The best fitness gifts for gym lovers

Forget Nike, Lululemon et al. The gym bag everybody is hankering for right now is Built for Athletes, a roomy, military-inspired backpack with side pouches big enough to accommodate a litre of liquid to your left and right. If he’s the type to pack everything but the kitchen sink on his gym trips, this might be the solution to bulging materials and zips that never close.

If your other half’s preoccupation with running is more of an obsession than a hobby, this Satisfy cap should declare his affiliation clearly enough. Not only is it cool enough a cap to be worn with a day-to-day ‘fit, it’s also been designed for wear on long runs: this is lightweight, UV- and abrasion-resistant and water-repellent.

Masterclass isn’t all art, politics and literature (though there is a lot of all that). It’s got plenty of sports and fitness content on there as well. Just a couple of choice examples: Tony Hawk on skateboarding, Lewis Hamilton on having a winning mindset and Serena Williams on tennis.

Finished with diecast zip pulls and smoothed into a modish interpretation of the ideal performance silhouette, Velobici’s classic Jasper cycling jersey is one for fans of vintage bike races. Designed for the punks and pin-ups of the sport, it's incredibly soft, optimised for airflow and truly beautiful in its design.

We’ve had smart fitness scales. We’ve had smart fitness watches. Now get ready for a smart fitness ring, courtesy of Oura and its stylish, subtle piece of tech that’s helping you track your vitals in the most convenient way possible.

The healthy meal delivery service continues to threaten to replace classic grocery shopping. The means to a protein-heavy, fitness-supplementary diet is now as easy as selecting which meals you’d like to eat each week and waiting as they arrive at your door. A more useful fitness gift we could not invent.

If they’ve already got a fully kitted-out home gym, instead of fitness kit, gift them this luxury fitness shower oil from ESPA this year. Refreshing and nourishing, ESPA’s fitness shower oil is designed to be relaxing and calming after a workout, exactly what they need after a long session. Drawing on some of the restorative principles of aromatherapy with ingredients such as clove bud oils and eucalyptus, it also takes care of their skin with coconut oil to leave them calm and revived after a post-workout shower.

If their ears are secure enough to risk wearing string-free headphones on their daily run then bully for them, but if they’re like the rest of us and can’t risk losing another AirPod under the leg press then something more reliable is in order. Beats Flex, which are designed to sit comfortably on the neck while working out, are our favourite for letting the Pixies listening experience go uninterrupted by intense activities.

Find a more beautiful side to changing robes than the DryRobe they already have (or worse, the old poncho they found in their loft). If they’re regularly outdoor swimming, paddle-boarding or otherwise immersing themselves in cold water, best to invest in something as elegant as this premium Vivida design, which looks more like a high-end puffer coat than anything else.

Withing's latest smart scales do far more than just measure your weight. The Body Comp scales feature the company's most comprehensive body composition tech to date, serving up detailed stats on everything from your weight and water percentage, to muscle mass, bone mass, and more. Plus, there's nutrition tracking, heart health feature and built-in Wi-Fi included too.

Everything you could ever need for indoor spinning, the Apex bike is essentially a cheaper alternative to the Peloton. Though it doesn’t come with a built-in screen, this upright cycle does include a monthly subscription for classes which can be accessed via any digital device and placed on the special screen mount. A top exercise bike pick for an at-home gym without the cost of the flashy designer equivalent.

Coming in a range of neutrals (including three kinds of blue), Rhone’s 7” running shorts are operating on a higher level than almost every other example of the kit. Sweat and odour resistance are to be expected from a high-end piece, but Rhone has thought of everything else too: a liner that doesn’t budge, a non-slip waistband and a plethora of hidden pockets.

Secure the bag – this bag, specifically, courtesy of Gymshark, which boasts useful go-to features like a wet pocket for used gym kit to keep used and fresh clothing separate, and a slip pocket for personal essentials alongside a voluminous main section. All as well as looking gorgeous, of course.

If he already has every other water bottle known to man then it's time to get him the very best. Larq’s designs are operating far in the distant future with a self-cleaning system that clears the receptacle of 99.99 per cent of bacteria on an automatic cycle. Sleek and light, there’s also the option of going down the insulated route for 24-hour cold (or warm) liquids. No more scrabbling at the back of the cupboard for an ancient bottle.

We try out all of the running shoes we recommend and this Cloud X Shift 3 pair is one of the most comfortable thanks to superfoam soles and moulded cushion pads. Aimed at improving the 5km experience, they’re lightweight, flexible and more than a little stylish in the way that all the best fitness-tuned brands are.

