5 Best Black Gym Bags

In this post, we've rounded up our favorite little black bags, which—thanks to their neutral color—will go with every item in your wardrobe, work attire and fitness gear included. Some boast nifty yoga straps, others have a more minimalist appeal, but they all have one thing in common: they'll be your new favorite wardrobe essential.



MZ Wallace Jim Gym Bag

Feel free to stuff the spacious MZ Wallace Black Oxford Jim Bag with all your favorite gear. It’s super lightweight, so your shoulders will thank you.


GapFit Mesh Cinch Backpack

We love the simplicity of the GapFit Mesh Cinch Backpack, a chicer take on your kid’s basketball bag. Just toss in your gear, pull the drawstring, and go.


Sweaty Betty Union Jack Holdall

Durable neoprene makes the sophisticated Sweaty Betty Union Jack Holdall practically indestructible. And it can serve as a weekender in a pinch.


lululemon All Set Hobo

Forget about lugging around multiple bags. With an interior padded laptop sleeve, the water-repellent Lululemon All Set Hobo doubles as a work tote.



Reebok Lead & Go Graphic Grip Duffle Bag

This utilitarian bag sports plenty of compartments to keep everything—water bottle, wet clothes, sneakers, even a yoga mat—organized.

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THE BEST SUSPENSION TRAINER WORKOUT

A suspension trainer, such as the TRX or Jungle Gym XT, can mean the difference between sticking with your training while on the road and returning from your travels feeling slobbish. So long as your suspension trainer is fully adjustable and offers foot cradles you’ll have a total-body gym that you can unpack from your suitcase whenever, wherever.

HOW IT WORKS

The kind of instability a suspension trainer provides is ideal for core strengthening. To increase the instability , we’ve designed this workout using unilateral exercises, meaning that you’ll be training each side of your body individually . If you need to reduce the intensity of an exercise, simply increase the angle of your body to the floor (shorten the length of the handles/straps). The workout at right lets you customize your training, giving you a specific period of time in which to do your reps, rather than a concrete number of reps to hit every set.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in sequence. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, resting only as long as it takes to set up the next exercise. Perform two to four circuits.


1-SINGLE-LEG ROW

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Attach a suspension trainer to a doorframe or other sturdy object and stand on your left leg. Hold the handles and get into a lunge position with your rear knee bent— but keep your foot raised above the floor. Row your body to the handles while driving your right knee up in front of you.

2-SINGLE-LEG WOBBLE LUNGE

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Set the foot cradle of the suspension trainer to about a foot and a half above the floor and turn around. Raise your right foot and rest it inside the cradle. Bend your left knee so you descend into a lunge position.

3-UNI-BRIDGE PRESS

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Face the suspension trainer’s attachment point and hold one handle in your left hand. Pick up a water bottle (or some other source of light resistance) in your right hand as if you were going to press. Lean back so your body is in a straight line at an angle, suspended by the handle. Row your body up until the handle touches your ribs while pressing the right hand over your chest.

4-TAP OUT

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Set your feet in the cradles of the trainer and get into pushup position. Keeping your body straight, reach up with your right hand and tap the inside of your left elbow. Put your hand back down and repeat with the left hand. Continue for 30 seconds.

5-PUSHUP ROCKET

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. REST: 0 SEC

Get into pushup position with your feet in the cradles of the trainer and perform explosive pushups so that your hands leave the floor and you can clap in midair.

Read also: THE BEST ALL-MACHINE WORKOUT

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THE BEST ALL-MACHINE WORKOUT

There are three likely reasons you would do a workout entirely with machines. One is that you fear free weights. Another is that you’re in a hotel gym with machines as your only workout options, and the third is that you’re a little beat up and need to protect overw orked joints or work around
nagging injuries. Whatever the case maybe, machines are suitable musclebuilding equipment, and you can train your whole body with them.

