Powerlifting puts incredible strain on the muscles and joints. Although athletes follow proper form and are conditioned for these activities, their arms and legs still need additional support.
This is the reason you see elbow sleeves on professional and amateur powerlifters. Elbow sleeves are tight cuffs made of neoprene and worn around the elbows, extending from the upper forearm to the lower triceps. They’re typically padded and fit snug on the arm.
A common question we get at Iron Rebel is what are powerlifting elbow sleeves for? To put it briefly, their main function is to provide compression and warmth to the elbow joints — crucial factors when you’re lifting extremely heavy weight.
The Warmer, The Better
When a powerlifter warms up, the blood vessels expand and deliver more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the muscles. Warmed-up muscles are also more flexible.
Powerlifting elbow sleeves help keep the muscles warm, which enhances your performance during training and events. Even a few minutes’ break could cool your joints down, and elbow sleeves can make a difference in keeping them warm.
Elbow sleeves are proven and tested. In fact, they’ve been around for 60 years. People know that makeshift elbow sleeves help prevent blood from pooling, reducing pain and swelling.
Iron Rebel’s elbow sleeves are specially designed for powerlifters. Our Performance Elbow Sleeves, for instance, feature openings made of heavy-duty polyester thread, which allows for more stretch. The sleeves are also contoured to fit a powerlifter’s elbow.
Providing Solid Support
Apart from keeping the muscles warm, elbow sleeves compress the elbows, which assist in locking out your lift. This level of support makes the sleeves invaluable to the squat and deadlift. However, elbow sleeves aren’t allowed in bench press events since they help lock out the lift.
The mechanism behind compression gear seems counterintuitive at first. After all, how can squeezing the muscles help you lift?
Compression, however, is essential in athletic performance.
As the elbow sleeve compresses the muscles, it puts external pressure on the blood vessel walls. As a result, blood is pushed more forcefully through the vessels, which delivers more oxygen to the muscles and boosts their performance.
Aids in Recovery
The warmth and compression that elbow sleeves provide are also useful when you’re recovering from an injury. The more blood pumped into the muscles, the faster your recovery.
Bear in mind that elbow sleeves are not a substitute for proper form. Whether or not you use powerlifting elbow sleeves, you must perfect your technique to minimize the risk of injuries.
Is It Different from Elbow Wraps?
Elbow sleeves are different from elbow wraps. Sleeves focus on compressing the tissues, while wraps largely support the joint. Here are other key differences:
- Elbow sleeves offer greater mobility because they’re made of neoprene. In contrast, elbow wraps restrict movement to avoid overexertion and overextension.
- Ease of Use. Elbow sleeves are much easier to use. You simply slip your arm through them. On the other hand, elbow wraps have a steeper learning curve. You have to wound the elbow wrap properly around the arm to achieve the right level of compression and comfort.
Try Training with Elbow Sleeves Today
If you haven’t trained with elbow sleeves, try them today to experience the difference. Iron Rebel offers the best elbow sleeves for powerlifting — all made of high-grade neoprene. We have tested and perfected the fit and thickness of our elbow sleeves to provide the ultimate support, warmth, and comfort.
Iron Rebel also has an amazing Loyalty Program, where you can rack up points and get awesome discounts and promotions.
Get your Iron Rebel elbow sleeves today.