9 Best Knee Sleeves for Squats (Powerlifting) in 2025

Squats are a compound exercise popular among athlete levels, from seasoned weightlifters to recreational gym goers. However, this exercise and its variations can be tough on your joints, which is why many pros turn to weightlifting knee sleeves for extra support. These are the 9 best knee sleeves for squats to get in 2025 and the benefits of using them.

What Are Knee Sleeves and What Do They Do?

Workout knee sleeves are a fitness accessory frequently worn in sports where strong and healthy knees are important for performance. They're commonly used in activities like basketball, weightlifting, and running. These sleeves are made from flexible materials designed that provide a snug fit around your knees without restricting movement, providing compression and warmth to the joint.

Knee sleeves can be multi-purpose. They’re used proactively during workouts to prevent potential knee issues and can be left on post-exercise to aid in recovery. For those engaged in heavy lifting, such as powerlifters, it can be beneficial to wear them both during and for a short time after exercise to maximize their benefits.

4 Benefits of Wearing Knee Sleeves for Powerlifting

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with knee sleeves, we can show you how they work. Most people can benefit from wearing them, as the sleeves provide ample knee support for squats and other lifting exercises. Here are some important benefits of wearing knee sleeves for powerlifting:

1. Improved Blood Flow

Studies looking at the effects of compression garments found that they stimulated blood flow, muscle oxygenation, and venous return. The snug fit of weightlifting knee sleeves creates mild compression in the surrounding area. During exercise, the sleeves apply a slight squeeze to the muscles and blood vessels, stimulating blood circulation.

The result is faster oxygen and nutrient delivery, which lowers fatigue and increases energy levels. Additionally, better blood circulation keeps the muscles engaged and warm, aiding in quicker recovery and maintaining our exercise readiness.

2. Symptom Relief

Knee sleeves are frequently suggested for alleviating symptoms of common knee issues like osteoarthritis, runner’s knee, and tendonitis. Research on knee sleeves indicates they can enhance gait and balance for those with osteoarthritis, improve functionality for mildly injured knees, and enhance proprioception in healthy ones. Moreover, they can be helpful as a preventive measure to safeguard healthy knees during exercise.

Pro Tip:

"It's important to emphasize that while knee sleeves can assist with minor knee problems, they shouldn't be viewed as a substitute for proper treatment and physical therapy. They shouldn't be solely relied upon for managing severe injuries like fractures or ligament tears and excessive pain well after exercise."

3. Enhanced Performance

Let’s get one thing out of the way: wearing knee sleeves for squatting won’t magically increase your lifting strength, the literature on this is clear. From multiple studies we’ve encountered, knee sleeves won’t directly increase power output maximum, and we can attest to this from personal experience.

That said, knee sleeves can enhance your overall performance through other means, which can indirectly lead to better exercise results. By providing joint stability and warmth and reducing pain and discomfort, they can make your squat more comfortable on the body as a whole. This may give you the physical and mental boost you need to push for a new personal record.

4. Faster Recovery

Compression clothing has been shown to have modest to moderate effects in enhancing recovery, reducing muscle swelling and perceived pain, improving blood circulation, and keeping the body temperature moderated.

By alleviating muscle soreness and discomfort, compression clothing can minimize perceived exhaustion, allowing us to return to exercising quicker and more confidently. Thus, we can conclude that wearing a knee sleeve for lifting can be especially helpful for workouts involving multiple sets and reps.

Different Types of Knee Sleeves

Although they practically serve the same function, knee sleeves come in various shapes and sizes, as well as intended use. Here are some common types of knee sleeves:

1. By Thickness

The most common knee sleeves by thickness include 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm. Those are standardized sizes, with slight variations popping up here and there. In essence, thinner knee sleeves offer a greater amount of mobility, while thicker sleeves give better stability and more compression.

3mm sleeves are best suited for activities that include running (cross-training, sports). 7mm sleeves are the thickest and offer the highest levels of compression, ensuring maximal support at a slight cost of mobility and comfort. 5mm sleeves sit somewhere in the middle, making them both very versatile and best for athletes who do a bit of both.

2. By Purpose

Thickness and the material used are good indicators of the sleeves’ intended use. For example, powerlifting knee sleeves are much thicker and warmer than those used for active sports. Rehabilitation knee sleeves, on the other hand, can come in varying thicknesses and sizes, as recommended by a physical therapist.

3. Open vs. Closed

You may have noticed some knee sleeves have an opening at the patella (knee cap) while others are closed. Open knee sleeves leave the knee cap uncovered to help people with patella issues — they’re more common in physical therapy (in braces). Closed knee sleeves, on the other hand, have a closed fit, offering better compression and warmth, making them ideal for heavy lifting or stability-focused exercises.

