Strength Training Accessories That Actually Work

Truth be told, the fitness industry has been a magnet for scammers since the very beginning. The list of nonsense, gimmicky products that have been sold to poor gullible souls just trying to make gains is too long to recount here, but it encompasses everything from vibrating belts and chairs to handheld “shake weights” that made the user look and feel ridiculous. Needless to say, don’t waste your money. But also don’t make the mistake of thinking that, because there are a ton of gimmicks and no shortage of false promises, there aren’t also honest, hard-working people innovating new tools to make your fitness journey — let’s not say easier, but more productive. RELATED: Gym Bag Essentials for Men The fruits of their labor often look like infomercial-worthy gimmicks, but we assure you these tools can act as valuable accessories to your strength training routine. Nothing will ever substitute for a barbell and plates, of course, but that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze some extra strength or add some mass with the right tool. Here are a few of our favorite gym accessories you can use to take your strength training to the next level: Fat Gripz Pro The most subtle by far of the gadgets and gizmos on this list, Fat Gripz attach to your barbell, dumbbell or pull-up bar, dramatically increasing the diameter of the object you’re gripping and thereby lighting up your forearms. Use them to make biceps curls, rows, pull-ups and chin-ups more challenging, and don’t be ashamed to reduce the weight from your usual numbers, as these will add a whole new dimension to your conventional lifts. $29.95 at Amazon.com  Gymreapers Arm Blaster Admittedly, wearing arm blasters in the gym will rapidly earn you a reputation as the resident bro, but so long as you don’t just train arms, you’ll be fine. The theory behind arm blasters is that they force your arms into an elbows-tucked position at the bottom of the bicep curl range, keeping constant tension on the muscles and thereby boosting muscle growth. And though arm blasters are pretty much exclusively for improving biceps training, they do work with almost every variation of a curl, from alternating DB curls to one-arm preacher curls and hammer curls. $39.99 at Amazon.com  Slant Board Guy Slant Board Slant boards have exploded in popularity in tandem with Ben Patrick, aka Kneesovertoesguy, whose emphasis on mobility training, strength through larger ranges of motion, and, yes, knees-over-toes training has caused a whole lot of people to take a second look at slant boards. You can use them to work on your hip mobility or stretch out your calves, but their real benefit is allowing far greater squat depth, shifting even more emphasis on to your quads and helping to fortify your knees against future injury. $119 at Amazon.com Cavanchy Gripper Training Set, 50-300 Pounds Grip strength is among the most neglected aspects of strength training, which makes very little sense when you consider how integral it is to basically all pulling movements, including crowd-pleasers like the deadlift and the pull-up. Thankfully, this set of six grippers from Cavanchy will soon set you right. The resistance to close them begins at 50 pounds and rises to 300 pounds, so you can find your level and progress at your own speed, but we assure you that, once you’re able to close the final gripper, you’ll never fail a deadlift because of a lost grip ever again. $32.99 at Amazon.com  Iron Neck Alpha Plus Neck Harness Ok, granted, the Iron Neck Alpha Plus Neck Harness looks like some kind of medieval torture device, and there’s a chance you will scare off any children who happen to be in your vicinity when you use it, but we promised you training aids that worked and this baby works. If you participate in a combat sport, or a full-contact sport like rugby, hockey or football, you’re bound to take some serious hits from time to time, and a strong neck is key to minimizing the damage to your cerebellum. With multiple attachment points, you can easily add weight to your favorite neck exercises, helping you to grow a thicker, stronger and more injury-proof neck. $62.30 at Amazon.com Sling Shot Hip Circle The least expensive, most portable and perhaps most versatile item on this list, the Hip Circle from Mark Bell’s company Sling Shot is an absolute must for warming up the hips and teaching the glutes to fire correctly before you do any heavy leg work. Simply place it around your legs, a couple of inches above the knees, and do monster walks, side steps, lunges, bodyweight squats and other mobility movements. Squatting will never feel the same, and you’ll soon consider this the best money you ever spent as you gain not only in squat stability but also depth. And what does more depth = ? That's right: more gains. From $20 at Amazon.com  VINSGUIR Ab Roller Wheel The abs are hard to train, which is one reason so many people neglect proper core training. And if you happen to have tight hips or lower back problems, traditional sit-ups and crunches can do more harm than good. Thankfully, the humble ab wheel can help you train your core safely, concentrating the load where you want it: your abdominal muscles. We especially love this over-built model from VINSGUIR, with EVA rubber handles, a non-slip, textured wheel and a 400-pound weight capacity. A few sets of this, a handful of times per week, and your entire core will be stronger, your posture better, and your lower back pain a thing of the past. $33.99 at Amazon.com  You Might Also Dig: Fitness Apps vs Personal TrainersFitness Awards 2024: Best Home Gym EquipmentBest Running Shoes of 2024