Here is all the information you need to know about gym accessories!
And if you dont want to read, you can just check out this video!
There is a lot of gym accessories, so it can be hard to distinguish between the useful ones, and the ones that are just a complete waste of money.
I prepared 10 of the most used gym accessories, and we will go over every single one, to see which ones are actually worth using.
Straps
If you were to ask someone, what the main use case for straps is, their answer would probably be something like heavy deadlifts or shrugs.
Which is a fine answer, but there are other use cases, that are way better, and for some reason people just dont talk about them.
The place where straps shine the most, is on all the pulling exercises like rows, or the lat pulldown.
Lets use the lat pulldown as an example.
Imagine that you are trying to get 12 reps.
The first couple of reps are going smooth, right?
But as you get closer and closer to your last couple of reps, it gets harder and harder..your grip starts to slip a little bit, and the feeling of complete control that you had at the start, is suddenly gone.
And this is where the straps come into play.
Straps will guarantee that the feeling of control you have at the start of the set, will remain throughout the whole set.
Which will allow you to focus more on your back, instead of the grip, which is going to result in a better mind muscle connection, and possibly even more reps.
The reason why this is great, is because you dont want the grip to be the limiting factor.
When you train back for example, you want your back to reach failure, before your grip reaches failure.
Of course, you should only use straps if you are actually struggling with holding onto the bar, in other words – if you know that your grip is failing before your back, then you should definitely try using straps.
But for all the hungry beginners out there, this is probably not relevant to you.
It starts to be very useful, when you get to heavier loads.
Lifting belt
The main purpose of a lifting belt is to increase the intra-abdominal pressure.
In other words, when you have the belt on, you can brace your core against it, which will increase your power output.
But dont think that this is some magical solution, that will insantly make you lift more weight.
There is more to it, than just putting the belt on..you actually have to learn how to use it.
What might happen, is that you actually might become weaker, because you have no idea how to do the exercise using a belt.
But yes, once you learn how to properly brace into the belt, then your lifts will increase.
Even though your lifts will increase, i still would not recommend it.
Its just not necessary for bodybuilding purposes.
You can get super jacked, without using a belt a single time.
Where the lifting belt shines the most, is when you do very low rep work, with A LOT of weight.
And we all know, that doing heavy one rep maxes, is just not necessary, if all you care about is gaining as much muscle as possible.
That is the reason, why i wouldnt recommend using a belt, if all you chase is more muscle mass.
Learn how to brace properly without a belt, and you will never need a belt again.
By the way, dont even think about using a belt as a bandade fix for your hurt lower back, dont ever do that, because it will end in a disaster.
The lifting belt should be seen as a tool, that you can use if your main focus is chasing a specific number on some lift.
For example, if you want to get to a 400 lbs squat, and thats your main goal, then using a belt would for sure be a good idea.
But otherwise, its just not needed at all.
Dip belt
As the name of the belt suggests, the dip belt is used to add extra weight to your bodyweight when you are doing exercises like dips, or any types of pull ups.
I still remember that the dip belt was one of the first pieces of equipment that i ever bought, and i still use it to this day, just because of how amazing weighted pull ups are.
So if you have been thinking about buying one, then i would definitely recommend it!
Wrist wraps, elbow/knee sleeves
They all kind of do the same thing, they compress the area and help you stay stabilized, and in the case of the sleeves, they also help to keep the area warm, which is something that your joinst will appreciate.
But i would not recommend any of these things to beginners.
I actually used to wear wrist wraps for like the first 2 years of my bodybuilding journey, and its something that i regret to this day.
While you are still relatively new to the gym, you should let your body experience how everything feels, without adding any unnecessary garbage.
Because when the time comes, and you will have to take those things off, then your body will be in an absolute state of shock, because its something, that it has never experienced before.
If you start using all of these things right from the get go, you are basically building a house of cards, that is just waiting to be blown down.
As with the lifting belt, these sleeves and wraps are just not necessary, unless you are lifting very heavy weight.
Weightlifting shoes
Weightlifting shoes can be a gamer changer for leg training.
And thats because in these shoes, your heels will be automatically elevated, which will put your body in a more upright position, which will emphasize your quads when you are squatting.
Weightlifting shoes will also help you out, if you have really bad ankle mobility.
So in that case, you will be able to go much deeper on a squat.
All of this sounds great, but you should know, that you can achieve the exact same effect of the weightlifting shoes, just by putting a small plate under your heels.
Which honestly, might be a better option for most of the people.
Because weightlifting shoes can be pretty expensive.
So if you are thinking about buying a pair of these shoes, then i would highly recommend to try it out with the small plates under your heels first, so you know what you are getting yourself into, before you actually decide to spend your money.
Gloves
Please dont wear gloves to the gym.
The only valid use case, is if you are doing crossfit or something similar, where you hands are literally bleeding.
Otherwise, please dont..
Bands
Bands have many different use cases.
Most commonly, people use bands to stretch and warm-up, but there are also other things that you can do with them.
Like the band assisted pull up for example.
You can also use them for other exercises, like bench press for instance.
But this is a very advanced technique, that should be done only by very experienced lifters, and not beginners.
Overall, bands can be very useful, but as with most of these accessories, they are definitely not a must have.
Ab wheel
If you are looking for a good secondary exercise for the abs, then doing the ab rollout with the ab wheel is a great candidate.
And if you dont know what i mean by a secondary exercise for the abs, make sure to check out the bodybuilding simplified video about abs!
And maybe all the other ones, while you are at it?
Conclusion
To sum it all up, im honestly going to tell you..you dont need any of these accessories.
They CAN be useful, but you can still build your dream physique without them.
But if you really want to buy some gym accessories, i would recommend the straps, the dip belt, and maybe bands..but you really need to know if you are gonna use them.
Because most people buy them, then use them twice, and then leave them in a box for the next 5 decades.
So if you really want to buy some accessories, then these 3 will definitely be the best investments.
Just remember, that the gym accessories get better, as you get more experienced in the gym.
If you are a beginner, then you shouldnt be using any of these accessories, except maybe bands for a warm up.
But as you get more experienced, these gym accessories will play bigger and bigger role in improving your workouts.
Try applying all of this knowledge to your training plan, and im sure that you will see much better results..or you can just try one of my training plans!