Not all gym accessories deserve a spot in your bag. Josko and Brandon, gym owners at Kraken Fitness in North Burnaby near Brentwood, blind-ranked eight common gym tools on a tier list — and the results might change what you buy next. Lifting straps earned S tier, heel wedges and pull-up bands landed on A, and foam rollers got sent straight to D. Here’s why each tool earned its rank.
S Tier: The Must-Haves
Two gym accessories earned S-tier status from Kraken’s trainers: lifting straps and the hip thrust pad (but only when used correctly).
Lifting Straps — Josko carries these in his gym bag and uses them for every pulling exercise. The reason is simple: on a row or a deadlift, the forearms and grip will fatigue before the back muscles do. That means the set ends because the hands gave out, not because the target muscles were finished working.
Lifting straps remove the grip bottleneck. Josko explains that he can get roughly eight reps on a row without straps and ten reps with them — and those extra two reps come almost entirely from back work. The forearms and biceps aren’t the limiting factor anymore, which means the back gets trained harder.
Brandon addresses the common criticism: “If you can’t grip it, you shouldn’t be lifting it.” He disagrees. There will always be a point where the hips and back are improving faster than grip strength. Straps let those bigger muscle groups keep progressing without being held back by smaller ones. Just do separate grip and forearm work if you want to strengthen your hands.
Hip Thrust Pad — This one comes with a major asterisk. For hip thrusts, it’s S tier because hip thrusts are nearly impossible to do without one. A cold barbell sitting directly on the hip bones is painful enough to ruin the exercise entirely. The pad is what makes hip thrusts viable.
However, if someone is using a hip thrust pad for squats — which is what these pads were originally designed for — it drops to D tier immediately. The pad creates an unstable surface on the upper back, shifts the bar position unpredictably, and can even slide during the lift. Kraken’s trainers never recommend using a bar pad for squats.
A Tier: Seriously Useful
Two accessories landed in A tier: heel wedges and pull-up bands. Both solve real problems that affect a lot of gym-goers, especially beginners.
Heel Wedges — These are small angled platforms that elevate the heels during squats. Brandon explains why they’re valuable: many people lack ankle mobility and struggle to hit proper depth in their squats. Heel wedges compensate for that mobility limitation instantly, allowing deeper squats without needing to first fix ankle flexibility.
The practical appeal is strong. A pair costs between $20 and $40 on Amazon. Compare that to Olympic weightlifting shoes, which can easily run $150 to $250 and serve the same basic function — elevating the heel. Heel wedges are the budget-friendly alternative that does the job.
Josko points out a common gym hack that’s worse: stacking plates under the heels. People do this constantly, but it’s obviously not ideal. The surface is uneven, it can shift mid-set, and it looks sketchy. Heel wedges are flat, stable, and designed for exactly this purpose. They didn’t quite reach S tier because they’re only relevant for people with ankle mobility limitations, but for those people, they’re a game-changer.
Pull-Up Bands (Long Loop Bands) — These large resistance bands have dozens of uses beyond just assisted pull-ups. Josko keeps a set in his gym bag and considers them close to S-tier.
For pull-ups specifically, they’re the best tool for progressively building toward unassisted reps. If someone can do five regular pull-ups but ten with a purple band, the path forward is clear — keep reducing the band resistance over time until the assistance isn’t needed anymore. Brandon emphasizes this progression: start with a thick band, work down to thinner ones, and eventually drop the band entirely.
Beyond pull-ups, long loop bands work for stretching, warm-ups, and supplementary exercises. That versatility is what pushes them into A tier — they’re not a one-trick tool.
B Tier: Solid but Not Essential
One accessory landed in the middle ground: fabric hip bands.
Fabric Hip Bands — These are the thicker, cloth-based resistance bands designed for glute activation and hip work. They earned B tier because they represent a meaningful upgrade over the cheap rubber loop bands that sit in D tier (more on those below).
Fabric hip bands don’t slide around during exercises. They last significantly longer than rubber ones. And the resistance on the heavier versions is actually challenging, unlike rubber bands where even the “heaviest” option becomes easy within a few months.
