By Yesterday the CrossFit workout at Octane CrossFit was called Helen meets Karen. It was three rounds and included: 400m run, 21 kettle bell swings, 12 pull-ups, and 50 wall balls with a thirty minute time cap. That translated into 150 wall balls–intensive squatting.
Today we performed Jackie: 1000m row, 50 thrusters, 30 pull-ups for time. In the photo below you can see how intensive the thrusters are on the knees.
CrossFit is hard on your body and I have noticed some issues with my knees that come and go. Some sort of fluid thing that can be painful during and after the workout but since I started using Workt 5mm knee sleeves I haven’t experienced any pain in my knees so now I wear the sleeves at every Octane CrossFit session.
The Workt 5mm knee sleeve is fabricated from ecoprene which is a neoprene made from limestone. The material is stretchy, comfortable, and warm. The knee sleeves fit true to the Workt scale so follow their directions for the fitting the sleeve.
When donning the sleeves I recommend putting them on before you put on your shoes to avoid unnecessary stretching of the sleeves. I wear the sleeves around my ankles until the workout becomes knee intensive–just slide them up over your knees and your are ready to squat, run, toss wall balls, whatever…
The sleeves stay in place with slight adjustments during intense workouts. The sleeves get wet by the end of the workout but dry quickly if you stand them up on the wider section of the sleeve so that air can circulate around them. The ecoprene does not smell bad with use like neoprene which is a plus.
I wash the sleeves in cold water with my workout clothes but air dry them to avoid the extreme heat of the dryer. I’ve used the Workt sleeves for several months and they have withstood literally hundreds of squats, several thousand meters of running and rowing, hundreds of wall balls, dead-lifts, thrusters, clean and jerks, etc., with little or no visible wear.
You will pay more for Workt gear than other brands that can be found on Amazon but the price is worth it. I tried some cheaper sleeves that I bought online and ended up sending them back because of the lousy fit and construction. I highly recommend Workt sleeves and have also purchased some of their other gear which I will review at another time.
I don’t want to suggest that there are not other quality brands of knee sleeves for sale online. I just didn’t manage to purchase one until I found Workt.
I need to be clear: I love my Workt knee sleeves and will not do CrossFit without them. My knees thank me everyday and I feel better between workouts.
