Something a little different for the blog today – the top five items in my gym bag. Before you get excited, this post won’t cover what kind of deodorant I use, the brand of underwear I prefer or why there always seems to be a lone smelly sock lurking in the corner!
The majority of the contents of my gym bag are pretty much the same as everyone else’s, but there are some extra ‘secrets’; things which are always in there and get used on almost every gym visit. So here goes, as TV talent contents would say ‘in no particular order’…….
1 – My SmartShake protein shaker. You all know that I am an advocate for eating ‘real food’ whenever possible, but there are times when convenience plays a part. If you can eat a proper meal within 30 minutes of finishing a workout then that would be the best choice, but if this is not possible then a protein shake can be a reasonable substitute.
Just don’t start chugging down multiple protein shakes each day, or using them as a meal–replacement if you don’t have to. You will always get what you pay for when it comes to quality ingredients, and the cheaper brands tend to be full of additives and sugar (or artificial sweetener). Some people will also find protein shakes will give them very bad ‘wind’ due to the presence of whey (a form of milk protein), so you may have to try several brands to find one which agrees with your digestive system.
Following a demanding workout we have a window of 30-60 minutes where the body is very hormonally primed to recover, repair and rebuild. It can be very helpful to use a protein shake to quickly boost the amino acids available in the blood stream. Just protien is ok, but a recovery shake can be made more beneficial by the addition of some carbohydrate to spike insulin levels and ‘unlock’ the cells to take in the nutrients.
There is all sorts of advice out there on the optimal carbohydrate/protein mix (and even some pre-mixed recovery specific blends), but to keep things simple I often have a piece of fruit (pretty much the only time I eat fruit) and a protein shake within 10 minutes of completing a workout.
I love the SmartShake as not only is it a regular shaker, but it has a couple of screw off sections at the bottom, one where I can keep a second serving of protein powder and the other to add some pre or post workout supplements or even some nuts to snack on.
The SmartShake dismantles into several easy to clean pieces, unlike lots of cheaper shakers which are seemingly impossible to wash properly. One word of warning – try to rinse out your shaker as soon as possible after use, as there is nothing more disgusting than finding it in the bottom of your bag later in the week (yuck).
The SmartShake can be bought online, but easiest of all it is available locally in Saltash Sports (at the bottom of the high street) for around £10. It’s definitely not the cheapest shaker on the market, but in my mind its advantages over regular shakers make it worth the investment. Mine gets a lot of use, and still looks and performs like new.
2 – My GymBoss interval timer. If you have been to one of my Metabolic Magic classes then you have heard the timer in action. The key to successful interval training is to be disciplined with the timing of your effort and recovery intervals, and nothing is more awkward than forever looking down at your watch to see how much longer you have to go.
The GymBoss takes care of it, and is easily programmed to give an infinite number of interval permutations. It even comes with a clip on the back to it can be attached to your clothing, or the alarm is just loud enough that it can be left in the middle of the room if you are doing a circuit.
The easiest place I know to buy one is (dare I say it) e-bay, where they go for around £17. Now I know that doesn’t sound cheap, but it is a whole lot easier than messing with your watch where it is generally not possible to have an uneven interval/recovery alarm. I wouldn’t be without my GymBoss.
3 – My IPod. Yes, I know, there is nothing revolutionary here, but for me being able to listen to my own music has two very distinct advantages. Firstly, I am not forced to listen to whatever is playing over the speakers in the gym, which may not match my mood at the time.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, using my own player means that I have to wear headphones. I rarely workout without a plan, and like to move swiftly from exercise to exercise without too much interruption. Nothing annoys me more than being continually distracted by others in the gym or the conversations going on around me.
I like to focus on my workout, and the headphones can successfully allow me to be in my own world with my attention 100% on getting the most out of what I am doing. I am sure that some of you will think that this makes me antisocial or unapproachable, but I would very much reply that workout time is MY time.
