Between the recommended two weekly weightlifting workouts and three weekly cardio workouts, you might find yourself at the gym a lot. If you‘re a regular gym–goer, then you know that your gym bag is your lifeline at the gym. A good gym bag full of all the essentials and some extra helpful gym bag items can make going to the gym five days a week much smoother.
There are some basics that most everyone puts in their bag, such as extra clothes, a towel and headphones, but there are a few more things that you should include to be prepared for every situation at the gym. So read up on this list of eight gym bag items you didn’t think to bring and get ready the night before so that you can’t use an empty gym bag as an excuse for missing the gym.
8 Must Have Gym Bag Items
Shower equipment: Not everyone uses the shower at the gym, but you‘ll be happy that you have shower shoes, soap and a brush in your bag if you need to leave straight from the gym but don’t want to smell like sweat.- First aid kit: This may seem a little extreme, but you can find small first aid kits that are light and cheap to put in your gym bag. It is probable that your gym keeps a first aid kit handy, but it is nice to have, and if you keep your gym bag in your car all of the time you might use it outside of the gym too.
- Snacks: Healthy snacks are an awesome thing to have as one of the gym bag items. After a workout you should eat something light with carbs and protein. You could even pack enough for the entire week at the beginning of the week so you are prepared.
- Plastic bags: These could be grocery bags or large Ziploc bags. You could use these for your wet bathing suit after a pool workout, for your sweaty clothes after a workout or to simply keep things separated and organized. You could even use them to store single portions of post-workout protein mix.
- Smell–goods: Whether you‘re a man or a woman, if you do not keep cologne or perfume in your gym bag, you need to. Just a little bit of body spray or deodorant will make you feel and smell so much better after a really good workout. Another great idea to keep you feeling and smelling fresh after your workout: cleansing wipes for your face, neck and arms.
- Headache medicine: Don’t let a headache stop you from having a good workout. A lot of people like to work out after work in the evening, but it’s not unusual to leave work with a headache. Keep some headache medicine in your gym bag and be well.
- Workout log: Keep a notebook in your gym bag to keep track of your workouts. Record the types of exercises that you do and the number of reps and sets that you do. Refer back to your notebook every day so that you don’t repeat workouts back to back. This will help you inject more variety in your workouts.
- Timer: Although most gyms have clocks, with a timer you don’t have to worry about constantly looking up at the clock during your workout. With a timer you can simply set the time and then focus on doing your exercises with no distractions until the timer goes off.