1) Gear that will help you with the exercises themselves
2) Gear that helps you record your progress and stay on track
3) Gear that will make your time in the gym more enjoyable.

This is especially helpful for those who are trying to get into the gym for the first time. For those new to training and without the habits that have been formed by veterans it can be hard to be consistent. Consistency is the key to achieving your goals. Making your time in the gym more productive, efficient and enjoyable will help to keep you consistent and therefore much more likely to reach your goals.

We’ll just give you the top one or two pieces of equipment from each category and some basic reasons why they are essential.

Gear that will help you perform your exercises.

No doubt in our minds the most important piece of equipment that you will bring to the gym is your weight lifting shoes. Other than covering up your naked ass the rest of your attire does not serve a functional purpose. Your shoes however are vitally important. Just like there are shoes for basketball, football, gold, tennis, rock climbing, sprinting etc. there are shoes for weight training and we recommend you get a pair. The will provide you with a stable foundation to help ensure proper form.

Proper form results in two very important things:

1) maximum results
2) less injuries.

The shoes you have should lace from above the ankle to the toes to provide support throughout the entire ankle and foot.

They should have an ankle strap and mid foot strap to provide extra ankle and metatarsal support.

They should have an non-spongy soul.

You don’t want to be on a squishy surface with maybe 300 lbs on your shoulders doing squats.

Lastly the soul should provide a strong grip on the floor via it’s material and tread design.

Gear that will help you record your progress and stay on track.

A weight lifting chart sounds pretty simple and it is, however, many, many people get lazy and fail to bring it. Without it you will not be able to accurately assess your progress so that you can be encouraged by the advancements that you’ve made and so that you can highlight areas that need change or more work. Having your plan with you will keep you on track. You should shape your program in emotional passion at the gym. You should shape it intelligently at home and then in your passion at the gym stick to what you have intelligently determined will be the best way to achieve your goals. So a tracking journal and your work out plan are essential. Your plan is how facts and reason make there way into the gym and your tracking journal is how the gym makes it back to facts and reasons. Learning to use facts to create reasonable and intelligent plans will be essential for you to create the most productive and efficient time for yourself at the gym.

Gear that will make you time more enjoyable.

First, shoes, your tracking journal and your workout plan will make your time in the gym more enjoyable because of all the reasons listed above. In addition to that however an mp3 player loaded with your favorite music to train is very nice to have with you. We know that music often helps you to push through when your muscles are burning. It helps you to keep your mind off the pain and on your goal. A water bottle maybe even with a scoop of refreshing flavored protein powder is always and very enjoyable thing to have with you. It gives you something refreshing and satisfying to look forward to in between sets and keeps your body hydrated and with the protein it even help you recover faster after your work out. Perhaps a pair of weight training gloves to help save our hands and a towel to dry our sweaty face.

The fact is, you will be more likely to stay on track if your are efficiently producing results that are working toward you goal and making efforts to enjoy you time in the gym. Now, go kick some butt in the gym and know that all the sweat and pain that you endure there brings you one step closer to the person you are wanting to be.

We divide our weight lifting accessories into three basic categories:

1)  Gear that will actually help you with your training.
2)  Gear that will help you track and record your progress and keep you on track.
3)  Gear that will make training more enjoyable making you more likely to stick with it and reach your goals.

Let’s start with gear that will actually help you with your training.

First, we recommend that you invest in a decent pair of weight lifting shoes.  Just like there are “right” shoes for playing almost any other sport (football, baseball, tennis, golf, wrestling etc.), there are “right” shoes for weight training too.  The right shoes will help provide the proper support and balance you need to achieve proper form.  Proper form will maximize the benefits you get from the exercises you do.  This will also reduce the risk of injury.  You will tend to get better results if you’re not injured.

Here are some basic tips on what to look for in a weight training shoe:

They should lace from just above the ankle to the toes to provide support throughout the entire ankle and foot.

They should have an ankle strap and mid foot strap to provide extra ankle and metatarsal support.

They should have firm soul because a spongy one will compromise your balance.

Lastly the soul should connect you very well to the floor via it’s material and tread design.

Another good piece of equipment that will help you with your training is a set of lifting straps.  We recommend caution when using them however.  Hand strength is one of the most functionally beneficial areas to be strong.  You don’t want to have strong arms, shoulders and chest but weak hands.

Another beneficial thing might be a pair of weight training gloves.  Sometimes the will provide a better grip on the bar and will help save your skin.

Next, let’s talk about some gear that can help you track your progress and help you stay on track.

A journal to help you track your weight, sets and reps as well as meals can help you discover why things maybe aren’t working as good as you though they should be or discover what it is your doing that is working so good so you can keep it up.

The plan that you have made for yourself should be with you to ensure that you stay on track with your workout and your meals.  It is easy think of a compromise here and there as no big deal but they can add up.  Several little mistakes make big mistakes.  Big mistakes ruin results.

A good weight lifting chart might be beneficial to you too.  One that shows you the bodies muscles and which ones are affected by different exercises.  This will help you better understand how the body works and how to group exercises into a routine to ensure you are training the whole body.

Finally, lets briefly mention some things that will make you time at the gym more enjoyable.

A water bottle with a scoop of some kind of refreshing tasting isolate protein powder is always good.  It quenches the thirst, provides your body with protein necessary to muscle repair and development and gives you something to look forward to in between sets.

An mp3 player is almost a must.  Obviously it depends on what you like but for me, the right track list can speed me through a workout and give me that extra little push I sometimes need to grind through my last rep.

I know that’s a pretty basic list but hey.  Ultimately it’s not the gear that is going to achieve the results for you its you that’s gonna do that.  There is some gear that will help but there is no such thing as a magical machine that will get you huge and ripped without effort and determination on your part.

Now, go kick some butt in the gym.