Top Accessories Every Serious Lifter Needs in Their Gym Bag
The more you begin enjoying the gym and the more progress you see, the more likely it is for you to want to start wanting to find all possible ways to improve.Typically, that includes improving your nutrition and recovery, using the right supplements for your body’s needs, and finding all the right equipment that will help you progress and minimize potential injuries in the gym.
The health and fitness industry is quite a serious market, and there’s a lot that can be found online that promises to protect you from injuries and help you achieve better results. However, in reality, the supplements and fitness accessories that truly help aren’t that many, and it’s pretty easy to find and carry them in your gym bag.
In this short article, we’re going to go over the main accessories you need to have with you as a lifter at all times, why they’re important, and how they will help you improve over time.
So, if that sounds like your cup of tea, then keep on reading.
5 Top Accessories You Need as a Lifter
Now, before we start listing endless accessories that will help you do one thing or the other better, let’s first note that it’s you who’s lifting the weights. Despite the support and stability that you get from certain types of equipment, at the end of the day, it’s you who’s doing the work – so don’t let any of the fake gym bros online tell you that using belts is cheating or have you submerged in hooks vs straps debate that leads to nothing. Having the right equipment will only protect you during exercise and will enhance your performance – it won’t make you into a world-class lifter overnight, and it definitely isn’t cheating – just a way to make your workouts better and more efficient.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s start with our list.
Lifting Belts
Regardless of whether you’re deadlifting, squatting, benching, or rowing, having stability and support in your core area is key to lifting more and lifting safely. That’s where a lifting belt comes to help, and some of its benefits include:
Gives a stable surface for your core to contrast against
Helps you engage your abs and teaches you how to brace
Allows you to have more power and speed as you lift
Protects your spine
Knee Sleeves
Many movements in the gym can lead to your knees taking a beating – they often bear the most load during all leg movements, from the press to squats, step-ups, and lunges. To protect them, knee sleeves are a terrific idea, as they:
Add some “bounce” to your squat, depending on the material
May help you feel more supported when lifting heavy weight
Provide extra cushioning and compression, making it safer to lift heavier weights
Wrist Wraps
For a small joint, the wrists can cause a ton of issues as you use them for many movements in the gym. Every weight you hold in your hands – barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells applies some kind of stress to your wrists. Certain bodyweight exercises like push-ups, handstands, and so on can also feel quite taxing. This is where an accessory like wrist wraps can help as they:
Provide support and cushioning to your wrists for heavy lifting
Can help with maintaining the correct positioning of the wrist during heavy exercises
Lifting Straps
Grip strength is an issue for quite a lot of lifters, as it takes time to develop, and it usually develops at a much slower pace compared to the strength of other areas like the back and legs. Often, that leads to a lifter having the strength to lift with a particular weight but being unable to train with it due to a lack of grip strength. This is where lifting straps come to help with their many benefits:
Allows you to focus on lifting the weight instead of on maintaining your grip
Helps you to secure your hands to the bar during pulling exercises
Enables to lift heavier weights at a good intensity
Lifting Shoes
Every sport requires its own set of specific shoes, and lifting is no different. If you’re serious about becoming better at the gym, you should invest in a pair of quality shoes that give you the needed stability and provide you with a solid foundation. There are many benefits of lifting shoes, but the main ones include:
Help you generate explosive strength for movements such as Olympic lifts
Provide a stable surface that allows you to maintain the correct position for all lifts
In Conclusion
Our advice is to keep things simple – you don’t need to carry 20 different accessories in your bag, just the ones you actually need to improve your workout. Hopefully, the ones you found in this article help you get a rough idea of what fitness equipment you should invest in, and as always, we’d love to hear about your gym must-haves in the comments.