Bear Grips Review – 18″ 2 Band Wrist Wraps
Bear Grips 18" 2 Band Wrist Wraps
19.99
I love gym gear. I have a ton of it. And today I wanted to share the Bear Grips 18″ 2 band wrist wraps with you. If you click the link, you’ll get 10% off your order.
Shipping
Shipping was quick and the item was packaged beautifully. I didn’t notice any weird smells (you’ve seen those reviews that say “unwrap the thing and leave it alone for 48 hours to get rid of the smell”; this isn’t one of those) and the package was untampered with and undamaged. Being that they’re wrist wraps I don’t know how they could “be damaged”, but hey, worth noting here.
Material Feel
Print wise, the print is great, and the American flag option is super cool. The wraps work the same way as boxing wraps do, you stick your thumb through a little loop then wrap around your wrist. My wrists didn’t feel overly padded while wearing, nor under padded.
Testing with Kettlebell Cleans and Strict Presses
I don’t kettlebell as much as I used to. On occasion I’ll bang my forearms with the bell while attempting to clean. Yes, I realize that’s a bad movement pattern. Yes, it’s something that should be cleaned up. BUT, with the wrist wraps any kettlebell banging that leave those small bruises on the forearms goes away.
I’m not trying to pitch these as a “you can have bad form forever, like you do with your overly padded running shoes” type gimmick. On the contrary. If you’re newer to kettlebell movements, or you aren’t attempting to get your StrongFirst certification then using wraps (or gloves) isn’t really a “problem.” You’re working out to work out and get stronger, these wraps serve as an additional aid in doing so.
You can still move your wrists around a bit with these on (and they even tell you that in their product description) so this won’t stop you from bending your wrist while doing strict presses. They provide some support, which is cool for keyboard warriors like myself who make their 9 to 5 livings in front of a computer typing all day.
Who are these wraps for?
Anyone who wants to add a little bit of extra support to their wrists or anyone who is practicing things like kettlebell movements where they understand (eventually) they’ll need to clean up their form. Having a kettlebell bang into your wrists while you’re learning a movement is a detractor. These wraps will protect your forearms while you’re learning so (when you get your timing right) you don’t have a million bruises and scars to “prove you learned the hard way.”
These would be helpful with some of the more spinny and awkward movements that come from Bulgarian Bag workouts as well – lamb swings, shoulder tosses, snatches.
The snatch would be another “learning kettlebell movement” where these wraps could come in handy. This is a movement that involves potential banging on the forearms that could be avoided with a simple wrap.
Wraps for power lifting?
I’m not much of a power lifter, but could see these being beneficial for things like a deadlift or back squat. Being that the wraps do prevent some bend in the wrist, push ups, bench press, and front squats would be challenging to do comfortable.
That being said, these things come on and off super easy as it’s just velcro (again like boxing hand wraps.)
If you’re in the market for wraps, these are quality. You already know you want wraps, now you’re just trying to find the right brand. The logo is cool, the print looks good, and the material feels solid. This is an easy buy in my book.
