Compression Impressions

Among the smaller “quality-of-life” additions I’ve made to my home gym, a solid set of knee wraps for heavy squats has to be near the top.

I don’t believe every set of squats necessitates knee wraps or joint compression – but I can personally attest to the feeling of safety, security and reinforcement they provide at the knee when you’re really loading up the bar to shoot for 1 to 3-rep maxes.

This review takes a look at Mava Sports’ pair of 72-inch knee wraps – you can check out the product page on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2pmyS3o. Remember, anything you buy through that link helps support Garage Gym Fitness!

I love mine, so let me tell you about them.

Quality is key with these Mava wraps. Right out of the package, there is an appreciation for the feel and function you get. At 72 inches of high-performance elastic fabric, there is plenty of material to make the rounds over your knees securely and as snugly or loosely as you need. And the material is durable enough to really yank it tight – in fact, I’ve had a set or two where I got a little aggressive with the snugness of the wraps and had to give just a bit of slack to regain the feeling in my toes.

A solid Velcro closure at one end of each wrap helps tidy up loose ends. It will grab any part of the wrap, and it doesn’t go anywhere once it’s fastened. I really appreciate items that just work without too much fuss, especially if you’re doing a lot of adjusting, removing or replacing during the course of using them. There’s no doubt these wraps are preferable then, to me, because it means I don’t have to struggle with pulling them over my shoes (or even – barf – having to take them off) between exercises.

For me, the aesthetics of Mava’s wraps don’t matter as much as their performance, but it’s not a weak point by any means. You’ve got a really simple design, with horizontal alternating stripes (or all black) in many colors.  I chose red, for no good reason. Maybe as a Giants fan, I should’ve gone for orange:

But where Mava’s wraps truly shine, for me, is in the balance between comfort and performance. The first thing you notice when you strap them on is that reinforced feeling around the joint – they compress nicely, and the layering of the wrap over itself provides a sturdy, durable feel from the top of the calves to the bottom of the quads.

And, they achieve this without being uncomfortable, provided you aren’t cinching them vise-tight. Once you’re moving with them, they do nothing to hinder your range of motion, bind up behind the knee or slip loose. They only come off if you want them to.

Final Thoughts

Pros

• Outstanding mix of comfort and performance
• Elasticity and strength of material provide excellent range of adjustability
• Simple, attractive aesthetics
• Strong Velcro closure means wraps don’t slip or come undone mid-movement

Cons

• A Velcro strip on both ends, instead of just one, would help secure things a bit more, but it’s a minor gripe

There’s a lot about my workouts I’d like to change – I’d love to have more focus, a touch more pain tolerance and a lot more time. One thing I haven’t thought twice about changing, though, is my choice of knee wrap – if they day ever comes that I wear these out, I’ll be buying them again.