What and why should be in the gym bag of every athlete

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

No matter how well the gym is equipped, each athlete should have his own sports equipment with which he comes to training. This, of course, is not about shells, but about equipment. We'll go over a list of basic items that should be in a visitor's bag for both a small basement rocking chair and a well-equipped fitness center. We will talk about amateur athletes who train without pharmacological support.

Bag or backpack

Let's start with a form, which will then be filled with content. Depending on your preference, you can go to the gym with a large gym bag or backpack. The first is suitable for those who do not adhere to a strict dress code at work - with a suit, a sports bag looks ridiculous. As for backpacks: if sports life will intersect with business, it is best to opt for leather or laconic fabric options.

The main requirement when choosing a bag or backpack is spaciousness: sports uniforms, shoes, personal hygiene products, a container with food and a bottle of water should be placed there.

If you are in no hurry to go to the gym or after workout, you can skip this point by choosing an ordinary sports carry-on luggage.

Workout diary

It's worth starting with not the most sports items: an ordinary notebook and pens for writing. Despite the fact that the workout diary has long been replaced by mobile applications, you probably get the basic idea. Most athletes keep a diary where they write down everything they do in the gym: the number of approaches and repetitions in them, working weights, body weight, rest time between exercises, the amount of water they drink during workouts and the calorie content of food eaten.

By keeping a training diary, you will better understand how your body reacts to stress and which direction you need to move in order to quickly achieve your goal.

Weightlifting belt

Sooner or later, you will have to purchase your own weightlifting belt. Often girls and boys neglect it during training, which can lead to injury. Any heavy basic exercises like the deadlift or squats are best done with extra equipment. This will partially relieve the load on the muscles of the lower back and abdominal muscles, in other words, significantly reduce the risk of hernias and other unpleasant injuries.

Rings, gloves, loops, skipping ropes, belts for additional weights

In addition to the weightlifting belt, there are many variations of equipment that you can take with you: these are TRX loops, belts with chains for attaching additional weights (to make pull-ups or dips on the uneven bars more difficult), gloves, athletic rings, rollers for training abdominal muscles and other equipment. that you need to practice.

Even if he is in the hall, it is still better to have your own. If the things you need are shared, chances are high that the moment you need them, someone will already be using them.

Sports headphones

If in everyday life you wear headphones that are inconvenient to use in the gym, get a sports model, preferably wireless. If the right workout music is the best motivator for you, then this investment will pay off after the very first session.

Magnesia or chalk

If you paid attention, many athletes often sprinkle white powder on their hands. This is sports magnesia or chalk chips. If you want to develop your grip strength, sports gloves will only get in the way, preventing weight from sliding out of your hands.

Magnesia, on the other hand, will help get rid of sweaty palms and take weights with a grip, rather than additional equipment.

Portable refrigerator

A thing that, at first glance, can be called necessary, can be a stretch. However, if you are on a diet or just want a cool shake after your workout, a small portable refrigerator is worth getting.

Usually athletes use them in the summer for storing water and diluted protein mixture, since milk, even if it is vegetable, does not tolerate heat well.

If you are on good terms with the club's management or staff, feel free to ask them to put your food or water in the local stationary refrigerator. Then the need for the portable will disappear.

Cash

Another good tip is to carry some cash in your gym bag to avoid borrowing money and walking home if you forget your wallet while rushing to workout. No matter how incredible such a scenario may seem, remember that sooner or later fatigue will take its toll and a couple of kilometers of the way back from the gym, which is so easy to travel by transport, will seem like an insurmountable road.

First aid kit

First aid supplies should be (and usually are) in every gym. However, when it comes to health, it's good to play it safe. Take a small plastic bag or container and put in there ammonia, a couple of plasters, validol, tablets needed for the symptomatic treatment of your chronic diseases (if any) and a sweet chocolate bar. The latter will come in handy if, after an intense workout, you are left with strength, and there will be no opportunity to eat.

Personal hygiene products

An infinitely voluminous category, the content of which is determined by your needs. Someone just needs to carry shower gel and deodorant with them to the hall, while someone puts a complete set of cosmetics and accessories for the sauna in the bag, if there is one, of course, in the hall. Be guided by your needs and the size of the chosen bag.

After reading this article, it may seem that when going to work out in a specially equipped place for this, you need to carry an entire gym with you in your bag. By and large, you can choose from the list those things that you need, that is, the required minimum, but remember: the more comfortable you train, the more desire you will regularly visit the gym and the faster you will achieve your goal.