How to Know If You Need Knee Pads When Lifting Weights (and How to Use Them)
Once you start squatting with some serious weight, you might look around and realize that other people are carrying something on their laps. Sometimes this is a strip of elastic that is wrapped around like a bandage, but most often these are knee-length armbands, often made of neoprene. Do you need them? And if so, when? Let’s discuss, and then I will give my recommendations on which knee-length sleeves are best to start with.
Difference between knee pads and knee pads
Before we get into the details of the sleeves, I want to point out one difference. There are knee pads , which we are talking about today, and there are knee pads . The main difference is that knee pads help you lift more, while knee pads provide comfort . (And in case you’re wondering: none of these will prevent injury.)
Knee wraps look like this : literally an elastic bandage that you wrap around each knee. Their purpose is to squeeze your knee tightly when you squat so they can provide assistance when you stand up. They may be wrapped so tightly that you can only hold them for a minute or two; Once you finish a set of squats, you will remove them.
Powerlifting has a “equipped” division that uses specially designed, form-fitting clothing (press shirts, squat suits) designed to help you lift more than you would if you just used your normal body. In the equipped division, tight and thick knee wraps are used for squats. ( Here’s an example of some serious knee pads ; note that they do not have the Velcro fasteners seen on many mass market knee pads.) In “raw” divisions, where support clothing is not allowed, knee pads are used. usually not allowed either. With bands, people can often squat 5-10% more than without them.
But the knee-length sleeves look like this . These are cylindrical pieces of neoprene (or sometimes fabric) into which legs can be inserted – hence the term “sleeve”. They don’t provide much, if any, assistance with the elevator. It’s normal to put on knee pads at the beginning of your workout and leave them on until it’s time to go home. Knee pads are generally allowed in powerlifting .
There are knee pads that can provide some help, but almost all knee pads on the market are made of neoprene or lightweight fabric. This is the main type we’ll be talking about today, but I’ll add some information about possible accessory sleeves later in this article.
What are neoprene knee pads for?
As a newbie, I asked everyone about knee pads. What do they do for you? When did you receive them and why? The answers were always somewhat vague: “if you need them, you’ll know” or “I don’t know, I just always used them.”
I finally gave in and bought a pair just to find out. I had some pain in my knee that I would sometimes feel at the end of deep squats. The first time I did snatches (which involve deep squats) with knee-length sleeves, I was confused. This pain just went away . That’s what knee-length sleeves are for. They will make your knees feel good!
Most lifters will agree with this statement, but some will also say that wearing very narrow knee pads can provide some lifting assistance. However, research does not confirm this. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared neoprene knee pads to a control sleeve (thin fabric) and a smaller, thicker neoprene sleeve. They found that the neoprene sleeves did not help people jump higher or lift more weight on a leg extension machine, but people wearing the sleeves squatted slightly more—an average of 354 pounds for people wearing the control sleeves, compared to 365 pounds for people wearing the control sleeves. wear regular or very thick neoprene sleeves.
The authors conclude that the sleeves appear to do something for the people who wear them, but it does not appear to be any direct mechanical assistance. The main theories are that knee length sleeves:
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Keep your knees warm
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Providing some cushioning behind the knee when it is bent can relieve pressure on the front of the knee.
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Increase subjective feelings such as confidence.
Of the three, I lean most toward the depreciation theory, but the jury is still out on it. Interestingly, the study found no difference between regular and tight sleeves. If you need mechanical assistance with your squats, you’ll have to switch to bands.
The best neoprene knee pads for comfort.
The main thing to pay attention to is the 7mm neoprene. This is the standard thing that people think of when they talk about knee length sleeves. These are not drugstore knee pads. You don’t need something with straps or a hole for the kneecap. It’s just a neoprene sleeve that you can insert your knee into.
There don’t seem to be many factors that make one pair of 7mm knee pads better than another. Some brands claim that their neoprene is thicker and more durable than others; you may also have a preference for shape, as some are more contoured while others are straighter.
Besides preference, there is another important factor: if you are going to compete in a sport like powerlifting, you may have to buy a brand approved by the federation you are competing in and/or check if it meets any other requirements . (USA Weightlifting doesn’t have strict requirements for sleeves, so if you’re a weightlifter, almost any brand will do.)
When shopping, be sure to find out whether the sleeves you are looking for are sold in pairs or individually. If one stamp costs $55 a pair and another stamp costs $55 a pair, they may look the same on paper, but one costs twice as much as the other. Here are three popular brands:
There are other knee pads in the world. There are thin, elastic fabrics ; they won’t do you much, but enjoy them if you like them. There are also 5mm cases , which have the same basic idea as the ones listed above, but are a little thinner. (I’d start with 7mm, but if for some reason you don’t like the thickness, try 5mm.) Finally, there are different types of bushings that some lifters will swear actually help with the lift. We don’t have conclusive evidence as to whether these claims are true, and if you want to go this route, I’d still suggest getting yourself a pair of regular knee pads first. You can worry about the fancy stuff later.
For me, I have a pair of Norse Fitness 7mm neoprene sleeves, similar to the Gymreapers above, and they are fine. I wear knee wraps for most back squats and 1kg 3-ply sleeves for cleans and front squats. They are not neoprene and I believe they help with the climb at least a little. But in general, when people ask me to recommend a first knee pad, I swear by 7mm neoprene, like the ones listed above.