Nordic Lifting: Elbow Compression Sleeves

The fitness company Nordic Lifting has been around since 2013. Selling a wide range of workout recovery tools and products for athletes and gym-goers alike, they pride themselves on top class customer service and fairly-priced products.

One of the products we have just tried out is their neoprene elbow compression sleeves. Keep reading on to find out what we thought of them as we put them through their paces!

Design and Materials

The Nordic Lifting sleeves are packaged in a nicely designed plastic case. The reverse side of the packaging lists some of the benefits of using these sleeves, injury prevention for instance, and a leaflet is included inside to show details of the company’s website and social media pages.

The premium quality sleeves are colored black with grey and white stripes, and they’re made of 5mm neoprene with reinforced stitching. The company logo -a muscular man curling a dumbbell- sits at the top of each sleeve. Available in five sizes, the sleeves are suitable for both male and female lifters.

Performance

I’ve tried my fair share of elbow sleeves over the years; adjustable, double ply, and triple ply to name a few.

Lifting heavy weights and pushing the body hard means protecting the joints is a must. As I’m presently a competitive arm wrestler, feeling elbow aches and pains that accompany this intense combat sport is a weekly occurrence for me.

With a tough few months of training behind me, receiving the elbow sleeves in the post came at just the right time. How good would they be? I would soon find out.

Sleeves Are Thicker Than Expected

I was impressed with the design of the sleeves, and the logo of a strong-looking bodybuilder lifting a heavy dumbbell inspired confidence. Black is certainly one of my favourite colors so that added extra appeal for me. The sleeves felt thicker than I’d expected, so this indicated that these weren’t just run-of-the-mill neoprene elbow sleeves.

In the gym, the sleeves proved to be effective during my heavy, upper body training sessions. They provided a good amount of support in pressing exercises throughout most of the range of motion. Seated shoulder presses, one of my favourite deltoid (shoulder) exercises, felt great with the sleeves on, and I’m sure I squeezed out an extra couple of reps than I typically would.

Rows, Pulldowns and Curls Felt so Much Better while Wearing these Sleeves

Pulling exercises like rows, pulldowns, and curls sometimes create some elbow discomfort for me. However, these lifts felt so much better while I had the sleeves on, no annoying aches or niggling pains.

In my home gym environment, where it’s more bodyweight and kettle bell training focused, the sleeves also proved their usefulness. They provided a lot of comfort during push ups, particularly while I was wearing a weighted vest, and unlike some other elbow sleeves they stayed in place and didn’t bunch up on high rep sets.

These Sleeves Do a First Class Job of Keeping the Joints Warm

Just like the pulling exercises in the gym, the sleeves helped elbow pains on chin ups and pull ups remain at bay. The sleeves did a first class job of keeping the joints warm as well.

I found that the Nordic Lifting sleeves were easy to put on and take off during workouts. Without a doubt, I felt a confidence boost while wearing them and this enabled me to push that bit harder than I usually do. They worked well for both low rep and higher rep training, and seemed to aid with muscle recovery.

(One important thing I feel the need to mention is the sizing of the product. I ordered a size above what I would usually wear and they were still a snug fit. So please do check out the company’s website and Amazon for sizing information).

Value

Amazon UK sells the Nordic Lifting sleeves on their site. The price for each pair is £38.60 and this includes delivery. Anyone requiring the smallest size will pay a bit less at £27.60. Each pair comes with a one year manufacturer’s warranty.

Summary

Keeping your joints healthy is crucial if you want longevity in your training (who doesn’t)! The Nordic Lifting elbow sleeves offer a well-balanced combination of support, comfort, compression, and heat retention.

Suitable for beginner to advanced athletes, these sleeves are well-worth having in your gym bag for your training sessions. Highly recommended.

Pros:

  • Good level of support especially when lifting heavier weights
  • Attractive design and professional appearance
  • Effectively keep the joints and muscles warm

Cons:

  • Some people might think it’s a bit expensive 

Do you use joint compression wear when you’re training? Which exercises do you think they help best with? Let us know in the comments below and on FacebookTwitter & Instagram

Alan Riseborough

Alan is a strength and physique enthusiast and has 28 years' of training experience behind him. He has competed in powerlifting, arm wrestling, bodybuilding and grip strength competitions. He also includes rigorous bodyweight, sprinting and kettlebell training regularly in his routines. He believes in the transformative power of the squat which is (believe it or not) his favourite exercise!

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