In training terms I'm an old dude. I've been doing this for most of two decades and I've accrued a long laundry list of chronic ailments (right elbow), nagging injuries (hello shoulders!) and various aches and pains (too many to note). A year or two ago I had a painful clicking in my left knee that I ignored mostly...until it began interfering with my training. It was then that I read Mike Robertson's article "18 Tips for Bulletproof Knees" on T-nation. He suggested wearing knee sleeves. I'd wrapped my knees when squatting heavy but I'd never used knee sleeves. I already knew enough by then to take Robertson's advice seriously (dude knows his stuff) so I got a pair of Inzer knee sleeves, the ones with all the velcro straps on them. They were sort of awkward (more on that in a separate review) so I tracked down the Rehband knee sleeves. For those not familiar with them, they are the kind all the strongmen on ESPN use. These were a distinct improvement. I've used them regularly ever since, whether I'm squatting, deadlifting or doing single-leg work. They keep the knees plenty warm--in fact they are usually soaked with sweat after a workout--and they provide a little extra stability to the joint, or at least the feeling of extra stability, which in turn provides a little psychological comfort and a small mental edge when approaching a difficult lift. For those of you who are accustomed to wrapping but have never tried the sleeves, don't expect them to work the way wraps do. The sleeves provide absolutely no rebound in the hole--which is mostly what wraps are good for. Nor will you bodybuilders get to look cool while enjoying the ritual of wrapping. The sleeves are strictly functional and they aren't much to look at. But I am sold on them. They've held up really well with time, and considering that I've never quite gotten around to washing them, they don't even smell too bad despite all that sweat they've absorbed.Highly recommended and not just for old dudes!
Rehband has since come out with a new style of sleeves and I've only tried the elbow variety but I believe you can still get the original style sleeves at Jackal's Gym.
