How to Pack a Gym Bag

Forgetting your socks or weightlifting gloves can derail your workout, especially if you’re new to exercise or entrenched in a rigid program. To stay the course, having the right supplies is key to your success. To help you prepare, we asked Life Time personal trainers Anna Taylor, NASM, USAW, Alpha, and Bryce Morris, MS, NASM, ISSA, Alpha, for their favorite gym-bag essentials.

Staples

• Stretchy, flexible, sweat-wicking shirt and pants or shorts
• Socks (two pairs)
• Undergarments, sports bra, support, or protection
• Cross-trainers or sport-specific shoes
• Refillable water bottle
• Flip-flops for showering
• Hair binders, deodorant, toiletries
• Sports watch or heart-rate monitor
• MP3 player/phone and earbuds or headphones for music

Nice to Haves

• Swimsuit for the whirlpool or sauna
• Wet/dry bag for swimsuit or sweaty clothes postworkout
• Razors: Some clubs offer them in the locker room, but bring a reusable one to cut down on waste
• Odor-absorbing charcoal sticks to keep your bag smelling fresh
• Shaker bottle with premeasured protein powder so you can add water and refuel

Coach Anna also suggests:

• A protein-packed bar to eat before your workout
• Bear KompleX Hand Grips for pull-ups
• A weightlifting belt for lifts at 80 percent or more of max

Coach Bryce also suggests:

• An extra T-shirt
• A RPM speed rope for double-unders and conditioning
• A BCAA and L-glutamine supplement to support recovery after your session

Gym-Bag Essentials for Kids

Depending on young yogis’ or Alpha kids’ activities, they might need different supplies, but here’s what Coach Anna and Coach Bryce like to include for their little athletes outside the usual staples listed above:

Coach Anna suggests:

• Apple-juice packs and fun water bottles of their favorite character
• Band-Aids
• Extra clothes
• Applesauce
• Baked Mac n’ Cheese Puffs

Coach Bryce suggests:

• Water bottle
• Extra change of clothes
• Basketball
• Fruit
• Band-Aids

This article originally appeared as “Gym-Bag Essentials” in the March 2021 issue of Experience Life.