Bodybuilding Gear: Belts, Straps, Bags, Tanning and Recovery

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The gym bag tells the story of a bodybuilder’s year. In the off-season it’s a belt, straps, a notebook and a shaker. Twelve weeks out, add a food container or three. Show week, it’s suddenly full of things nobody else at the gym owns: a posing suit, a competition tan, a bottle of glaze, an old dark T-shirt you don’t mind staining. This bodybuilding gear guide covers what’s worth buying for training, show day and recovery, with honest notes on competition tanning products.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw on Amazon or at the maker in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Our top picks

Bodybuilding gear compared

Product	Use	Key feature	About
Gymreapers Quick Locking Belt	Heavy squats, deadlifts, rows	4 in neoprene, metal quick-lock buckle	$35
Gymreapers Lifting Straps	Heavy pulls, back day	18 in cotton, padded wrist	$15
Gymreapers 18″ Wrist Wraps	Heavy pressing	18 x 3 in, thumb loop	$20
Rehband RX Knee Sleeve 7mm	Squats and leg day	7 mm neoprene, sold as a pair	$89
Under Armour Undeniable 5.0 Duffle	Gym and show day	Vented shoe pocket, bottle pockets	$34
Pro Tan Overnight Competition Color	Base tan	DHA-based, 8.5 fl oz	$31
Pro Tan Instant Competition Color Mousse	Top coat on show day	Ultra Dark Mahogany, 7 oz	$26
Hypervolt Go 3	Recovery, travel	Small percussion massager with case	$149
OOFOS OOahh	After training, backstage	Cushioned recovery slide	$60

Lifting gear

1. Gymreapers Quick Locking Belt: best belt for most lifters

A belt gives you something to brace against on heavy squats, deadlifts and rows. The Gymreapers Quick Locking Belt is 4 inches of neoprene with a metal buckle that snaps open and closed fast, which helps between sets. The maker sells sizes from XS (21–26 in) to 3XL (47–56 in) and offers a lifetime warranty. Many coaches suggest learning to brace without a belt first and saving it for your heaviest sets.

• Good: inexpensive, quick on and off, comfortable for long sessions.
• Watch out: a neoprene belt is softer than a 10 mm leather lever belt; very heavy lifters may want something stiffer.
• Best for: bodybuilders who squat, deadlift and row heavy a few times a week.

Check the Gymreapers belt price on Amazon

2. Gymreapers Lifting Straps: best straps

On back day your grip often gives out before your lats do. Straps lock your hands to the bar so you can keep pulling on rows, rack pulls, shrugs and deadlifts. These are 18-inch cotton straps with neoprene padding at the wrist, and at about $15 they’re one of the cheapest upgrades in the gym. Keep some grip work without straps so your hands keep up.

• Good: long enough to wrap bars and dumbbells of any size; padded.
• Watch out: lean on them for every set and your grip falls behind; do some pulling without them.
• Best for: heavy pulling and high-rep back work.

Check the Gymreapers lifting straps price on Amazon

3. Wrist wraps and knee sleeves

For heavy pressing, the Gymreapers 18-inch wrist wraps (about $20, 18 x 3 in with a thumb loop) give stiff support; our wrist wraps guide compares more. For leg day, many lifters like knee sleeves for warmth and a snug feel; the Rehband RX 7mm Knee Sleeve (about $89 a pair) is a well-known option, and our best knee sleeves guide compares six. Sleeves are for comfort, not treatment; knee pain that lasts deserves a visit to a sports medicine doctor or physical therapist.

Check the Gymreapers wrist wraps price on Amazon

A gym bag that works on show day too

The Under Armour Undeniable 5.0 Duffle (about $34; 40 L in the size we checked) has a water-repellent finish, a padded foam-lined bottom, a vented pocket for shoes or damp clothes, internal pockets and two water-bottle pockets. On show day that vented pocket is where heels and a tan-stained towel go, and the main compartment holds food containers, water, a robe or dark loose clothes, and a small kit for touch-ups. Pack a bottle like the Nalgene Sustain 32 oz (about $16). Our show day page has the full checklist.

