Best Knee Sleeves for Lifting and CrossFit Reviews

A healthy lifestyle enriched with the result-bearing workout routine is everything a person needs to achieve internal as well as the external balance. Although training gives countless benefits to our body and mind, we should remember that the risk of injuries increases when indulging in workout sessions without proper equipment and protection.

Unprotected joints are one of the main causes of dislocations and fractures that can determine the future of your athletic capabilities.

To prevent such health burdening occurrences, here in this article you will find 3 best knee sleeves for lifting that will easily help you improve your vigor and confidence.

Who Should Use The Knee Sleeves?

Stylish workout clothing has become a new trend in the fitness and bodybuilding community. Wearing knee sleeves just because they exude professional look is not an advisable thing to do. Knee sleeves should be used only in need.

If you have bad knees or have minor tendinitis, which makes you insecure while squatting or lifting weights, a knee protection will help you keep your kneecaps in place. The knee sleeves are also advisable for every individual that has experienced a knee injury or has gone through surgery.

The fitted fabric around your joint will prevent new fractions or dislocations.

How to Choose Size, Width, and Length

The sizes of knee sleeves vary, from small to extra large. To choose the right one you firstly need to measure the circumference of your leg right above the kneecap (2.5 inches above) or at the knee joint when at 30° angle.

Our recommendation for you is to purchase one size smaller to make sure the knee sleeve fully embraces your leg.

When it comes to the width, the usual measurements vary between 5mm and 7mm. A 5mm width is suitable for running where security is not as necessary as when lifting weights, where knees are burdened by additional heaviness. A 7mm thickness of the fabric is suitable for CrossFit where the intensity of workout requires more cushioning.

The length of the knee sleeves truly depends on the style and brand. For some extra fabric below the knee may seem necessary and for others, it may represent discomfort.

Although the length of most knee sleeves is the same, some companies, such as Rocktape, see few extra inches as the progressive technology.

Features You Should Look Out for When Buying Knee Sleeves

The extensive market of the modern era offers an impressive range of merchandise developed by different brands that promise efficiency and quality. The sea of products when it comes to knee sleeves is just as broad and deep.

The only question that remains is what characteristics distinguish a good knee sleeve from a bad one? To help you find the answer here are some features you should look out for when choosing a knee protection.

1. Material of The Knee Sleeves

Knee sleeves are made of different materials, but the best fabric surely is the neoprene. Neoprene is a synthetic material known for its softness, flexibility, and durability. The material provides enough warmth during the workout, so the knees experience suiting comfort even if in pain.

Because of the flexibility, neoprene adjusts to the shape of the knees easily and tightly. The tight fit contributes to the water resistance, which is an amazing feature for outdoors exercising.

2. Warmth of The Knee Sleeves

The warmth of the knee sleeves may not seem as important, but it plays a major part in keeping your knee secure and in comfort. The warmth comes from the material and the thickness of the fabric.

Neoprene is known for being able to sustain a suiting temperature. The 7mm thickness of the fabric adds more warmth than the 5mm. And why is the warmth so important?

Well, the comforting temperature on your knee joint keeps the veins open for better blood circulation.

3. Compression of The Knee Sleeves

The compression feature adds the functionality to the knee sleeves. It depends on the material; therefore the neoprene, known for its stretching ability, is the best solution for your worst workout nightmares.

The compression is important because it secures the whole knee joint in place. It provides support for the patella, ligaments, tibia and surrounding muscles, such as quadriceps and hamstrings. The compression also helps relief the pain and aches of injured knees.

4. Support of The Knee Sleeves

The support feature of the knee sleeves should target whole joint as well as the surrounding muscles. Support and compression come hand in hand, therefore if the product of your choice got a thick in the previous paragraph; the support is most likely in tack to.

The support of the knee sleeves also depends on the length of fabric, because few extra inches of material hold together the middle part of the leg as one unity.

5. Injury Protection of The Knee Sleeves

Last but not least feature you should look out for when buying knee sleeve is injury protection. Protecting the already injured knee is just as important as protecting a robust one from potential fractures and dislocations.

Every valuable product should be able to numb the pain of injured knee and be able to prevent new complications. Compression and support, as two inseparable features, determine the efficiency of protection.

3 Best Knee Sleeves for Lifting and CrossFit

Here, in this part of the article, we will put the theory to the test and examine three best knee sleeves for lifting and CrossFit currently on the market with the method of comparison.

The products that will be analyzed based on the previously mentioned features are:

• Bear KompleX Get Better (5 or 7mm) Knee Sleeve
• Evolutionize 7mm Knee Sleeve
• Nordic Lifting 7mm Neoprene Sleeve

1. Material of the Knee Sleeve

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The Bear KompleX Get Better Knee Sleeve is made of the highest quality neoprene that is well known for its flexibility and softness. Because of the durable material, the Bear KompleX knee sleeve can be used in cold and wet conditions when cycling.The 5mm style is great for running, playing basketball or wrestling because the density of a 7 mm model is motion enabling. The 7mm style is great for CrossFit and weightlifting where the sturdiness of the material is much needed.The material also comes in different colors and patterns which are great for styling up your outfit.

2. Warmth of the Knee Sleeves

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Evolutionize 7mm knee sleeve has high density and therefore provides enough warmth even for outdoors heavy fitness workouts.

Because of the non-slip interior, Evolutionize 7mm knee sleeve preserves the warmth around the knee joint better than the Bear KompleX version does.

The triple reinforced seam also helps stabilize the temperature of the material.

3. Compression of the Knee Sleeves

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The Evolution 7mm knee sleeve has better compression than Bear KompleX version because it is specifically meant for heavy weight lifting and bodybuilding.

The 7mm Evolutionize model is excellent for that matter, but remember such compression can represent an obstacle and be enabling when doing other activities.

4. Support of the Knee Sleeves

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Nordic Lifting 7mm Neoprene Sleeve is just as amazing as the Evolutionize 7mm Knee sleeve is. This model is more preferred for the intense workout sessions than the Bear KompleX 7mm style.

The Nordic Lifting sleeve provides enough support for heavy fitness workouts but is too dense and inflexible for running.

5. Injury Protection of The Knee Sleeves

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The incredible compression and warmth of Nordic Lifting 7mm style elevate the injury protection ability. This model offers excellent pain relief and muscle security same as Evolutionize model does, if not even better.

Nordic Neoprene Sleeve is in comparison to Bear KompleX 7mm model, more appropriate for heavy weight bearing.

Conclusion

The market of the modern era offers a vast range of different knee sleeves brands and the three examples we have discussed and compared proudly stand at the top when it comes to quality.

To summarize our in-depth discussion we could say that the Evolutionize 7mm Knee Sleeves and Nordic Lifting 7mm Neoprene Sleeves are suitable for individuals that indulge in intense workout regimes where the knees, due to the additional pressure, long for security and stability.

These two series have outstanding compression and support capability; therefore they are appropriate for activities that don’t require a lot of mobility.

Although the Bear Complex 7mm model has highly impressive features the experiences show that they are not comparable to the Evolutionize and Nordic Lifting ones. The 7mm Bear Complex knee sleeves can be used for light weight lifting.

Both 7mm and 5mm Bear Complex styles are more flexible and therefore better for activities that require a lot of movement, such as running and playing basketball.

Furthermore, we also have reviews on the best knee sleeves for running. Take a look at it if you want to choose the most suitable knee sleeves to enhance your running experience.