Josko recommends keeping a set in the gym bag. They’re compact, useful for glute warm-ups and hip exercises, and genuinely functional. They didn’t reach A tier because they’re supplementary — you can have a great workout without them. But they’re worth owning, especially for lower-body training days.
D Tier: Skip These
Four accessories got ranked D tier. This is where Josko and Brandon were “very polarizing,” as Brandon put it — “S or D, nothing in between.”
Foam Rollers — Josko’s take: “I personally think foam rollers are completely worthless.” The reasoning is specific. Many people believe foam rolling solves mobility issues permanently. It doesn’t. What it actually does is open a small temporary window of slightly increased range of motion — maybe 10 to 15 minutes of improved flexibility before everything tightens back up.
Brandon agrees and adds a twist. The most useful things a foam roller can do aren’t what it was designed for. It can be used as a prop for certain exercises — a foam roll bridge, hip hinge work, thread-the-needle stretches — but those uses have nothing to do with myofascial release. And for those exercises, you could just use something else anyway. As Josko puts it: “Everyone has one collecting dust in the corner.”
Rubber Loop Bands (Booty Bands) — The cheap, thin rubber bands that come in packs of three or four landed near the bottom. They have some use for shoulder warm-ups and hip mobility, but they’re extremely limited. Even the “heaviest” resistance level in a typical set isn’t very challenging — most people outgrow them within a couple months.
Brandon prefers fabric hip bands (B tier) for any exercise these would be used for. The rubber versions slide, roll up, snap, and don’t provide meaningful resistance for anyone beyond a complete beginner. They’re not useless, but they’re close.
Knee Sleeves — This ranking comes with a caveat: for competitive powerlifters, knee sleeves would be higher. But Kraken’s audience is regular gym-goers, not powerlifters, and for regular people, knee sleeves are mostly pointless.
The common belief is that knee sleeves prevent injury. Brandon says that’s not what they do. A neoprene sleeve might warm up the joint slightly, but it’s not going to prevent a catastrophic knee injury during a squat or deadlift. And for powerlifters who wear them extremely tight for a small mechanical advantage — Josko points out that the extra weight lifted is coming from the sleeve’s compression, not from actual strength gains.
Hip Thrust Pad for Squats — As mentioned in the S-tier section, these pads were originally designed for squatting. But using them for squats creates an unstable bar position on the upper back, limits how much weight can be handled safely, and even risks the bar sliding off. Save the pad for hip thrusts, where it genuinely makes the exercise possible.
FAQ
What gym accessories should beginners buy first?
Lifting straps and a pair of heel wedges cover the most ground for the least money. Straps cost under $15 and prevent grip from limiting back exercises. Heel wedges run $20 to $40 and fix squat depth issues immediately. Both fit in any gym bag and get used regularly.
Are foam rollers a waste of money?
For their intended purpose of myofascial release, foam rollers provide only temporary relief — a small window of improved mobility that closes within minutes. Kraken’s trainers rank them D tier. The money is better spent on accessories that directly improve training performance like straps or heel wedges.
Do knee sleeves prevent knee injuries?
Knee sleeves do not prevent knee injuries during regular gym training. They provide mild warmth and compression but won’t stop a catastrophic injury during a heavy squat or deadlift. For competitive powerlifters they serve a different purpose, but for everyday gym-goers they’re unnecessary.
What’s the difference between rubber and fabric hip bands?
Fabric hip bands are more durable, stay in place during exercises, and provide meaningfully harder resistance at the top end. Rubber loop bands slide around, snap easily, and max out at a resistance level most people surpass within a few months. Fabric bands earned B tier at Kraken, rubber bands got D.
Should I use a squat pad on the barbell?
Kraken’s trainers recommend against using a pad for squats. The pad creates an unstable surface between the bar and the upper back, shifts bar positioning, and can slide during the lift. Learning proper bar placement on the muscles of the upper back is safer and more effective long-term.
Ready to Start?
Kraken Fitness is a personal training gym in North Burnaby near Brentwood. If you’re unsure which equipment and accessories actually matter for your training, Kraken’s coaches can help you focus on what works and skip what doesn’t. Try a free week — no commitment, no pressure.