Choosing the Best Knee Sleeves for Squats

With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to find your perfect squatting knee sleeves. To make things easier for you, we’ve rounded up some factors you should consider before your purchase:

1. Material Quality

Neoprene is the most commonly used material in knee sleeves, as it provides the right amount of elasticity and warmth and isn’t expensive. Better quality neoprene meshes are also more breathable and sweat-wicking, preventing discomfort and odors from accumulating. Most knee sleeves will have to be hand-washed, but some manufacturers make them machine-washable.

2. Thickness

Knee sleeves come in different thicknesses depending on their intended use. Thinner sleeves (3-5mm) are recommended for highly mobile sports like basketball or handball, whereas thicker knee sleeves (usually 7mm) are recommended for activities demanding strong knee stability, such as weightlifting. Choose based on your intended use.

3. Compression

Knee sleeves are meant to fit tight, but not too tight. The compression should be obvious when you put them on, but they shouldn’t restrict your blood flow and movement. For this reason, it’s important to get the correct size, as a size too big may not provide enough compression, while a size too small might feel overly restrictive.

Pro Tip:

"If you measure up between sizes: for example, you’d fit into an L or XL according to the size chart, consider getting the smaller size for a tighter fit and more compression or the larger size for a higher mobility."

How to Use Knee Sleeves for Powerlifting?

Now that you have your knee sleeves in hand, let's go over the proper way to put them on and take them off. While it may seem simple, there's a correct technique to ensure they provide you with the best support while avoiding hurting yourself. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step-By-Step

Here’s how to properly put on knee sleeves:

• Fold the top: Before sliding the knee sleeves onto your leg, fold them in half by rolling the top section outwards.
• Slide them on: Slide the folded knee sleeve over your foot and guide it up just under the knee.
• Fold them out: Using your fingers, unroll the previously folded top section over your knee.
• Adjust the fit: With the knee sleeve covering your knee area, you might need to make slight adjustments to the fit. Gently pull the sleeve left and right, up and down until you center it. Once it’s sitting comfortably, you can stretch the sleeve out slightly to let the material snap into place and apply the compression.
• (Optional) Leave them on: Let the knee sleeves sit on your knee for a short period post-exercise to aid in faster recovery.
• Remove them: Once you’re done with your knee sleeves, gently remove them in a reverse motion. Stretch them out by inserting your fingers then roll the upper section below the knee, then you can slide them down. Avoid pulling the knee sleeves up and down forcefully when you put them on/off. This could not only damage the sleeve and cause it to lose shape but can potentially irritate your skin from the friction.

1. Using Knee Sleeves For Squats

Lifting exercises are known for being hard on the knees, but squats are especially notorious for it. This is because, whereas in other lifts like deadlifts, knees have periods of downtime, in squats they’re pretty much always active.

Among the two main versions of squats — the front and back squat — both exercises target nearly identical muscle groups, but the back squat results in more compressive forces on the knee. Moreover, studies showed no significant difference in mass lifted or knee biomechanics in back squats when wearing vs. not wearing squatting knee sleeves.

Therefore, if you have knee issues that cause some pain and discomfort, but you have the “okay” from your doctor or physical therapist to train, you might consider using knee support for squats to alleviate the issues, and maybe consider checking different squat variations to avoid mileage.

2. Using Knee Sleeves For Deadlifts

Although the knees are less actively involved compared to squats, they still undergo significant stress during deadlifts. When performing a deadlift correctly, the concentric phase (initial lift from the ground) relies on both knee and hip extension to drive the barbell upwards. It's not uncommon for knees to feel unstable during heavy deadlifts, but the compression provided by knee sleeves can help stabilize the joint.

Knee Sleeves vs. Knee Braces vs. Knee Wraps

If you previously searched for knee support gear, you've probably come across terms like knee sleeves, knee braces, and knee wraps. So, are the differences between the three or are they one and the same? We already talked about the role of knee sleeves extensively, now let’s summarize the other two.

While knee braces may seem similar to knee sleeves, they serve a different purpose. You can describe it as "providing support and stability to the joint," but their primary function is to keep the joint in place and prevent unwanted movement. If you try to use a knee brace for weightlifting, you’ll find the fit to be too restrictive.

Knee braces are meant for use in recovery and physical therapy for individuals dealing with existing knee injuries, ligament instability, osteoarthritis, post-surgery weakness, and similar issues. Therefore, you shouldn’t use a knee brace for squats or any other exercise unless you get approval from your doctor or physical therapist.

Knee wraps work like a spring for your lift. When you lower yourself for a lift or into a squat, the material stretches, building up elastic energy. As you rise back up, the material snaps back quickly and releases that energy, giving an extra boost in speed and power. However, there's a noteworthy drawback — the tightness of knee wraps will put extra pressure on your joints.

Thus, while they're excellent for helping with your 1 PR max lifts, it's best not to use them too frequently or for long periods (extended sets with more than 1-2 reps). Basically there is time and place for using them - helping with heavy lifts close to 1RM - aside from it, use sleeves or go raw.

FAQ

What Is the Best Thickness for a Knee Sleeve?

