My gym bag stays mostly packed.
This is partly because I’m organised and partly because if getting to the gym requires finding seven different things before I leave the house, there is a very real chance I won’t bother.
I strength train regularly, so these aren’t things sitting beautifully unused in a cupboard. They’ve earned their place.
BEAR GRIP lifting straps
I have an older version of these and they have lasted brilliantly. I use them when my grip gives up before the muscles I am actually trying to train do — especially for RDLs and pulling exercises.
They’re simple, comfortable and one of those things I genuinely use rather than just carry around in my gym bag.
My version is older, so the current model looks slightly different, but these are the closest current equivalent I could find.
Actually earns its place in the bag.Beats Studio Pro headphones
These come to the gym with me every single time. I like being able to put my headphones on, switch everything else off and just get on with my training.
They’re comfortable, stay put while I’m lifting and the noise cancelling means I can disappear into my own little world for an hour.
Mine are the Sandstone colour, which I also happen to think is much nicer than standard gym-bag black.
Not cheap, but I use them constantly.RDX lifting belt
I don’t wear a lifting belt for everything, but when the weights get heavier I like having the extra support.
This one is sturdy, straightforward and has survived being thrown into the bottom of my gym bag far more times than I care to admit.
Definitely not something everyone needs on day one, but if you’re progressing into heavier lifting it can be a very useful bit of kit.
Comes out when the weights get serious.Barbell pad
Heavy hip thrusts without a barbell pad are, in my opinion, unnecessary suffering.
This is one of the least exciting things in my bag and also one of the things I would be most annoyed to discover I’d forgotten. It makes heavier hip thrusts infinitely more comfortable.
It weighs practically nothing, takes up very little room and saves me from balancing folded gym towels under a loaded barbell.
My hips are grateful for it.See a current barbell pad alternative →
Nike training gloves
I like lifting weights. I am considerably less enthusiastic about the calluses that come with lifting weights.
These give me enough protection and grip without feeling bulky, and I still feel properly connected to the weight.
Completely optional, obviously, but mine get enough use that they have earned permanent residency in the gym bag.
Because I want strong hands, not shredded ones.Fabric resistance bands
One of those inexpensive purchases that turned out to be far more useful than expected.
I use them for warm-ups, glute work, goblet squats and whenever I want to add a little extra resistance without needing another machine.
I much prefer the fabric ones to the thin rubber bands because they stay in place and don’t spend the entire exercise rolling themselves into a tiny elastic torture device.
Small, inexpensive and genuinely useful.Mini folding hairbrush
Possibly the least glamorous recommendation on this page, but genuinely one of the most practical.
It takes up hardly any room, lives permanently in my gym bag and means I can leave the changing room looking slightly less like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.
Sometimes the best things you buy are not remotely exciting.
Tiny. Boring. Surprisingly indispensable.My pink gym bag
And finally, the thing carrying this ridiculous collection around.
I wanted something roomy enough for all my gym kit without being enormous, with enough separate compartments that shoes, headphones, straps and everything else don’t become one giant mess at the bottom.
And yes, I chose pink. Practical does not have to mean boring.
Mostly packed. Mostly organised. Very on brand.