Gym Bag Essentials

GYM BAG

Essentials

What do I really need to take to the gym? A question many of you may be asking yourselves constantly! Do I actually need this? Will I actually use that? To answer your questions, we have created a list of our top 12 gym bag essentials...

Knowing what to pack in your gym bag can be a tricky one! The essentials can be different for everyone. It all depends on the exercises you perform, how sweaty you get and how big your gym bag is! However, we have put together a guide of our top 12 gym bag essentials to give you one less thing to worry about...

1. Barbell Pad

This little beauty is placed around the barbell to give you some extra padding when you perform moves such as: squats, lunges and hip thrusts. They give you that little extra comfort and encourages you to lift a little heavier!

2. Weight Training Belt

This WWE style belt is used to protect your lower back and brace your core while doing heavy over-the-head lifts, squats, deadlifts and any other exercises that may cause strain to your lower back. Having one of these is essential for protecting your back and allows you to lift a little heavier while being protected.

3. Wrist Supports & Lifting Straps

Whether you choose one or the other or you try both; they are equally as useful when lifting heavy weights. The wrist supports are amazing for keeping your wrists safe and straight when lifting, whereas the lifting straps wrap around the bar/handles of the weights and take some of the heavy pressure off of your finger joints. This means you can lift weights while being kinder to your joints.

4. Resistance & Booty Bands

Resistance bands are great for warming up the muscles before lifting. They put tension on the muscles without the heavy weight which allows them to warm up. They are also a great essential to have during a lockdown while gyms are shut as they are so versatile and can be used to target most muscle groups in the body. Booty bands on the other hand are perfect for warming up and activating the glutes before a leg session. Like resistance bands, they are also perfect for an athome booty workout during the pandemic.

5. Ankle Weights

Ankle weights aren’t a popular gym bag essential but some girls love to use them on a leg day to give that little extra push. It adds more weight to your movements which allows you to feel a stronger burn.

6. Ankle Cable Attachment

Again this may not be an essential to all but many gyms don’t provide the ankle strap attachment for the cable machine or they are always in use. These are so handy to have for cable kick backs or cable side kicks which are isolated movements for the glutes and hip flexors.

7. Knee and Elbow Supports

Similar to the wrist supports these support your joints in heavy weighted exercises. If you are squatting heavy or using heavy weights on an arm day, these may be something you want to consider to stop any unwanted injuries.

8. Pre-Workout, BCAAs, Protein Powder & Creatine

These sports supplements are the main choices for those that weight train. Pre-workout is a popular choice for many that want that boost before a workout. They usually contain caffeine which gives that extra energy kick. Some also choose to have BCAAs, protein powder/protein bars and/ or creatine. Some opt for all, some just pick one and some don’t have any. The choice is really up to you on whether you want to consume them and how intense your workouts are. However, they all help to repair/build muscle after a workout and help aid recovery.

9. Headphones

Training in the gym without music is like going outside without clothes. It must never be done! The day you forget your headphones will be the day your session sucks, it’s just reality!

10. Deodorant

This one is quite self-explanatory; we don’t need any horrible armpit smells distracting us from our workout! Of course the gym is the place to sweat but you have respect everyone else’s nostrils!

11. Towel

If you are a bit of a Sweaty Betty at the gym then taking a small towel with you is perfect for wiping the sweat off your body as well as protecting the machine underneath you.

12. Water Bottle

It’s so important to stay hydrated during your workout, especially if you get super sweaty. You don’t want to be getting any unwanted dizzy spells or dehydration! Make sure you sip on water throughout your sessions to ensure your body is thriving.

So there you have it, our top 12 gym bag essentials here at KILOZ, but that’s not all. We also spoke to 12 of our readers to see what their top gym bag essentials were too:

Lottie - Resistance bands, water bottle, deodorant

Jade - Headphones, water bottle, deodorant, towel, protein shake, spare socks

Tammy - Foam roller, wrist wraps, belt, booty band, air pods

Sarah - Booty band, towel, pre workout, protein

Chloe - Pre-workout, lifting belt, barbell pad, water bottle, bands, AirPods

Rebecca - BCAAs, wrist straps, lifting belt, knee supports

Lily - Protein bar, headphones, notebook & pen (to track my workouts), foam roller

Jaz - Weight lifting belt, lifting straps, preworkout, protein powder

Ella - Sports towel, deadlift shoes, pre-workout, lifting belt, lifting straps, knee supports

Katie - Headphones, water, Fitbit, snacks, wrist straps

Layla - Gym clothes, headphones, workout planner, water bottle, towel

Rachel - Pre-workout, lifting belt & lifting straps