Recommended Lifting Accessories

We are big proponents of focusing on performance goals and building your training around big compound movements such as Squats, Bench Presses, Overhead Presses and Deadlifts.

Here's our top tips for the training accessory equipment that will help maximise your performance on the big lifts.

The kit we recommend

First and foremost it is important to note that the equipment we are about to discuss is by no means a prerequisite to learning how to performing the big lifts. If you are a beginner to lifting you may not need to consider investing in any of this for a while yet.

However, if you are a little more advanced, have mastered good technique and want to take your lifting up a notch, we recommend you consider investing in the following:

🔹Olympic lifting shoes - these are specifically designed to help make it easier for you to achieve a deeper position on Squats by virtue of the raised heel. They also provide a stable base for lifts such as this and pressing movements with their solid base (the polar opposite to the squishy, cushioned heel of a running shoe).

Overall, an excellent piece of equipment and one we highly recommend purchasing for the vast majority of you. Be warned, they can get a little pricey though!

🔹Weightlifting belt - this helps increase the stability of your torso during big lifts which in turn can help you lift more weight and assuming proper technique, increase the safety of doing so.

Top end belts can get pricey, especially if you go for lever options but you don't need to spend a fortune to get a solid and reliable belt. For example, StrengthShop offer an excellent single prong tapered belt for only around £35.

🔹Knee sleeves - a good pair of knee sleeves will offer you stability and support around your knee joint and despite what some people may claim, they will also give you some rebound out of the bottom of a Squat and potentially add 5 to 10 kg to the lift depending on how tightly they fit.

There are a lot of different knee sleeves available on the market but we recommend the SBD and 7mm IPF approved Strength Shop knee sleeves in particular. There's a knack to putting these on correctly so pay close attention to this when you first get them.

🔹Wrist wraps - these provide support to your wrist joint by effectively creating a cast around it. Particularly handy for heavy Bench Presses or Low Bar Squats where there can be a lot of pressure on your wrists due to the bar position.

There's also a knack to wrapping your wrists correctly so it is worth spending some time learning to do this correctly when you first get them.

Get some coaching

If you are looking to purchase any of the above kit and want to learn how to use it properly, we teach this as part of the training during our Glasgow Bootcamp and Personal Training In Glasgow. Take a look at the relevant pages and send us a message to get involved!