Starting to attend your local Village Gym, either for classes or to start your own workout plan, is an exciting step in your fitness journey. Whether you’re completely new, getting back into fitness after some time, or a fitness veteran, there are certain gym essentials everybody needs to ensure a smooth gym session.

Preparing yourself for your gym sessions is half the battle when it comes to how successful a session you’ll have! That’s why this list is designed to make sure you don’t forget to pack anything important. Let’s dive in!

Hydration

The number one most important thing every gym goer will need is hydration. You should never workout, no matter how low intensity your workout may be, without some kind of hydration with you. There are all kinds of drinks designed for gym goers, but if you don’t want to spend any additional money, a simple bottle of water will be fine.

If you prefer cold water, then why not freeze a plastic bottle of water to bring with you too? As soon as you take it from the freezer it will begin melting and will provide you with chilled water on the go.

Generally, it is a good idea to carry between 500ml and 1.5 litres of water with you for a workout - depending on how long your session is. Shorter workout sessions of around an hour will be fine with a 500ml bottle but any workouts that are longer will require you to be more hydrated. Remember, it’s always best to have too much water than too little when you workout to avoid soreness the following day

Well Fitting Underwear

This may seem like a strange one, but it is more important than you may think. What you wear for your workout will impact how comfortable you are, and even how distracted you’ll be when aiming to set or beat your personal bests. The last thing you need when doing your first-ever deadlift is your underwear riding up!

Being comfortable in your clothing is something a lot of people don’t consider when working out. Not only will it prevent interruptions during a workout (to fix wayward gear), it will help prevent chafing.

As an added consideration, always go for gear that is designed for working out. Workout clothes are usually woven to be more breathable and less likely to give you a sweat rash.

Stat Tracking Equipment

When you decide to workout, you’ll likely have a goal in mind. Even if your goal is simply to get fitter or lose a few kilograms, you’ll need a way to track your progress (or your statistics). Stat tracking doesn’t need to be complex. Sure, there are plenty of gadgets and digital aids to assist - such as fitness watches - but a simple sheet of paper and a timer is all you really need.

Be sure to take note of your accomplishments each session, be it a deadlift weight, push-up count, sit-up count, or your distance and speed on the treadmill. Whatever you’re working out, track your statistics so that you can see (and even visualise) your performance over time. This will help if you decide to get more serious with your fitness and want to work towards a specific goal later on in your fitness journey.

A Towel

This item is fairly self-explanatory, but people often forget to pack one when they head out for their gym session. A towel is a simple addition to your gym gear that will help you stay freshduring your workout. There’s nothing worse than sweat in your eyes!

As a bonus, carrying antibacterial wipes will help you clean any machines you use before and after you use them. Not only is this hygienic, but it also helps stop the spread of things like colds and cases of flu. Check out our blog post on Gym Etiquette to learn more about how to handle yourself in a workout environment. 

A Healthy Snack

Packing some healthy food for after you finish working out is important for a host of reasons. Not only will you have burnt a lot of calories in a short space of time, you’ll also have depleted some of the glycogen stores your body has. Replenishing your glycogen can help with bodily recovery after a workout - such as helping muscle recovery and avoiding POTS the next day.

There are plenty of choices for what kind of foods you should pack with you, but common choices are yoghurt and fruits such as bananas, oranges, and apples. You can also consider carrying a sandwich or wrap that contains meat to provide a source of protein (or a vegan meat alternative).

Whatever you decide to pack, make sure it's healthy! That means avoiding things like chocolate bars, fizzy drinks, and anything with high quantities of sucrose (sugar). However, it is important to note that the sugar in fruits (fructose) is different!

Headphone or Earphones

While calling these ‘essentials’ can be a bit of a stretch, having music while you workout is a great way to keep yourself focused and motivated. Not only will it block out any distractions around you, it can help keep your mind off of any discomfort you have during the workout process.

While there’s a mixed sentiment in academia about whether music actually helps you workout or not, there’s no denying that setting or beating your personal bests to your favourite song will put you in a great mood!

Comfy Shoes

Working out can take a real toll on your feet, especially if you are the kind of person who does a lot of cardio. Even if you are more of a weights kind of person, having comfy shoes will make sure you have adequate padding for the soles of your feet for all the extra weight you’ll be lifting.

Having comfy shoes that are designed to be worked out in is essential, not just for comfort while working out but for your health. Most workout trainers and shoes are designed to be breathable, which helps prevent all sorts of nasty conditions - such as the aptly named athlete’s foot.

As an added consideration, you may want to consider changing out your shoes’ insoles for an insole shaped to your feet. This will provide you with a better fit and more support for crushing your personal bests!

Workout Gloves

For those who are invested in weight lifting - be it for muscular endurance, strength, or both - gloves are an essential that you’ll require. While this may seem like a fad or something that only professional athletes will need, gloves are important for your safety when weightlifting. 

Gloves are important for two reasons when you lift weights:

• Over time, lifting weights can cause you to form calluses on the palms of your hands. Gloves will help you prevent this from happening when you lift weights.

• Gloves will provide you with a better grip on whatever weights you’ll be lifting. This is crucial to help you avoid injury, for instance, if the weight were to shift as you lift, this could injure your back or arm muscles. Gloves also lessen the likelihood you’ll lose your grip and drop weight on your foot or body.

Gym Better With Village Gym

Have all your essentials in order? Need to get a few more things? When you have your essentials, start or continue your journey with Village Gym Advance to get the most out of your Village Gym membership.

Our locations have all the latest state-of-the-art machines to help you attain your fitness goals with ease. Find your local Village Gym now.