You must have seen pros wear elbow sleeves while lifting and wondered what are the benefits. Well, there are plenty of advantages, including elbow support, joint stability, improved blood flow, and more. Most importantly, these little helpers aid in injury prevention during heavy lifting sessions. So if you want to get on top of your lifting game and provide support to your elbow joint, elbow sleeves are highly beneficial. Read on to learn more!
What are Elbow Sleeves?
Let's start with the basics. Elbow sleeves for lifting are supportive gear made using high-grade neoprene. These are worn over the elbow and forearm for added support, compression, joint stability, and other benefits during intense workouts. As a result, your elbow joint and muscles get maximal support. This in turn prevents common injuries like tennis elbow and elbow pain.
Elbow sleeves have been around longer than you might have guessed. Legendary basketballer Allen Iverson opted for elbow sleeves during the 2000-01 season for his right elbow injury. He had bursitis in his elbow area and his trainer cut out a piece and made him wear it on his elbow for support, stability, and prevention of further inflammation. By 2008, elbow sleeves had become massively popular in the NBA. Gradually, it became a useful tool used for injury prevention in sports and weight lifting.
At Cerberus Strength, we offer high-quality elbow sleeves with customizable levels of compression that offer maximum support. We also offer elbow wraps, knee wraps, barbell bars, and other gear and accessories. The right product can take your training to the next level!
What Do Elbow Sleeves Do?
Elbow sleeves are frequently recommended for intense workouts to enhance form and stability. This way, you can scale up when lifting weight plates without the risk of putting too much pressure on your elbows. The compression also increases blood flow to the elbow joint, which aids certain types of motion as you lift and reduces any risk of overuse injuries.
Some athletes and pros use elbow wraps while training; however, you get comparatively less compression and support with elbow wraps than with sleeves. It's also crucial to understand what wearing elbow sleeves can do for your training or any existing injuries. Keep reading to find out!
Types of Elbow Sleeves
At Cerberus Strength, we provide a wide selection of training equipment, gear, and accessories, including elbow sleeves. Here are the options you can choose from to ensure the right form, compression level, snug fit, and maximum support while training.
5mm POWER Elbow Sleeves
These sleeves are made using the best quality 5mm neoprene. Designed specifically with an angled top and bottom for superior comfort and fit, these elbow sleeves for lifting help in preserving range. The thinner interior panel provides just enough support to your elbow area to prevent any joint injury. These sleeves are suitable for reducing elbow pain and strain.
7mm EXTREME Elbow Sleeves V2
This pair of elbow sleeves for lifting features high-strength 7mm neoprene. These sleeves can add kilos to your lifting and keep injuries at bay. Add these sleeves to your training kit for added stability and compression during any pressing motion.
Dual-ply Elbow Sleeves V2
Whether you're performing a bench press with heavy weights or are looking to add maximum support to the muscles around your elbow, these dual-ply sleeves can do it all. Designed to add superior compression and limit unwanted strain, dual-ply elbow sleeves for lifting aid in both pulling and pushing weights.
Triple-ply Elbow Sleeves V2
If you're training like a pro, you must be in search of heavy-duty elbow sleeves. Add stability to your tendons and muscles during any workout with Cerberus Stength's triple-ply elbow sleeve. These sleeves offer warmth and joint stability through extra compression and come in eight sizes. Wearing these sleeves, you will feel a big difference in lifting. There's a reason why our weight lifting belt and elbow sleeves are the strongman's favourites!
What are the Benefits of Elbow Sleeves?
Now that you know what types of products are available, let's recap the benefits of elbow sleeves when lifting heavy weights at the gym:
Increases Blood Flow
The premium quality neoprene material used in sleeves adds compression to the elbows. This means, your muscles get ample warmth which in turn increases blood flow to the area. These details work together to help support not just your elbow but the entire arm.
Enhances Athletic Performance
When you wear elbow sleeves, your range of motion while lifting weights increases even if you've experienced any injury to the area. With the right amount of compression and support, you are able to lift heavier while ensuring further injury prevention. Whether it's a bench press or a lifting workout, elbow sleeves can truly enhance performance.
Promotes Faster Recovery
Injury is part of lifting, and when you're training like a beast, you don't want anything to come in the way. However, training with elbow pain is not ideal and you need to rest and recover. When you invest in good elbow sleeves, they will help with injury prevention and provide support to heal it faster.
Joint Support and Stability
When lifting heavy weights, joint support is crucial to ensure stability and minimize risk. Elbow sleeves add compression to the tendons and muscles in the elbow that work together to during a workout. Good-quality sleeves help with exactly this and keep your elbow stable during movements.
Increased Confidence and Comfort
A great plus point of the above benefits is that wearing elbow sleeves gives you immense confidence during a workout. With less fear and risk, you will feel the strength in your elbows while lifting with elbow sleeves on. Try it for yourself to truly feel the upsides of injury prevention tools!
How to Properly Wear Elbow Sleeves?
Coming to the more practical side of things now, let's go through the correct steps of wearing elbow sleeves. You may be tempted to just roll them up your elbows and get on with your workout, but that's not the right way. Follow these steps:
- Begin by stretching the top and bottom of the elbow sleeves to break them in
- Align the center of the sleeve over your elbow joints, not too high up your arm (it should cover the entire elbow area)
- The sleeve should be snug but not too tight
- Make sure you read the instructions provided with your elbow sleeves for best practices and care tips
When to Use Elbow Sleeves in Lifting?
Elbow sleeves can be used during many types of workout, including the following:
- Pressing motions like an overhead press
- Strength training exercises
- Heavy lifting workouts
Additionally, you can also use elbow sleeves for prevention of injury or to help heal existing wounds
What to Consider When Buying Elbow Sleeves for Lifting?
Material: The most important thing to ensure is that you're buying elbow sleeves made of high-quality neoprene for optimal compression and support.
Size & Fit: Make sure that you read the size chart and pick the right size of sleeves for your elbow. Purchasing elbow sleeves that are too small or too big will hamper their performance. The best sleeves should add just enough compression without feeling uncomfortable or restrictive.
Usage: Finally, consider the reasons you are opting for elbow sleeves. Whether you want them for heavy lifts or to safeguard against getting hurt, there is a product for each requirement. Pick according to your needs.
Conclusion
Elbow sleeves, made from high-quality neoprene, provide essential support, stability, and compression during intense workouts. They enhance performance, promote faster recovery, increase blood flow, and prevent injuries like tennis elbow. At Cerberus Strength, you can choose between varying thicknesses and types and explore other weight lifting equipment. Each of them offers special benefits for different types of training. Level up with the right support from Cerberus Strength!