull the leg into a straight position, which defeats the purpose of lifting and places additional stress on the knees from the additional weight lifted by the bands.