HOW IT WORKS

This workout uses a classic body building approach: pyramid sets. You start with higher reps and increase the weight slightly each set w hile reducing reps to gradually warm up the muscles and joints and recruit more and more muscle fibers. No matter how hard you train or how heavy you go, you’re
unlikely to get injured, because the machines are stabilizing the load for you. This isn’t alw ay s ideal, but it does allow you to push yourself and focus your mind solely on the muscles you want to work without worrying about a freak accident keeping you out of the gym for weeks.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercise pairs (marked “A ” and “B”) as alternating sets. So you’ll do a set of A , rest, then a set of B, rest again, and continue for all the prescribed sets. The remaining exercises are done as conventional straight sets.



1A-CHEST PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Adjust the height of the seat so that the handles are in line with the middle of your chest. When you grasp the handles, your elbows should be bent nearly 90 degrees. Press the handles until your elbows are locked out. Keep tension on your muscles at the bottom of each rep.

1B-CHEST-SUPPORTED ROW

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Using a chest-supported row machine, row the weight to your belly, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.

2A-SHOULDER PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Adjust the seat of a shoulder press machine so that the handles are at shoulder level. If you have shoulder problems, and if your machine allows it, grasp the handles so your palms face each other. Otherwise, grasp them with palms facing forward as normal. Make sure your elbows track in a normal pressing path as you press the handles overhead.

2B-NEUTRAL-GRIP PULLDOWN

SETS: 3 REPS: 15, 12, 10 REST: 60 SEC

Attach a close-grip V-handle to the pulley of a latpulldown machine, or use two single-grip handles as shown. Grasp the handle so your palms face each other and set your legs under the pad. Pull the handle to your collarbone, driving your elbows down and back.

3-CALF RAISE ON LEG PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 25, 20, 15 REST: 60 SEC

Set up in a leg press machine and place your feet at the bottom of the foot plate at shoulder width so that only the balls of your feet are on the plate. Remove the safeties and allow the weight to flex your ankles slowly until you feel a stretch in your calves. Extend your ankles to raise the weight back up.

4-LEG PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 25, 20, 15, 10 REST: 120 SEC

Adjust the seat of the machine so that you can sit comfortably with your hips beneath your knees and your knees in line with your feet. Remove the safeties and lower your knees toward your chest until they’re bent 90 degrees and then press back up. Be careful not to go too low or you risk your lower back coming off the seat (which can cause injury).

Read also: THE BEST ONEDUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

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THE BEST TWODUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

HOW IT WORKS

In this situation, the load you have will be more appropriate for some exercises than others. To see that you get the most out of the workout we prescribe here, whatever the poundage you have to work with, you’ll need to adjust the speed of your reps. Apair of 25-pound dumbbells, for example, probably won’t be challenging on exercises such as the stepup. In this case, perform your reps more slowly to test your endurance and build muscle control. On other exercises, like the bentover lateral raise, 25 pounds may be just right or a bit heavy , so perform your reps explosively .
If you should happen to have two unevenly weighted dumbbells, such as a 25-pounder and a 15-pounder, don’t be discouraged. Simply switch the weights in your hands each time you repeat the circuit. Asymmetrical loads force your core to stabilize you even more on each exercise.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in turn without rest. After the last exercise, rest two minutes and then repeat. Continue for 20 minutes. You can repeat the workout up to four times per week.



1-SIDE PLANK W/ LATERAL RAISE

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Lie on your left side resting your left forearm on the floor for support. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand. Raise your hips up so that your body forms a straight line and
brace your abs—your weight should be on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot. From this position, raise the weight in your right hand until your arm is parallel to the floor. If the dumbbell or kettlebell you have is too heavy to perform a lateral raise with in this position, you can use a weight plate from the dumbbell (if it’s the plate-loaded kind), or simply skip the lateral raise and use the weight to resist your side plank.

2-SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on the opposite leg. Bend your hips back and lower your torso until you feel your lower back is about to lose its arch. Squeeze your glutes and extend your hips to come up.

3-DUMBBELL PUSHUP W/ ROW

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Get into pushup position with a dumbbell in each hand. Perform a pushup and then, in the up position, shift your weight to your right side and row the left-hand dumbbell to your side. Perform another pushup, shift your weight to the left, and row with the right hand.

