When gym is life, you know that your gym bag needs to hold all of the essentials to get you through a workout safely and efficiently! See how I said safely? Certain items in your gym bag help to prevent injury and that is on the top of my list! Here’s 10 items that live in my bag that I use on a weekly, if not daily basis! This post may contain affiliate links.
Resistance Bands – Three different kinds of resistance bands currently live in my bag, ones that have handles or attach to ankle straps, long resistance loop bands, and smaller circle loop resistance bands.
The resistance bands that have hooks to attach to handles or straps are probably the most known resistance band. There are two different kinds I have, Bforce Bands that have variable resistance levels that are included in one set (which is a little more expensive) or a set that is one resistance level per tube, but may come with varying levels; similar to these. You can easily attach these to handles, ankle straps, or a door to enhance your workout.
Long Resistance Loop Bands are used for assisted pull ups, lying hamstring curls, standing good mornings and many other exercises. I love this brand of resistance bands, X-Bands, because their resistance bands are great quality and they have really good customer service. You can also check them out on Instagram at @TheXbands
The circle loop bands are a smaller version of the long loop bands. There are many options of thickness/levels of resistance which are great for adding resistance to a glute or abductor workout, glute activation, or warming the body up. They are a little thinner than the hip circle bands, but great for HIIT workouts with higher repetitions.
Hip Circles – Fabric Heavy Duty Resistance Band – This is actually similar to the circle resistance loop band, but are heavier resistance, made of fabric, and sometimes contain a slip resistant liner. This is the exact one I have and it is a great addition to my bodyweight squats.
Sliders – You can easily use the expensive ‘fitness specific’ sliders, but I buy the cheap furniture movers and they work perfect! These are great for hamstring finishers, core work, and mountain climbers.
Lifting Gloves – TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or even Target has cheap ones, just make sure they fit well and are comfortable. These help with grip but also protect your hands from calluses.
Wrist Straps – Straps really help elevate your lifting workouts by giving you extra support to lift heavier weight, but if you do not life heavy, they aren’t needed.
Padded Bar Cover – This is an absolute must for me when it comes to squats and bar bridges! I do not like to get under a squat bar without a pad because I feel like the bar puts to much pressure on my lower neck or digs into my thighs when I do bridges. Thankfully they are cheap because they seem to walk away on me at the gym (a.k.a. I forget them on the rack and they disappear) Here is the one that is currently in my gym bag.
Antibacterial Wipes – I feel that the gym’s wipes and cleaning liquid is ok, but I feel like they don’t clean the benches well enough so I like to have these in my bag available for me at anytime.
Yoga Strap – For Stretching, I bought one at a barre studio here in Atlanta called The Barre Method, and I love this one because it has multiple loops to pull closer within your stretches. This one is very similar but a little slimmer than the one I have.
Knee Wraps – These fall into the same category as the wrist straps, and are really only needed if you are lifting heavy. These wraps help with squats and leg press exercises that you want to protect your knees under heavy weight. Always remember when you are lifting heavy, wrap up no matter what. You shouldn’t start wrapping your knees when you start to feel pain, but try to be proactive and use them for protection.
Weight Belt – This is also a preventative measure for when you are lifting heavy. There are different types of weight belts, Heavy lifting belts used for lifting, a fitness belt that use can add to give a little more support, but not as strong of support as a lifting belt, and then a sweat belt to help sweat and tone skin.
What items do you have in your gym bag that aren’t listed, but you feel are a MUST HAVE? Let me know your thoughts!
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin
Modern Day Betty 