I don’t want to spend hours in the gym, wandering aimlessly from one machine to another, doing a few reps or sets and moving on. I go in with a plan, put on my headphones, and go at it hard until I am done.
4 – My Versa Gripps. I will be the first to admit to having some conflict when putting these in here. In my opinion grip is one of the most underworked attribute of most strength training programmes, and I see far too many people using lifting straps and other such aids in the gym. Straps should only ever be used for very heavy sets, where grip strength is the limiting factor very early on.
There are only really two exercises where I use my Versa Gripps with any regularity. The first is heavy deadlifts and the second is pull ups, although I do occasionally use them for bent-over-rows or shrugs. I always work my grip to the absolute max in the early sets, and only resort to using the straps late on when my grip is very fatigued. This enables me to push through plateaus which would otherwise limit my progress.
I have a rule that I never do all of my sets of an exercise with straps, as this is an easy ‘cheat’ to fall in to. To make sure that my grip stays strong, I do very specific grip work sessions, often as an unload exercise between sets on a day when I am not otherwise challenging my grip. I am a big fan of Bulgarian bag work and battling ropes, so my grip takes a regular pounding.
I find that Versa Gripps are way easier to use than regular lifting straps as there is no fiddling around trying to wrap the cloth end around the bar; you just reach around, tuck the other end of the grip in, tighten it up and off you go.
I bought my Versa Gripps in the USA, but they are available from a few retailers in the UK. Again, they are not cheap, but I have had mine for years and when something works well, it just works!
5 – My Vibram FiveFingers – The final item which is ALWAYS in my gym bag and creates a lot of comments is my ‘minimalist’ shoes. I have been wearing Vibram FiveFingers for several years and now have four different pairs in various colours and styles. As the earliest player in this specialist market, FiveFingers has been my brand preference although there are now many alternatives from all of the big athletic footwear manufacturers.
There has been a lot of publicity in recent years about the benefits (or otherwise) of barefoot technology shoes for running, where it supposedly allows us to more closely mimic a natural running style of landing on the forefoot rather than the heel. There is research showing that the incidence of running related injury has actually gone up with improvements in shoe cushioning and motion control, although equally now lots of opposing evidence that for some people running in minimalist shoes can actually contribute to injury!
I am not going to get into that debate as I could literally write several blog posts on the subject, but I am definitely an advocate for wearing some form of minimalist footwear when working out in the gym where bare feet are generally not allowed or advised! The big issues with most sneakers is that they don’t provide a solid and stable platform, and often the heel is significantly raised above the forefoot, thus changing the biomechanics of the foot and leg.
Minimalist shoes allows the foot/ankle/knee/hip complex to move how it should to absorb impact, change direction, mitigate forces and move with (in my opinion) optimal efficiency. They take some getting used to when first worn as the small ligaments in your feet will probably be rather surprised by the increased workload. It doesn’t take long for everything to adapt, and if you are like me, before long wearing regular trainers will start to feel very weird.
Having worn Five Fingers for several years, I have little doubt that my feet are stronger, I am more agile and aware, and even my balance has improved. It is never cheap to buy a new pair of workout shoes and Five Fingers or other minimalist technology shoes are no exception. They can be bought off the internet, but having found the sizing to be more than a little strange (they really go need to fit your foot like a glove) I would recommend that you at least get your first pair from a retailer where you can try on several models and find to what works best for you.
One word of warning – you will either love the look of Vibram FiveFingers or you will hate it! They are certainly something which divides opinion, and I know plenty of people who wouldn’t be seen dead wearing them even if they can understand the benefits. Some manufacturers are now making more conventional looking barefoot technology ‘minimalist’ shoes, which may be more to your liking.
So there you have it, a quick roundup of the top 5 things in my gym bag. If you have something in your gym bag which you couldn’t live without, feel free to comment below on the blog.
Your fitness friend,
Beth
