Which Lifting Gear Is Actually Worth It Right Now?

[ZekeBarBN]

Feels like everyone’s rocking belts, wrist wraps, knee sleeves and all kinds of gear lately but not all of it really makes a difference. For those who’ve been lifting consistently, what gear has actually helped your numbers or stability on squat, bench or deadlift? What’s legit useful vs just overhyped?

[SladeIron]

Belt is the only thing I’d say is 100% worth it. Once I learned how to brace properly, my squat and deadlift both went up.

[AndrewPd]

Knee sleeves for me, no question. Not even just for strength my knees feel way better on heavy leg days.

[Jett-Muscle]

Wrist wraps helped my bench a lot. Used to get wrist pain, now it feels way more stable under the bar.

[ZekeBarBN]

Yeah that’s kinda what I was thinking. Seems like belt + sleeves are the go-to combo. Still on the fence about wraps though.

[Marshall-S12]

Lowkey most of the extra gear is overkill unless you’re lifting heavy heavy. But belt and sleeves? Yeah those actually do something.

[ThomasM]

Deadlift felt way safer once I started using a belt. Before that my core would gas out quick.

[ZekeBarBN]

Appreciate the input. Sounds like I should stop overthinking it and just get a solid belt first, then add stuff if needed.

[ironvex]

For me it’s pretty simple, not everything is useful.

On squat, knee sleeves and a belt made a real difference. More stable, more confidence at the bottom, especially on heavier sets.

On bench, I mainly use a belt and wrist wraps. The wraps help a lot for keeping the wrists solid. Sometimes elbow sleeves too, but mostly in winter when joints feel a bit stiff.

For deadlift, just a belt for now. But I’m planning to start using straps, not really for deadlift itself but because I also do weighted pull-ups and I don’t want to destroy my grip every session.

So yeah, some gear actually helps, but a lot of it is just extra.

[ironvex]

definitively***