I have been carrying a gym bag for about fifteen years. Through that time, certain items have proven themselves indispensable. Others have been bought, used twice, and abandoned. Here is the current state of the bag.
What's actually in it
Wrist wraps. Cheap pair. They have saved my wrists on overhead pressing for years. The expensive ones are not better. They are just stiffer for longer.
Lifting belt. Single-prong leather. Used on heavy squats and deadlifts. The Velcro belts everyone is selling now are fine for moderate loads but they slip on real working weight. The leather belt is permanent equipment. The Velcro is rental.
Chalk in a small container. Liquid chalk is convenient. Block chalk is better. Most commercial gyms forbid block chalk. I keep a small tube of liquid chalk for those gyms and a baggie of crushed block for the ones that allow it.
A towel. Not optional. Use it.
A pair of basic flat-soled shoes. Old Converse, beat to hell. They have lifted more weight than any other shoes I've owned. The expensive lifting shoes are great for squats. Converse work for everything else and cost a quarter of the price.
Bluetooth earbuds. Bone conduction model, because I need to hear ambient sound for navigation. Most lifters can use whatever they prefer. The ambient-aware feature on most modern earbuds is a fine compromise if you want something more conventional.
A blank notebook and pen. I use the iPhone for most things. The notebook is for when I want to dump a thought I don't want to come back to my phone for. Two minutes after a hard set is the best time of the day to capture a stray idea. Most of them are stupid. A few have been useful.
What I've thrown out
The shaker bottle. Lived in the bag for two years. Was used roughly six times. Smelled bad eventually. I now drink the shake at the gym fountain or wait until I get home. The shake is not a constraint on my training, so it doesn't need to live in the bag.
The fancy compression sleeves. Made me feel professional. Did not actually do anything I could measure. Out.
The hand callus shaver. Yes, I had one. No, I do not need it. Calluses are fine. The shaver is for the kind of person who is more committed to looking like a lifter than to lifting.
The voice-activated rep counter. Got it for a shoot, used it twice, donated it. I have not lost track of my reps since I was twelve. I do not need an app to do it for me.
What I refuse to bring
Powders, supplements, packets, gel sachets, electrolyte tabs, anything that requires being measured at the gym. Either I prepared it before I left the house or I am drinking water. The transactional cost of measuring a scoop of something in the locker room is higher than the marginal benefit.
The gym bag is not a lifestyle accessory. It is a small mobile workshop. Anything that doesn't earn its place gets removed. The list above is everything that has earned it.