4-STEPUP

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Stand behind a bench or other elevated surface that will put your thigh at parallel to the floor when you place your foot onto it. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step up onto the bench but leave your trailing leg hanging off.

5-BENTOVER LATERAL RAISE

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 REST: 0 SEC

Hold the dumbbells and stand with feet shoulder width. Bend your hips back and, keeping your lower back in its natural arch, lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your arms out to the sides until they’re parallel to the floor.

6-LUNGE W/ OVERHEAD PRESS

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 120 SEC

Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level and step forward into a lunge, lowering your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off your front foot to come back to the starting position and then press the weights overhead.

Read also: THE BEST ONEDUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

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THE BEST WARMUP

1-SHOULDER OVER AND BACK

PERFORM 15 REPS

Hold a band, dowel, yardstick, or light bar in front of your hips with hands outside shoulder width. Keeping your elbows straight, raise your arms overhead and behind your body as far as you can. Bring them back in front of you again. Continue going over and back and gradually narrow your grip as you feel your shoulders loosen up.

2-HIP HINGE

PERFORM 15 REPS

Place your hands on your hips and stand with feet hip width. Push your hips back, bending your knees only as needed, until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Squeeze your glutes as you forcefully push your hips forward again to stand up straight.

3-OVERHEAD SQUAT

PERFORM 10 REPS

Hold a band, dowel, yardstick, or light bar overhead with hands outside shoulder width. Stand with feet shoulder width and toes turned out slightly. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can without letting your tailbone tuck under. Keep the object you’re holding above and slightly behind your head the whole time—don’t let it drift in front of you.

4-SIDE LUNGE

PERFORM 10 REPS ON EACH LEG

Stand with feet hip width and step out to your left. Lower your body until your left knee is bent 90 degrees, or until you feel a stretch in the right side of your groin, but keep your right leg straight. Repeat on the right side.

5-BENTOVER YTW

PERFORM 8 REPS OF EACH

Stand with feet shoulder width and bend your hips back, keeping your lower back flat, until your torso is about 45 degrees to the floor. Let your arms hang. Now squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your arms up and out to your sides about 45 degrees to form a Y shape. Lower them and then raise them out to your sides 90 degrees to form a T.
Lower and then raise them out to your sides, but bend your elbows 90 degrees to form a W.

6-CAT/CAMEL

PERFORM 10 REPS

Kneel on the floor with knees under your hips and hands beneath your shoulders. Arch your back so your chest rises—you should look like a cat stretching. Now round your entire back so it looks like a camel’s hump.

7-BIRD DOG

PERFORM 10 REPS ON EACH SIDE

From the kneeling position, extend your left hand out in front of you. Simultaneously kick your right leg back straight, bracing your core and squeezing your glutes as you do so. Hold for a moment and then switch legs.

8-HIP CIRCLE

MAKE 10 CLOCKWISE CIRCLES AND THEN SWITCH LEGS; REPEATON BOTH LEGS IN THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE DIRECTION

From the kneeling position, raise your right knee off the floor and make circles with it, opening your hip as much as possible on each revolution. Keep your shoulders square to the floor.

9-GROINER

PERFORM 10 REPS ON EACH SIDE

Get into pushup position with your hands shoulder width, feet close together, and body in a straight line. Jump your left foot forward and land it to the outside of your left hand. Let your hips sink a bit to feel the stretch and then reverse it—jump your left foot back while the right one comes up to your right hand.

At this point, it’s wise to statically stretch muscles that you know to be chronically tight. For most people, the hips, glutes, and lats are bound up due to many hours sitting at desks in front of computers, but stretch whatever areas you feel need it most. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat for three sets on each side. The following are some suggestions.


HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

Get into lunge position on the floor with your right leg back. Place your hands on your hips and push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your right hip. Squeeze your glutes on your right side. For a more intense stretch, reach your right arm overhead and lean back slightly while keeping your hips forward. Another progression is to reach back and grasp the outside of your rear foot and gently pull it off the floor. You’ll feel the stretch go into the top of your thigh.

