Things to Carry in Your Gym Bag

1) Towel: Always carry your own towel and put it on the equipment before you use it. Not only is it more hygienic for others, but it also protects you from catching skin infections from other people.

2) Chalk: I prefer the good old bricks but you can also carry the liquid chalk pastes if you like. Chalk dries out your hands and improves your grip on the weights.

This allows you to lift heavier or get in an extra rep or two because the weight feels secure in your hand (we all know how much it sucks to have the weights start to slip from your hands while lifting).

3) Wrist wraps: Use these for all heavy free weight pressing work. They support your wrist and help you avoid injuries.

One time many years ago I fucked up my right hand wrist during overhead pressing. I accidentally missed the rack on one side and the wrist twisted all the way backwards. It has since healed but it still doesn’t feel as good as it once was many years ago (feels a bit “loose”). This could have been prevented if I was wearing wrist wraps.

4) Versa Gripps or straps: Versa Gripps are expensive but worth the money. If you can’t afford them, just buy regular straps (they are 90% as good). Use them for all heavy pulling movements.

It takes out the grip component from heavy pulling work and thus allows the limiting factor to be your back (or whatever target muscle) and not your grip.

5) Water bottle: Obvious. I recommend one with a wide mouth that is made of metal (not plastic). They are easy to keep clean as you can put your hand inside and scrub them and don’t leak microplastics into your body.

6) Packets of ORS electrolyte powder: Always carry a few packets of electrolyte powder with you while you train. Mix it in your bottle and sip it across your workout.

ORS will supply you with dextrose and electrolyte salts to fuel the intensity. Also you will thank yourself for having an extra packet if you feel like you’re getting a cramp somewhere.

Note that any cheap ORS from the medical store will do the job. There is no need to buy expensive hydration powders from gym brands (it’s just a mix of various salts and sugar).

7) Training Shoes. You want to train in training shoes. Not running shoes. Stop using running shoes in the gym. Running shoes are expensive and have soft soles because they are meant to absorb the shocks of running.

In the gym, it equates to training on a bed. You don’t have a strong base to push the ground from. Training shoes are cheap and have a hard sole.

Any cheap training shoe will do the job. There is no need to buy expensive training shoes because there is no technology in them. Just a hard sole (and ideally a wide toebox). That said, my favorite ones are Nike’s Metcons and Reebok’s Nano (I prefer the older versions. The newer versions have a narrow toebox which I hate).

Note: If you are big into barbell squats, getting a pair of Nike Romaleos (just for squats) is one of the best investments you can make.

8) Logbook: Track your workouts. It is the only way you can know whether your training is working or not. People who do not track their workouts look the same every year.

9) Neck Harness: Use this to train the muscle everyone neglects – the neck. I’ve had good experiences with the neck harness from this brand called DMOOSE. I do not like the cheaper brands like USI because their harness breaks mid-set and that puts your neck on the line (literally).

10) Microplates: Carry microplates if your gym doesn’t have them. Get two 1.25kg plates at minimum because most gyms have plates that start from 2.5kg. The problem with 2.5kg minimum plates is that the weight increments for many exercises become too large to be practical.

For example, if you are overhead pressing 70kg for 6 reps, and you increase to 75kg (a 2.5kg plate added to each side), you might crash down to 1 rep even though this is the minimum increment possible with these plates.

Microplates allow you to progress with weights as little as 250 grams and are worth being carried if your gym does not have them. The best microplates come from this little brand called CHALLENGE.

11) Belt: A lifting belt allows you to brace your core harder and increases your lower back stability (makes it easier to keep the back straight) in heavy freeweight exercises like barbell squats and deadlifts.

The best belts come from Dominion Strength. They are expensive but worth the money (a good belt will last you for the rest of your life).

12) Deodorant: Obvious. Use before and after workout.

13) Protein shake: I always carry a shaker with 50-60g whey protein powder in it to drink right after my workout. Usually by the end of the workout I am starving, and what better thing to have than fast digesting protein?

(Note: Protein timing doesn’t actually matter that much so if you had a high protein meal before your training, you don’t need to have protein right away after your workout. However, unless you have a specific reason, why would you wait to have your whey protein? I prefer to have it right after training especially if I’m going to follow it with cardio.)

14) Snack: Keep a little something like an energy bar in your bag at all times. If you find yourself having a shit workout (say you’re feeling tired), eat it to provide yourself some energy to train and also to fill your stomach.

In my experience, if you have an upper body day with cardio right after or just a long leg day, it is beneficial to eat a banana mid-workout. Prevents you from compromising your workout just because you were running out of glycogen.

15) A few sachets of coffee: I usually nick them off of hotels when I stay there. Sometimes you’ll need them before you train in case you’re feeling particularly sleepy and lethargic (happens to the best of us). Just don’t make a habit out of using caffeine to train.

16) A small bottle of muscle relaxant spray and some tape/band aids: You never know when you need the spray. Some gyms don’t have them in their first aid kit (for whatever retarded reason).

The tape/band aids are useful if you tear off a callus on your hand mid session.

Bonus: Spare clothing. If your gym allows you to rent a locker, keep a spare change of clothes there. You never know when you need it (e.g. Let’s say you forget to bring a pair of socks to train. You can just use the emergency stash.).

In general, if your gym lets you rent a locker, always rent it. They are *extremely* useful because they allow you to not have to carry many of the items in every time (make sure to carry the neck harness, straps, and wrist wraps home every 2 weeks for a wash or they will start to STINK).

Earlier I carried everything in my bag. Now I only carry a bottle, protein, and a towel and keep the rest in my rented locker.

That’s all for this piece.

Hope this helps.

Your man,

Harsh Strongman