Erik Bartell is a military veteran, entrepreneur and fitness trainer who has turned his passion for working out into a profession. You can follow his workout routines on M&F TV IG pageas well as read his interesting and inspiring story here.
However, something we haven’t asked Bartell so far is how the husband and father of two prepares for his routines.
“It’s not just ‘What’s in your gym bag?’ he says. “It’s for anyone who has a home gym or travels a lot. So first thing before any workout…
1. WIRELESS HEADSET
Especially if you go to commercial gyms or travel, a set of quality wireless headphones can create a much-needed barricade against outside noise. “The headphones I’m wearing say to people, don’t ask me how many reps or sets I have left,” Bartell says. “I can also put them really loud and ignore everything around me. Because let’s be real, the biggest flaw I see in people in commercial gyms, and the biggest thing they fall into, is distractions.
2. A NOTEBOOK
“I know, paper is a bit archaic…but it’ll keep your phone in your pocket where we want it,” Bartell says. “You arrive at the gym, you put on your headphones, you put on this playlist and you leave your phone behind, because it is the number one distraction in the gym.
From texting to emailing to watching cat videos on social media, tinkering with your phone can turn a quick break into one that lasts way too long. Avoid distraction by removing the phone from the equation.
Use the notebook to “write down your workouts…and your notes,” suggests Bartell. “Everything about fitness goes into this one notebook, and you take it with you every time you hit the gym or whenever you have a fitness coming up.
3. AN ESSENTIAL PRE-WORKOUT
“I’m up every day at 5 a.m.,” Bartell says. “I need energy. I used to be heavy in pre-workouts. But the only issue I had with them was like the 90 different ingredients. I didn’t even know what they were. When I was in the military, I used a lot of energy drinks. I loved the flavor. I hated how soft everything got.
Bartell’s Remedy: Echelon. “It’s the best solution I’ve found since it’s 300 milligrams of caffeine. Essentially, it has everything you really want for that pre-workout drink – and none of the other nonsense.
And because it’s in a smaller box, it’s easy to swallow so you can take it down and get started with your workout.
Another advantage of Echelon: “There is no crash after my workouts,” he says.
What’s also cool is that when you support the brand, 10% of every can sold goes to the Green Beret Foundation.
“If you’re not familiar with this, it helps Green Berets [and] their families struggling with everything from mental health to scholarships.
4. REP WAX OR OTHER CHALK ALTERNATIVES
“It’s the alternative to chalk,” says Bartell. “Most gyms don’t like having chalk because dust becomes dust everywhere. Rep wax is nice and clean. It’s very low key, no one really notices.
The application is also easy: quickly rub the bar and you will obtain an excellent adhesion.
5. RESISTANCE BANDS
“I have a mini band, a light band, a heavy band,” Bartell explains. The reason? If he can’t make it to the gym, these groups can provide him with an on-the-go workout.
“I can do anything with these three groups. And it also complements my amazingly magical training by recovering good groups, search for YouTube videos. I’m going to start putting some other stuff in there too. But groups are amazing and they just advance your training.
6. ANTIBACTERIAL BODY WIPES
I use wipes Well done Sierra. Like Echelon, it is an Indigenous military enterprise,” he says.
“Especially if I’m traveling and the gym doesn’t have a shower, these wipes help. Or even if I’m just coming out of a meeting, and just did a quick workout…and i can’t shower.they are super strong [and] super thick. And it will wipe out my whole body – especially anything that looks like sweat residue on you and leave you smelling like you’ve showered even if you haven’t had the chance.
