When looking for some great fitness equipment and gym clothes, you may have come across something called knee sleeves.
They are handy little additions to your fitness kit that can really help you out with certain complaints and pains, but what exactly are they designed to do, and how do they do it?
Here we are going to be taking a close look at knee sleeves and their role in fitness kits. Then, you can decide if it will be worth getting a knee sleeve yourself, so you can enjoy its benefits.
So, let’s dive in!
What Are Knee Sleeves?
Knee sleeves are a band of fabric that you pull up over your foot. so they sit around your knee joint.
They come in a variety of sizes and colors, and are designed to provide both warmth and compression to your knee during exercise.
You may have already seen plenty of people around your gym or athletes on television using knee sleeves for a variety of different exercises and sports.
They are used by both men and women for exercises including cross-training, weightlifting, bodybuilding, and powerlifting.
The reason knee sleeves are worn is that they help reduce pain and discomfort in the knee, reducing the chance of injury and also preventing pain from slowing down your fitness routine.
What Do Knee Sleeves Do?
Knee sleeves are supposed to provide warmth and compression to your knees as you exercise.
When tightly wrapped around your knee joint, the compression helps increase blood flow to the area and this increases the responsiveness from your knees.
This can improve your performance while also keeping you in full control of your body, so you can stay stable and active.
By limiting the movement of the kneecap, knee sleeves help reduce pain and discomfort through stimulating blood flow and keeping your knees strong during workout exercises that can take a heavy toll on your knees, such as squats or jumps.
Knee sleeves are also worn after your workout session as the compression they provide helps reduce swelling, further minimizing the risk of injury and pain.
Basically, they are just very tight loops of fabric that improve blood flow around your knees while you exercise.
Are Knee Sleeves Worth It?
Knee sleeves have lots of benefits to them that make them very valuable to a lot of fitness enthusiasts. Not only do they provide pain relief, but they also help support your knees during strenuous exercise.
When weight lifting or doing squats, a lot of pressure is put on your knees in order to keep you upright and stable.
So, your knees need a lot of support for you to work out successfully and knee sleeves can help that.
The compression improves blood flow and limits movement in the area (although, not so that it limits your mobility), meaning that your knees can then easily take that pressure.
This can seriously improve your technique by making sure certain parts of your knee stay in place and support you while exercising.
Knee sleeves are also worn during the recovery period after exercising. The compression helps keep your knees warm, increasing blood flow, so the heat helps alleviate pain and swelling.
These benefits can continue long after you finish exercising.
Plus, knee sleeves are very easy to find and buy. They’re pretty inexpensive and easy to maintain, so they won’t be smelly or embarrassing when you take them to the gym.
All you have to do to keep them clean is throw them with your laundry. While they will slacken over time due to repeated use and washing, they are still very durable and make little impact on your wallet.
However, knee sleeves are only worth getting if your exercise puts a lot of strain on your knees.
Running, cycling, CrossFit, weight lifting, and even playing sports like basketball put a lot of pressure and stress on your knees.
If you rarely exercise your legs and knees, then perhaps you can skip the knee sleeve – but if they are a frequent part of your routine, then you can seriously benefit from a knee sleeve.
Are There Different Types Of Knee Sleeves?
Some knee sleeves are more adept for certain exercises than others. This means that when it comes to choosing a knee sleeve for you, you really are spoiled for choice.
However, this also means that you have to take care to buy the kind of knee sleeve that is designed to suit your exercise routine best.
Although they all do the same job of providing support and relief, some knee sleeves are designed to be thicker than others for extra support.
These knee sleeves are best used by powerlifters, while more elastic knee sleeves are better used to keep momentum up during repeated exercises.
These elastic knee sleeves are ideal for CrossFit, like multiple squatting or jumping in a row, and are made to be more durable against repeated use.
So, the right knee sleeve for you is dependent on if you lift weights more than you do squats.
Carefully consider your routine and what kind of exercises you do before choosing the right kind of knee sleeve for you.
Knee sleeves also vary in size, so make sure that you measure your knee properly to find the right knee sleeve to fit you.
To measure your knee, extend your leg out and use a tape (or long piece of string) to wrap around your knee cap.
Your knee sleeve should not be too loose and baggy, nor should it be too tight to cut off circulation – keep your measurement at hand, so you can try out different sizes at your nearest fitness store.
Conclusion
So – what are knee sleeves?
Knee sleeves are bands of tight fabric that fit around your knee cap. They are designed to improve blood flow to your knees during strenuous exercise.
This means that they can help provide both support and pain relief during and after your gym session.
While they are mainly used by powerlifters and weightlifters, knee sleeves are beneficial to anyone who puts a lot of stress and pressure on their knees.
So, they are becoming more and more popular due to their compression features and ability to help reduce swelling and pain after a vigorous workout.
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