The optimal thickness of your workout knee sleeves largely depends on the type of activity you'll be engaging in. Thinner knee sleeves (3-5 mm) are well-suited for dynamic exercises such as walking and running, as they’re less restrictive. On the other hand, thicker knee sleeves (6-7mm) can provide greater compression and warmth, making a noticeable difference in weightlifting.

Can Knee Sleeves Improve Your Lifts?

The studies discussed earlier in this article consistently show that wearing knee sleeves is linked to better performance in lifting. While knee sleeves won't provide raw strength and instantly help you break personal records, they can give your joints extra support and make exercises more comfortable and approachable. You probably know already how important is confidence during lifting heavy 🙂

Is It Better to Squat without Knee Sleeves?

Squatting without the assistance of knee sleeves promotes more natural joint development, leading to stronger and more stable knees in the long run. Additionally, while knee sleeves are beneficial for squatting with heavy weights, their effects may be less pronounced with lower-weight increments.

However, if you have knee issues such as existing injuries, joint inflammation, arthritis, or similar conditions, you may find that knee sleeves can help alleviate pain, allowing you to perform the exercise more comfortably and confidently. Consult a healthcare professional about best treatment and incorporating them into your exercise.

Do Knee Sleeves Prevent Injury?

Yes they can help reduce the risk…, knee sleeves provide the necessary support to the joint which can impact (lower) the likelihood of injury. However, keep in mind that the sleeves themselves won’t compensate for poor technique or cutting corners.

Should You Wear Knee Sleeves for Deadlifts?

Knee sleeves can provide stability and comfort to the knee, making the concentric phase (initial lift) easier on the joint. However, while lifting knee sleeves can be helpful for deadlifts, their benefits might not be as pronounced as with squats, as deadlifts primarily stress the posterior chain rather than the knees.

Conclusion

Now you know the intricacies of wearing workout knee sleeves. By providing compression around the joint, knee sleeves add a layer of stability and warmth when exercising.

This can make the difference from making lifts more comfortable and mitigating chronic pain to protecting you from injury. From our experience, the Warm Body Cold Mind Weightlifting Sleeves are the best knee sleeves for squats, providing excellent support at a modest price point.

We’d like to hear from you as well. Do you squat often? If so, have you tried knee support garments such as knee sleeves before? Leave a comment letting us know and remember to follow us on social media for more valuable fitness content.

Also read:

• Knee Wraps vs Sleeves
• 5mm vs 7mm Knee Sleeves
• How to Improve Squat Mobility
• What Is a Good Gift for a Personal Trainer

References:

1. “Approved List of Personal Apparel and Equipment for Use at IPF Sanctioned Competitions,” International Powerlifting Federation, https://www.powerlifting.sport/fileadmin/ipf/data/federation/Approved__List_2019-2022_Final.pdf (accessed Oct. 30, 2023).
2. Dennis-Peter Born, Billy Sperlich, Hans-Christer Holmberg, “Bringing Light into the Dark: Effects of Compression Clothing on Performance and Recovery,” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 8, no. 1 (2013): 4-18.
3. Hunter J. Bennett, Alexandria Trypuc, Kevin A. Valenzuela, Zachary A. Sievert, “Wearing Knee Sleeves during Back Squats Does not Improve Mass Lifted or Affect Knee Biomechanics,” Human Movement 22, no. 2 (2021): 32-42
4. Jason P. Lake, Patrick J. C. Carden, Kath A. Shorter, “Wearing Knee Wraps Affects Mechanical Output and Performance Characteristics of Back Squat Exercise,” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26, no. 10 (2012): 2844-9.
5. Jonathan C. Gullett, Mark D. Tillman, Gregory M. Gutierrez, John W. Chow, “A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Trained Individuals,” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23, no. 1 (2009): 284-92.
6. “Knee Brace,” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21034-knee-brace (accessed Oct. 30. 2023).
7. Nahdatul Aishah Mohd Sharif, Siew-Li Goh, Juliana Usman, Wan Kamarul Zaman Wan Safwani, “Biomechanical and Functional Efficacy of Knee Sleeves: A Literature Review,” Physical Therapy in Sport 28 (2017): 44-52.
8. Shane F. O'Riordan, Rod McGregor, Shona L. Halson, David J. Bishop, James R. Broatch, “Sports Compression Garments Improve Resting Markers of Venous Return and Muscle Blood Flow in Male Basketball Players,” Journal of Sport and Health Science 12, no. 4 (2023): 513-522.
9. Steven B. Machek, Thomas D. Cardaci, Dylan T. Wilburn, Mitchell C.Cholewinski, Scarlett Lin Latt, Dillon R. Harris, Darryn S. Willoughby, “Neoprene Knee Sleeves of Varying Tightness Augment Barbell Squat One Repetition Maximum Performance Without Improving Other Indices of Muscular Strength, Power, or Endurance,” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 35 (2021): S6-S15.
10. Photos by WBCM Media Team.