Originally Posted by
danomite!
2nd the knee sleeves. 2nd that I'll never squat without them. Those made all the difference for me when I started getting achy knees (also 41yo). They offer a little bit of compression but the main advantage is insulation to keep the knee ligaments warm. Ligaments don't get too much blood supply especially compared to the muscles. The knee sleeves trap the heat generated by blood flow during the set and keep the ligaments warm during the rest period between sets. A warm ligament is a happy ligament.