X-Cross Knee Wrap Technique

X-Cross Knee Wrap

Here is my version of what I am calling the X-Cross knee wrap technique. I’m sure there are just about as many opinions on how to wrap a knee as there are people doing it. Hopefully this will lead you in the right direction if you are new to knee wrapping.

Steps

·         Start with a tightly rolled wrap.

·         Before commencing to wrap make sure the leg is extended, the knee is locked out and the toes are pointing upward slanted back toward the shin.

·         Begin wrapping just below the knee cap.

·         We recommend wrapping the leg from the inside, pulling the wrap over the top (front) of the leg. This is said to help your knees stay to the outside during the squat. I’m not convinced it makes that much difference but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt.

·         Wrap from bottom to top while covering about half the previous wrap as you go up.

·         Stretch the wrap and keep it tight with each rotation.

·         Once the wrap has reached the lower thigh just above the knee, the next wrap should move downward crossing the knee cap from the inside leg.

·         Wrap around the leg (at the bottom of the wrap below the knee) and move upward across the knee cap toward the lower thigh.

·         Wrap around the leg for the last time (at the top of the knee) and tuck the end of the wrap under the previous wrap.

At this point, your leg should be wrapped from the upper shin to the lower thigh with the last of the wrap crossing your knee cap from both directions in an X pattern.

Do’s

• Wrap the knee tightly. How tight is up to you. Obviously the looser the wrap is the less knee support you will experience.
• When wrapping the “X” across the knee, make sure you wrap directly across the knee cap.

Don’ts

• Do not use too much wrap below or above the knee joint. Most of the wrap should be utilized around the knee joint.
• Don’t forget to wrap over at least half the previous wrap. (The wrap should always overlap.) There should be no skin showing under your wrap when you have finished the squat!
• Don’t waste the wrap (pulling it through and) tying it at the conclusion. Excessive wrap should not be left dangling. It is most helpful when wrapped around your knee.

The knee joint is much more stable when wrapped properly. It is our opinion you should always wrap your knees when attempting to squat maximum weight.

The X-Cross is a simple and common knee wrapping technique. There are certainly more complex techniques but this is a good one to start with.

FSS will post more knee wrap techniques on the website in the near future. Let us know if you have questions. We will be more than happy to be of assistance if we can.

Keith Payne

Functional Strength Systems

PS- When I started to write this article I found it very hard to verbalize this technique so we have also produced a video that will hopefully explain this article further. It is also posted on the video page of this website.