So you are thinking about becoming a gym freak? Well stretches and warm ups aren’t the only form of preparation required. Ensuring that you have everything you might need at the gym before leaving your home is also a form of mental preparation essential for the maximisation of your time at the gym.

It is hard enough to get motivated to go to the gym, and when you finally get there it is even harder to maintain focus, you don’t want to make it to the gym and then realise you forgot something you might have needed. Just so all your bases are covered, we have put together a list for you of the essential items you should always have in your gym bag on workout day.

 

I don’t have to tell you that working out at the gym is bound to have you thirsty or dehydrated. Always make sure to have a water bottle or a shaker bottle in your bag, just in case you need a drink of water. Shaker bottles are also good for holding workout supplements i.e. protein shakes etc…

If you have a work out session in the gym and don’t work up a sweat, then you probably aren’t doing it right…

No Judgment Though…

Strenuous or intensive physical activity like working out usual causes one to sweat, and aside from how uncomfortable it is to be covered in sweat, or how unseemly it looks, you must consider that the gym would also have other users besides yourself, and that you wouldn’t want to get your sweat all over every piece of equipment you use, it is only polite to make sure you have a towel with you.

If your gym locker room has showers, for hygiene sake you probably don’t want to use any of the public towels provided. Just have a dedicated gym towel you take from home.

Now for some reason your gym locker room might not have any showers, or perhaps you are in a rush to get going and plan on hitting the shower at home, well after giving your face a quick rinse, it probably isn’t the worst idea to use a face wipes and maybe even a wipe or two your armpits as well before you finally apply your deodorant.

If you don’t want to stink up the place… Apply before and after your work out and all will be well.

We spend so much getting dressed and kitted up to go to the gym, and it can be easy to forget that after a sweaty session at the gym, you might like to have to option to switch into cleaner less sticky clothes.

You don’t want to put sweaty clothes into your gym bag after you change out of them, so why not take a plastic bag with you to the gym to put your dirty clothes in before putting it in your gym bag.

Locker room floors are sometimes wet, so you would be wise to have a pair of bathroom slippers to use in the gym locker room or even perhaps in the shower after your work out session.

If you can’t afford a separate Mp3 player, most phones will allow you to store some music for you to listen to during your work out. The phone is also good for telling time, setting alarms and well as having a stop watch helping you to keep realtime tabs on your gym work out and repetitions.

If you are also planning on doing some heavy lifting at the gym, to avoid loss of motivation due to sweatiness or the development of calluses on your palms, Weight Gloves would certainly go a long way.

Your gym bag is now filled up, but you need to keep the items in their safe while you’re working out. It is probably a good idea to get a padlock for your bag, or perhaps a if your gym has a locker room then you can keep your bag in a locker and then lock that instead.

Remember… Failing To Prepare, Is Equal To Preparing To Fail! Now fill up that bag and go get to work!