LAT STRETCH

Grasp a sturdy upright object with your left hand, thumb facing up, and bend your hips back until your torso and arm are in line and you feel a stretch in your lat. Move gently from side to side so you stretch the entire muscle.

PEC STRETCH

Place the meat of your right forearm against a sturdy upright object (a doorframe is perfect) and bend your elbow 90 degrees. Gently lean forward so you feel a stretch on your pec.

PIRIFORMIS STRETCH

Sit on a bench and cross your left leg over your right knee, bending your left knee 90 degrees. Gently push your left knee down so you feel a stretch on the outside of your left glutes.

CALF STRETCH

Place your hands against a wall and stagger your feet so one is close to the wall and your rear leg is straight. Both feet face forward and your rear leg should be aligned with your upper body. Lean forward until you feel your calf stretch on your trailing leg.

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THE BEST ONEDUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

As trendy as kettlebells hav e become, many chain gyms don’t offer enough that you can be sure you’ll get a matching pair at a given time (especially if that time is during peak hours). Your best bet then is to do what you can with a single kettlebell. 

Incidentally, if you train at home and have just one dumbbell that you’ve been using as a paperweight up until now, this workout applies equally to you (kettlebells and dumbbells can be used interchangeably).


HOW IT WORKS

One bell offers a distinct set of benefits from a pair. Your body w ill hav e to compensate for the imbalance by recruiting y our core muscles more intensely , and working one side at a time w ill make for longer sets w ith a greater cardiov ascular demand. Done as a circuit, the exercises that follow raise y our heart rate ev en further, making this w orkout a great adjunct to a strict diet for fatloss.

DIRECTIONS

The workout consists of two circuits. In Circuit 1, you’ll perform the exercises in sequence for six reps each. C omplete as many rounds as possible in six minutes, and then rest one minute. Repeat twice more and then rest tw ominutes before beginning Circuit 2.

CIRCUIT 1

1-ONE-ARM SNATCH

REPS: 6 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Hold a kettlebell in front of your thighs with your right hand and stand with feet between hip and shoulder width. Keep your torso as upright as possible and bend your knees until the weight hangs at mid-shin level-maintain the arch in your lower back. Jump, extending your hips explosively, and raise the weight straight up your body. When it gets to your chest, flip your wrist and “catch” the bell overhead with arm extended.

2-KETTLEBELL PRESS-OUT

REPS: 6 REST: 0 SEC

Hold the weight close to your chest at shoulder level with both hands on the handle and palms facing each other. Squat down as deeply as you can and then press the bell straight out in front of you with arms extended. Bring it back to your chest and repeat for reps while maintaining the squat position.

3-HARD-STYLE KETTLEBELL SWING

REPS: 6 REST: 0 SEC

Stand with feet hip-width apart and the weight on the floor. Grasp the kettlebell with both hands (palms facing you) and, keeping your lower back flat, extend your hips to raise it off the floor. From there, take a deep breath and bend your hips back, allowing the weight to swing back between your legs. Explosively extend your hips and exhale—allowing the momentum to swing the weight up to shoulder level. Control the descent, but use the momentum to begin the next rep.

CIRCUIT 2

TURKISH GETUP

Lie on your back on the floor holding a kettlebell with your right hand over your chest, arm perpendicular to the floor. Bend your right knee 90 degrees and plant your foot on the floor. Brace your abs and raise your torso off the floor. Use your left hand for support. Now use your right foot to raise your hips off the floor. Sweep your left leg back and rest on your left knee. Come up to a standing position, and then reverse the motion to return to the floor. Note that the foot that rests on the floor changes with the hand that’s holding the weight (when you perform the getup with the left hand, your left foot will lie flat). Perform one rep with the weight in your right hand and then immediately switch hands and repeat. Switch back to your right hand and do two reps. Then do two on your left. Continue adding one extra rep in this fashion until you’re up to five on each side. Without rest, reverse the process and work back down to one rep.

Read also: THE BEST FULL-BODY BAND WORKOUT

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