How Tight Should Knee Sleeves Be? What You Need to Consider

Knee sleeves are awesome gym tools you can use to improve your form when lifting heavy. But you can only reap the benefits of these knee sleeves if you get the right size and fit. While getting accurate measurements is one thing, people have often wondered about how tight knee sleeves need to be.

So how tight should knee sleeves be? Read on as I help you work out the size and fit your knee sleeves should be to help with your workouts.

How Tight Should Knee Sleeves Be?

The tightness of a knee sleeve varies from person to person. It depends on various factors, so make sure to consider these before getting knee sleeves:

Tightness In General

If you’ve tried on knee sleeves, you may have noticed that they’re tighter than wearing leggings. This is because they are designed to be tight. They provide support and compression to the knees for various exercise movements for better circulation.

But, they shouldn’t be TOO tight to the point circulation is cut off or you can’t move around properly. That’s why measuring the circumference of your calves to get the optimum size will help give you the tightness you need from knee sleeves.

What Are You Using It For

The major factor to look into is how you’ll use the knee sleeves for. These are common sports and their usual tightness:

Bodybuilding

The tightness depends on your weight load. For lighter weights and more repetition, the knee sleeve should be both comfortable and tight.

If you’re doing lower repetition but a heavier weight to do compound movements, the knee sleeve should be even tighter.

CrossFit

This needs high degrees of agility, with a lot of sprints, jumps, and turns. Do NOT go a size lower than you usually are, you need knee sleeves with more room for you to move and not compress too much. You may want to go a size higher instead.

Powerlifting

For those using all their strength for one rep, you’ll need to go a bit tighter. Get a size down WITHOUT cutting off blood circulation.

Running

You won’t use much resistance when running, so you can stick to your right size or go one size larger.

If it’s a bit too loose, then you can consider wearing knee sleeves over tights to adjust the compression.

Strongman

Like bodybuilding, it depends on your weight and exercise movements. If you’ll be doing some walking exercises, get a tight and comfortable sleeve. If you’ll be none placed and lifting heavier, a tighter knee sleeve is needed.

For Pain

If you aren’t involved in sports and need something for injuries or pain, you CAN use a knee sleeve for support, especially when doing foundational exercises. But avoid overdoing it and get a size larger to prevent it from causing pain due to its tightness. As much as possible, use it only when the pain gets bad, OR consider getting a knee brace instead.

Measuring Your Size

As mentioned, the best way to get the right tightness for your knee sleeves is by getting the right size. To do so, measure your knee’s circumference, bending slightly.

You can then select a reputable brand and refer to their sizing charts from there. Note that sizes vary from brand to brand, which is why getting specific size charts is recommended.

For those who are in-between sizes, invest in knee sleeves that are a size lower, though this depends on how you’ll use them. I’ll mention when to get a size lower or higher in the next section!

How to Try Them On

When you’re testing on the knee sleeves or putting them on before a workout, it can be tricky. I used to tug it up straight my leg, which wasn’t just difficult, but it also stretched out the knee sleeves quicker!

I recommend that you put these on inside out and pull them up to below the knee. Once it’s there, flip it over and adjust it as needed. Try to do compound movements and gauge how it feels, it should be tight enough to compress your legs but not too tight that it compromises your blood flow!

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Wrapping It Up

If you want to get the most out of your knee sleeves (we all do), you need them to fit well. Yes, it can be challenging to figure out what size you need, which is why learning the right tips and methods to measure is necessary.

Hopefully, this article answers your question, “How tight should knee sleeves be?” Now that you know what size and fit you need, get the right pair!

If you have any questions or want to share your experiences using knee sleeves, share them below! I’d love to hear all your comments.