Hi docs, I constantly have wrist pain during and after performing either the bench, squat, or press with any of my working sets. On the squats, I use a thumb under grip because when I try and use a thumb over grip I feel like the bar slides down my back (I do low-bar squats). I wanted to know if this means i’m doing anything wrong, and if not, should I maybe get wrist wraps to help with the pain?
2 strategies:
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Really focus on a “pinching”-style bulldog grip. I mean really literally pinch the bar with your fingertips, while still keeping a thumb-around grip. Also, especially on the bench, keeping a straight wrist is kinda like keeping good knee position in the squat - for me, it’s something that only really actively queuing myself to do during the lift will correct.
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Personally, I had a lot of wrist/lower palm pain when I first started benching heavy, and wrist wraps basically solved the problem immediately for me. Whether that was the immediate form correction, my training adaptation catching up, or placebo, I’m not sure (probably mostly placebo, but all 3 are likely involved.) I consider wrist wraps a worthwhile purchase.
As far as the bar sliding during the squat, that’s a separate issue and one that I think Leah’s video covers very well:
