Men, according to women, have a near-supernatural ability to leave home any time they choose to with just their wallets, keys, and phones. Women, according to men, can’t go on a casual weekend getaway with anything less than three suitcases, a garment bag, and a separate makeup organizer.
It’s unlikely that we’ll see an end to that particular debate any time soon. Whatever your gender, though, you don’t want to lug a duffel bag to the gym every time you want to work up a sweat – people might think you’re camping out in the changing rooms. Equally, you don’t want to cut a session short just because you left some common gym item at home.
All of us have done both on one occasion or another. Therefore, let’s take a quick look at our checklist of essentials for a gym bag.
The Absolute Basics: What to Bring to the Gym Every Time
Keeping all your workout kit in one place, ready to go at a moment’s notice, is like an extra dose of motivation when it comes to getting in shape. If you need to wander from one room of your house to another looking for all your gym items, you waste both time and momentum, not to mention running the risk of forgetting something.
All of the following can easily fit into a satchel small enough to keep in a drawer of your desk at work or tucked underneath a car seat:
Comfy Clothes
There are many places where you can make a fashion statement; the gym isn’t one of them. As long as they don’t impede your freedom of movement, shorts, sweatpants, or leggings can all go with that Coldplay T-shirt you don’t remember buying.
Don’t, however, forget things like sweatbands and extra hair ties if you need them. Depending on your plans, you may or may not want to lug around a change of street clothes, too, though some deodorant, clean underwear, and socks are bound to come in handy at some point.
Shoes
Likewise, combat boots or high heels obviously aren’t suitable workout wear unless, of course, you’re going trail running or pole dancing. However, there’s also no need to spend hundreds of pounds on fancy running shoes.
If you do jog, don’t wear the same shoes to the gym: running shoes wear out a little with every step you take in them. Unless you really need specialized sneakers (for squash, kickboxing, weightlifting, etc.), comfort should be your main priority. For the most part, all sports shoes are basically the same; if you want to spend extra money on footwear with a certain picture on it, that’s up to you.
Flip-Flops
These aren’t for exercising, but for showering. Most gym changing rooms are cleaned on a regular basis but that doesn’t mean a small precaution against athlete’s foot isn’t worth taking.
Towel
Human sweat isn’t a contaminant in the same way as some other bodily fluids. You’re very unlikely to catch any skin condition by using the exercise machines at your gym (the showers are another matter). However, sitting down in another person’s perspiration is undeniably icky.
While you won’t be able to get workout equipment entirely dry just by wiping it down, you are expected to at least remove visible streaks and droplets of your own sweat. Going to the gym without your towel will instantly make you a pariah; many won’t even allow you to enter.
Water Bottle
It’s bizarre enough that a small bottle of ordinary H2O can cost £5 at the airport; it’s inexcusable to pay those kinds of prices at your local gym. Nor should the cost of water discourage you from drinking as much of it as you need.
In fact, lugging along your own water bottle also means not having to pay for energy drinks. These are available in powdered form for far cheaper and range from glorified sugar water to fairly upscale concoctions.
Creature Comforts: What to Bring to the Gym to Make Working Out Suck Less
There aren’t very many activities as boring as performing the same motion over and over again. Gyms also aren’t known for their scenery, unless you count a bunch of people doing more or less the same things as you are.
Don’t allow your mind to turn the monotony of exercise into an excuse for not going, though. The following items will help keep your mind occupied and make the whole experience a little more pleasant:
Entertainment
It’s always great to exercise with a friend, but your schedules and workouts aren’t going to overlap every time. Besides, grunting and panting tend to make conversation difficult.
Bluetooth earphones, along with your favorite music streaming app or a few audiobooks, will make the minutes fly by. If rowing machines or exercise bicycles are your thing, the right VR headset and app (some of which can actually sync with the gym machines) make for a great way of spicing up your workout.
Snacks
Skipping lunch can easily lead to skipping an afternoon workout because you feel “too tired”. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this that doesn’t involve plopping down on the sofa as soon as you get home.
Some dried fruit or another pre-workout snack can be kept in your gym bag for months until needed to give you the energy boost you need to face the gym. Once you’re done, you may not have time to prepare and eat a healthy meal before rushing off to the next thing on your schedule – granola bars or something similar can provide a crucial, well-timed dose of protein and set you up for quicker recovery.
Medication and Hygiene
Voltaren, I love thee! While it’s best not to rely on anti-inflammatory salves or other medication as preventative measures, they do seem to help more if you apply them as soon as you notice a sprain or pulled muscle.
Band-aids and painkiller tablets can also qualify as essentials for a gym bag. For about half of us, it’s a good idea to keep a supply of feminine hygiene products on hand just in case, while some hand sanitizer and wet wipes always come in handy.
Additional Accessories
Most gyms have lockers; few of them can afford to have one for every member. This means that you’ll need a combination padlock, though not necessarily a high-security one. The object is really to discourage casual theft, not safeguard the crown jewels. Painting a stripe on it using some nail polish will help you remember where you stashed your stuff.
Even though you’ll probably have your phone and/or fitness tracker with you, I personally never go anywhere without a notebook. This allows you to jot down all kinds of things – personal bests, possible adjustments to your training plan, shopping lists, whatever – without having to dry off your finger so a touchscreen will recognize it. Also, something about putting pencil to paper just feels more real than any electronic device.
Nice-to-Haves: Gym Items You’ll Be Glad to Own
Even if you’re about to visit a gym for the first time in your life, you’ll get by just fine as long as you have the gym essentials mentioned above. Naturally, you’ll also need a sturdy bag with plenty of pockets to keep it all in. What else, then, may be necessary for you to enjoy the most pleasant and effective workout possible?
As you start to gain more experience and confidence, you’re likely to become interested in particular kinds of exercise. While not really workout essentials, things like weightlifting gloves can help a great deal: by minimizing the distraction caused by aching palms, they help you concentrate on your form and thereby prevent injury in the weight room.
Other stuff you may want to pick up over time include:
- Yoga mat: Though it’s hard to see what makes those costing over £100 special, all yoga mats definitely aren’t equal. Look for one that’s easy to clean, offers a good grip, and is thick enough to protect your knees and elbows.
- Foam roller: These make massaging sore calves, thighs, and upper arms easy, even when you’re by yourself. Taking care of this chore while your muscles are still warm will reduce stiffness and get you back into the gym that much sooner.
- Resistance bands: These elastic training aids come in all shapes and sizes; they are great for warming up before a set or exercising while recovering from an injury.
- Swimming gear: Aside from a bathing suit of some kind, you’ll also need a pool cap and, preferably, goggles. It’s hard enough to keep a domestic swimming pool clean; one used by hundreds of people a day requires a little extra effort from bathers.
- Weightlifting belt: This is kind of like a safety net for your core muscles. When training with heavier weights, using one may just save you from an extremely painful injury.
Final Thoughts – What Do You Need To Bring To The Gym?
There’s no piece of equipment in the world that can get your body into shape without effort on your part. At the same time, though, packing the right workout essentials can make a huge difference, not only to your comfort and the effectiveness of each exercise session but also to your safety and well-being.
If you need to buy gym items like a water bottle or towel, though, don’t spend too much time trying to select the “best” one. Also don’t worry about things like color schemes or brands. Before you know it, these accessories will seem like old friends, always ready to lend a helping hand and part and parcel of your workout experience.