While your weight lifting gear won’t make or break you in the gym, it can definitely help make your life easier, and allow you to lift heavier weights. First I’ll cover the essential weight lifting gear you should have before you even enter the gym. Then I’ll talk about the stuff you should think about getting if you decide to become serious about your weight training and you want to gain serious muscle mass.
Comfortable Gym Clothes.
Believe it or not I’ve seen people come into the gym wearing all sorts of things… Like wearing jeans and a belt and work boots. You need to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes to make your workouts efficient and comfortable for yourself.
A Gym Bag.
This one isn’t always necessary, but if you go to the gym before work, or on your lunch break like I do, it is necessary. You’ll be working up a sweat and you need to plan on showering and changing in the locker room. A few of the guys at my work don’t use gym bags… And they work out like a bunch of little girls and only for 20 – 30 minutes so they don’t have to break a sweat and take a shower before they go back to work. Don’t be one of those guys. You will never gain muscle OR lose fat if you don’t plan on working hard and breaking a sweat in the gym.
A Workout Log.
I classify this as “weight lifting gear” because I never go to the gym without it. In order to gain weight and build muscle you need to track your progress from week-to-week. And you can’t do that by trying to remember what you did last week. Your goal in the gym is always to lift more weight or perform more reps than you did the week before. If you’re not doing this then you’re not growing.
Post-Workout Drink.
This is another one that you might not consider weight lifting gear at first glance. But if you’re not bringing a post-workout drink to the gym with you, you’re missing out on muscle you could have gained. As you near the end of your workout your body is reaching a catabolic state and is starving for nutrients. Don’t wait until you leave the gym and get back home to make something to eat and get your post workout nutrition. Pound your drink in the locker room immediately after your workout. Your post workout drink should contain fast-absorbing carbs like maltodextrose and dextrose, and whey protein. Of course you can split this up into two separate drinks if you like. I take a whey protein shake and also a simple carb drink like Carbo Force to the gym with me every single time.
Lifting Straps.
I use these on leg day and on back day and they’re some of my favorite weight lifting gear. They’re good for heavy lifts where your grip might give out before the muscles your working give out. For example, stiff legged deadlifts. You might be able to pull off a 200 lb. deadlift for 10 reps before your grip finally gives out… But you could do more if only you could hang on to that stinkin’ bar. That’s where the lifting straps come in. They go around your wrist and wrap around the bar to allow you to grip the bar easier and lift more weight. Now instead of only lifting until your grip fails or you can do what you’re supposed to do and lift until your legs fail.
Lifting Gloves.
These can come in handy when you’re doing an exercise like a pull-up where you need some extra grip so your hands don’t slip off the bar. You can also use them if you’re having problems with calluses on your hands from lifting heavy weights. Some people like to use lifting gloves on all their exercises, but personally I just use them for pull-ups for extra grip.
Lifting Chalk.
This stuff gets messy but it’s effective. You can use lifting chalk in place of lifting gloves for any exercise. It won’t protect against calluses like lifting gloves can but it keeps your hands dry and gives you a great grip. I suggest using lifting chalk instead of the straps or gloves as much as you can. Then when you need the extra help for super-heavy weight, use the lifting straps. This way you can improve your grip strength allowing you to lift even heaver weight.
Dip Belt.
Many gyms have these laying around for you to use, but if your gym doesn’t it may not be a bad idea to invest in a dip belt. Dips are one of the best mass building exercises, and as with any exercise your goal should be to progressively add more weight or more reps to your dips each week. Once you’ve become strong enough to push out 8 reps using your own bodyweight, it’s time to strap on the dip belt and add some more weight to your exercise. It’s also good for adding weight to your pull-ups among other things.
Weight Lifting Belt.
Weight lifting belts are often used for exercises like dead lifts and squats. There is some controversy over weight lifting belts and some people say you don’t need them because using them won’t allow your lower back to get stronger which could lead to injury. While this is true, I also know that lifting a super-heavy weight could also injure your back… duh. So here’s what I do: On my first couple sets I feel that my back is strong enough to endure the weight. But once I get into my last sets where I’m doing just 1-4 reps, the weight gets pretty heavy for me. That’s when I use the weight lifting belt to protect my back from injury.
That covers the most important weight lifting gear you should have with you in the gym. Pack this stuff in your gym bag and you’ll be ready to put in a good workout and know that you’ve maxed out your potential.
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