Four Gym Bag Essentials

Tote these items to the gym to ensure a good workout.

If you go to any gym in the country and ask to look inside someone’s gym bag, you’ll likely find the usual suspects: straps, gloves, maybe a belt, some headphones and so on. However, you might not find these four essentials proven to improve your health and wellness, and bolster your overall gym experience.

Hand sanitizer

You want to take your gains with you when you finish training at the gym, but that doesn’t mean you should take the gym’s germs as well. Hand care is vital, not only for your strength training, but also for your overall health. Hand sanitizer can cost as little as $.50 cents for a travel size bottle and requires very little space. You can even buy one that clips onto your bag! It will especially come in handy when cold and flu seasons come around.

Hand grips

Do you warm up your hands before you train? That answer is likely no, but it really should be yes. Almost every exercise you do will require you to hold onto something. So, after your warm-up, do a few sets with hand grips to prepare your hands and forearms for the tasks ahead. Harbinger’s Ergo Grip Strength System includes three different grips with various levels of resistance so not only will grip become a new priority, it can eventually become a great strength for you.

Jump rope

Don’t you hate when you walk in the gym and your favorite machine is taken? Keeping a jump rope like Harbinger’s Pro Speed Rope in your gym bag can serve as a great warm-up or cardio workout that can be done anywhere you have open space. Jump ropes also make it easy to train at home when you’re not able to make it to the gym.

Foam roller

If you want to move better before and after training, then myofascial care is a must and a foam roller is a key tool. They’re great for warming up, treating tight muscles, decreasing recovery time and helping to prevent injuries. While some gyms do provide foam rollers, they most likely have been used thousands of times by hundreds of people and are often unavailable. However, if you have your own, like TriggerPoint’s travel-friendly GRID Foam Roller, the only thing getting between you and your mobility will be the zipper on your gym bag.

While it’s great to come equipped with straps, wraps and gloves, don’t forget these four essentials the next time you hit up the gym to ensure you get the most out of your experience.

Photo credit: Ridofranz, Thinkstock