Gym gear that actually earns its place in your bag

Buy these first

Gear should solve a problem you already have. If your grip fails before your back does, chalk fixes that. If your heels lift out of a squat, shoes fix that. Everything else can wait until your training tells you it is needed.

• Flat, hard-soled shoes — squats, deadlifts and carries all get steadier immediately
• A lifting belt once your squat or deadlift is near bodyweight for reps
• Chalk or liquid chalk, the cheapest performance upgrade in the building
• A water bottle you will actually refill, and a notebook or the app to log sets

Shoes: one pair for lifting, one for everything else

Running shoes compress under load, which turns a stable platform into a soft one. Anything flat and firm works — a cheap canvas trainer beats a cushioned runner for squats and deadlifts. Dedicated weightlifting shoes with a raised heel help deep squats and overhead work, but they are a second purchase, not a first.

Belts, straps and sleeves

A belt gives your trunk something to brace against; it does not replace bracing. Use it on top sets of squats, deadlifts and heavy pressing, and train your warm-up sets without it so the bracing stays yours.

Straps are for back training when grip is the limiter, not for every deadlift. Knee sleeves add warmth and a little support, and are worth it if your knees feel better with them — that is the whole test.

Skip these

Vibrating rollers, compression boots, weighted vests for general training, and anything marketed as toning. None of them are harmful; all of them cost money that would do more good spent on food, sleep or a gym closer to your house so you actually go.

Training at home

A pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench covers years of productive training. Add a pull-up bar and a set of bands and you have almost everything the free home plans call for — the programme matters far more than the equipment list.