Do you need them?
And if so, when?
Lets discuss, and then Ill give my recommendations for which knee sleeves to start with.
There are kneesleeves, which were talking about today, and then there are kneewraps.
The main distinction is thatknee wraps help you lift more, while knee sleeves are for comfort.
(And in case you were wondering: neither one will prevent injury.)
Knee wraps look like this, literally an elastic bandage you wrap around each knee.
Tight, thick knee wraps are used for squats in the equipped division.
In raw divisions, where assistive clothing isnt allowed, knee wraps are usually not allowed either.
People can often squat 5-10% more with wraps than without.
Knee sleeves, on the other hand, look like this.
They dont provide much, if any, assistance with the lift.
Knee sleevesareusually allowed in raw powerlifting.
What do neoprene knee sleeves do?
As a new lifter, I asked everyone about knee sleeves.
What do they do for you?
When did you get them and why?
I finally gave in and bought a pair just to find out.
I had had a minor knee ache that I would sometimes feel at the bottom of deep squats.
That ache was justgone.
Thats what knee sleeves are for.
They make your knees feel good!
Interestingly, the study did not find any difference between regular or tight sleeves.
If you want mechanical assistance in your squat, youll have to upgrade to wraps.
The best neoprene knee sleeves for comfort
The main thing to look for is 7-millimeter neoprene.
These are the standard thing that people are thinking of when they talk about knee sleeves.
These arenotdrugstore knee braces.
You’re not looking for anything with straps, or a kneecap hole.
They are simply a neoprene sleeve to slip your knee into.
There dont seem to be many factors that make one pair of 7mm knee sleeves better than another.
Here are three popular brands:
There are other knee sleeves in the world.
Finally, there are various types of sleeves that some lifters will swearreally doassist in the lift.
you might worry about the fancy stuff later.
I wear knee wraps on most of my back squats, and1kilo 3-ply sleevesfor cleans and front squats.
They arent neoprene, and I do believe they assist in the lift at least a little.
