Last Second Christmas Ideas for the Lifter on Your List

Since there are only a few days left until Christmas I figured I would share a list of gifts that I believe any weight lifter would like to have. These ideas vary of course depending on if the person you’re buying for is someone who just likes to lift weights or someone who competes in something.

1. Lifting belt – a beginner or a veteran weight lifter can always benefit from the use of a good belt.  Choose wisely though because belts come in several different forms.  I recommend buying a leather belt as it will last forever and I really like a lever belt opposed to a pronged belt.  This means instead of a belt buckle there is a lever you pull to tighten it.  Again it’s all about your preferences on what belt you use, just as long as you have one.

2. Foam roller – help any lifter roll away aches and pains.  This tool is the best thing for soft tissue work and recovery.

3. Bands– powerlifters have been using these for years to work on speed and explosiveness.  Add these to your bar on squats, bench and deadlifts and watch your max go up.   Beside using it for getting stronger they can be used as a great tool for stretching.

4. Wraps – Any lifter will get use out of a good pair of wrist or knee wraps.  When going heavy it’s always a good idea to play it safe and wear a pair of wraps, your knees and wrists will thank you for this.  I wear Titan wraps and believe they are a step ahead of any other company.

5. Boards – these are used on your bench press in order to limit your range of motion.  Adding boards to your chest you will focus on the last half or quarter of your bench, allowing you to load up the weight and work on your lock out.

6. Shoes – this gift would be more for a powerlifter than anyone else. Shoes matter when you are squatting or deadlifting huge amounts of weight.  The shoe I  wear for squatting is from Safe USA and provides a bit of a heel allowing you to really sit back while squatting.  Changing to deadlift you need a shoe with basically no sole.  You want as flat as a shoe you can get.  This allows you to limit how far you have to pull because when you’re dealing with heavy weights every inch counts.

7. Chalk– this is probably the least expensive gift on the list and probably the most needed.  Almost everone forgets they need this until you go to grab a bar loaded with heavy weight.  When this happens it’s already too late. Give this gift for the gym bag so they always have some on hand.

8. Protein – if you’re training hard, you need quality supplements to push your gains even higher.  Everyone could use more protein in their diet, regardless of being a heavy lifter or not, so this makes for a wonderful gift at the holidays… the gift of healthy nutrition!

I hope this list helps with last second ideas for Christmas.  If you’re interested in any of the items and aren’t sure where to find them, email me at nick.weite@1stphorm.com and I’ll be glad to help.

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