Check the Under Armour Undeniable duffle price on Amazon

Posing wear, briefly

Posing suits are usually made to measure or bought from specialist suit makers, and the rules decide most of the choices. At NPC shows, bodybuilding trunks must be a solid, non-distracting cloth with no shine or padding; Classic Physique trunks must be black; Men’s Physique board shorts sit an inch below the navel to two inches above the kneecap, with no spandex; and Bikini, Figure, Wellness and Women’s Physique suits are two-piece with a V-shaped bottom and no thongs. Bikini, Figure and Wellness add high heels. Check your federation’s rules before you order, and order early. Details are on our bodybuilding rules page.

Competition tanning products, honestly

Stage lights flatten pale skin, so almost everyone wears a competition tan. Here’s what to know before you buy:

• It’s sunless tanner. Competition tans are dark sunless tanners; the Pro Tan Overnight Competition Color label, for example, lists dihydroxyacetone (DHA). The FDA allows DHA for external use only, not on the lips, mucous membranes or the eye area.
• Spray booths: the FDA suggests asking whether you’ll be protected from DHA getting in your eyes, on your lips and into your lungs. Ask what protection the tanner offers before you step in.
• No tanning beds. The American Academy of Dermatology says indoor tanning can more than double the risk of melanoma, and using tanning beds before age 20 raises it by 47%. A sunless tan doesn’t protect you from the sun unless the label lists an SPF.
• Federation rules: the NPC wants a natural tone and bans orange, yellow, red, green, gold or metallic finishes and excessive oil. Many shows have an official tanning company; doing it yourself saves money but takes practice. Try your tan once before show week, on a small patch, to check for skin reactions.
• It stains. Bring dark sheets, a dark towel and loose dark clothes.

For a do-it-yourself tan, the Pro Tan Competition Tanning Kit (about $50) is a single-show mini kit: a 2 oz pre-tan exfoliator, a 3.4 oz overnight base coat, a 1.7 oz instant top-coat mousse, 1 oz of posing oil and an applicator sponge, all under 3.4 oz for carry-on travel. If you’d rather buy separately, the Overnight Competition Color (about $31, 8.5 fl oz) goes on the evening before, and the Instant Competition Color mousse (about $26, 7 oz) is the top coat. These are cosmetics: they change color, not muscle.

Check the Pro Tan Competition Tanning Kit price on Amazon

Recovery gear

Many lifters roll out tight quads and lats with a TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 foam roller (about $40, 13 in, multi-density) and use a small massager like the Hypervolt Go 3 (about $149, with a carry case) at the gym or backstage. OOFOS OOahh recovery slides (about $60) are a comfortable thing to walk around in after leg day or between prejudging and finals. These tools are about comfort, not treatment. Sleep and food do most of the recovery work; see our bodybuilding recovery page and the massage gun and recovery shoe guides.

Check the TriggerPoint GRID price on Amazon

How to choose bodybuilding gear

• Buy as you need it. Shoes and a notebook come first; a belt and straps when your lifts get heavy.
• Fit matters. Measure your waist where the belt sits and use the maker’s size chart.
• Read the rulebook before buying posing wear. Color, cut and fabric are all regulated.
• Test your tan early. Try it weeks before the show, not the night before.
• Skip anything that promises fast results. No product replaces training, food and time, and anything sold as a steroid alternative or “water flush” deserves suspicion, especially in a tested federation.

For the rest of the sport, head back to the bodybuilding hub, read about nutrition and supplements, or see CrossFit gear if you train both ways.

Bodybuilding gear questions

Do bodybuilders need a lifting belt?

Not to start. Many coaches suggest learning to brace without one and adding a belt for your heaviest squats, deadlifts and rows. A neoprene quick-locking belt like the Gymreapers (about $35) is an inexpensive first belt.

Are competition tans safe?

Competition tans are sunless tanners, usually based on DHA, which the FDA allows on the skin but not on the lips, mucous membranes or eye area. In spray booths, protect your eyes, lips and lungs. Avoid tanning beds, which the American Academy of Dermatology links to a higher risk of melanoma.

What should I wear to a bodybuilding show?

On stage, the suit or trunks your division’s rules allow. Backstage and on the way there, loose, dark clothes and slides that won’t smudge your tan, plus a robe or zip-up if the venue is cold.

Are lifting straps cheating?

No. In bodybuilding the goal is to train the target muscle, and straps let your back keep working after your grip tires. Keep some strapless work for grip strength.

How do I get competition tan off?

Follow the maker’s directions. Sunless tans fade as skin renews; the Pro Tan listing says its overnight color lasts several days. Gentle exfoliation helps, but don’t scrub skin raw, and see a doctor for a rash or irritation.