Part of the fun of a strenuous workout in the modern age is generating reams of data that show you just how far you’re progressing, and there are few better tools to harness this information than Garmin’s epix Pro. The brand’s second-gen smartwatch can track (take a deep breath…) sleep score, training readiness, GPS location, heart rate, blood oxygen level and respiration rate, among other metrics, and is fully customisable, making it a great gift for any data-driven loved one focused on their fitness.

Rarely have we used such a comprehensive set of resistance bands. The ultimate solution to work trips at hotels sans gymnasiums, the Gymproluxe is an all-inclusive suite of bands and handles that allow you to get in some serious reps even when you’re away from home. Even homebodies who prefer to avoid the communal sweat situation of the local PureGym will get a hell of a lot out of these.

Argue against golf counting towards the “fitness” category as much as you like: your giftee is getting a hell of a lot of steps in when he heads out to the fairway every weekend. Show him you support his dorky hobby with a fresh new pair of golfing gloves.

The battle of the boxers may have been won by Calvin Klein for a long, long time, but there’s a new contender on the block. CDLP’s kecks, which are as sleek and comfortable as any we’ve ever tried, are also ideal for working out in, thanks to their no-irritation, no-tag construction and moisture wicking capabilities.

The cycling brand every hipster bike fiend worth their salt is after, Café du Cycliste produces such bangers as this abstract floral jersey, as ergonomically designed and fit for purpose as all of its ugly competitors.

A gym bench with all of the accoutrements, the Fittle doubles as a sleek ottoman and includes all of the weights you’d ever need for some light (or heavy) home workouts. Thirty-five kilograms of weight plates (or 55 should you opt for the larger model) are joined by dumbbells, barbell and weight collars for an all-encompassing but fastidiously neat home weight station.

Getting a good quality workout when life's chaotic and you're short on time feels priceless, so gifting someone an app subscription like iFit is a game-changer. They'll be filled with gratitude (and happy hormones) after completing the wide range of workouts from HIIT to Pilates at home, plus its workout series is shot in picturesque locations like Miami and the Bahamas, so they'll feel more like they're working out on holiday than in their living room.

Sure, they could just chuck their sweaty gym clothes directly into their bag. Maybe they've even got a spare carrier bag that they wrap them in first to keep some of the inevitable funk from permeating the surroundings. But they can do better. And they shall. Meet La Pochette's elegant (and aptly-named) Sweat Bag — an antibacterial and water-resistant kitbag designed to store your workout gear while you're on the go.

One of the more obvious gifts for fitness lovers, protein powder is a staple that makes for a present they'll actually use. Comprising of 21 grams of protein per serving, it's available in 40 flavours, from the classic ‘chocolate and vanilla’ to more exciting flavours like maple syrup and banana. If they're all about the gains, this is the one for them.

You don’t need us to wax lyrical about joggers for you to know how god-given a piece of clothing they are, but since you asked: these Gymshark jobbies are some of the comfiest in a genre that puts comfort first. Mobility is at the forefront of their design, with temperature-regulating vents built in for a cooler run. He’ll be wanting to wear them all the time, so a pair for the gym and another for the house could be a smart purchase.

The swim short: perhaps the only real middle ground between fashion and fitness. Sure, he could wear his cycling jersey to the shops, but it wouldn’t feel altogether natural. Swim shorts like Resort Co’s, though? This is a purchase that’ll work for swimming laps as much as it’ll look right at home at the pool bar.

There are only so many salt baths you can have and massage guns you can buy before you concede that it’s time to try something new. That next solution could be this: Puresport’s CBD-infused muscle and joint balm, which uses the power of cannabidiol to soothe aches and pains.

One of the funnest and most effective forms of cardio, the use of the skipping rope in boxing training has not only made the activity better known, but far, far cooler. Hike up the giftability factor with Tangram’s rope, a smart gadget that tracks things like jump count and calories burned on its adjoining app.

For the giftee who gets enough trekking mileage to justify it, the purchase of a pair of walking boots is paramount. Danner is perfectly suited for the job, what with its fusion of form and function.

Running tights? For spring? Groundbreaking. Why not get them to try a pair of running shorts instead and free your legs to the warm breeze of April and May. In a very Chariots of Fire adjacent vintage design, our favourite high-performing, beautifully-crafted pair are these from Tracksmith. Personal best 10km not included.

The latest Apple Watch remains at the top of the smartwatch pile, unless you want to splurge a fair bit more on its Ultra companion. The Series 8 takes everything we love about the Apple Watch and adds some useful tweaks, which include automatic crash detection to alert authorities to any accidents, a skin temperature tracker for keeping on top of your health, and a more comprehensive Compass app for better navigation. All of Apple’s comprehensive fitness tracking skills are still present and accounted for too, letting you measure everything from daily runs to weekend cycles with ease.