She walks in wearing the latest neon tights and matching sports bra. He has black tights on with a pair of knee-length shorts over it and a fitted compression tee. Her shoes look fresh out of the box. His shoes have a blue streak on it, indicating the brand name. She has on bright pink training gloves and a towel with her name embroidered on it. He packs powder onto his hands. She takes a sip of a fluorescent green drink from her ergonomically designed water bottle and passes it on to him to do the same. She packs weight onto the bar and gets under it. He grabs almost the heaviest dumbbells. She gets under the bar and stands up straight. He positions himself perfectly in front of the mirror. She squats only a quarter of the way down while he swings his entire body, only to grunt off 2 reps of dumbbell curls that don’t even reach his waist. They’re done with their workout. They walk off looking triumphant, not because they had a good workout, but because they know they looked the part.

This is a reality in many gyms — people with all the latest and most expensive gear, but it obviously doesn’t help them to train. Here are a few tips on what you actually need to maximise your workout and what you can skip (to save yourself the money and the embarrassment).

Underwear! — Yes, underwear. You don’t want to get your special areas caught up in anything. For men, that means a good pair of briefs, boxer-briefs or a jock strap and for women, a comfortable, but firm sports bra. These should prevent too much movement without sacrificing comfort. Feel free to mount benches or machines, or to take a run or a ride without fear of your bits getting in the way (causing pain or sub-optimal training).

Outerwear — You don’t need the latest compression tech or a full body suit (unless it is giving you an advantage for a particular competitive sport like powerlifting or olympic lifting). You can wear your home clothes if it’s what you’re comfortable in (just make sure it doesn’t have too many holes in the wrong places). The goal here is comfort. If full-body compression gear is comfortable for you, go forth. If you just want to wear a pair of shorts and a washed out t-shirt, the go right ahead.

Support — Knee braces, elbow sleeves, and other such accessories are a must if you are nursing an injury, chronic or acute. Additionally, utilising a weight belt (to improve intra-thoracic pressure) or knee wraps (to support collateral ligaments) for particularly heavy lifts can help to guard from injury.

Shoes — Everyone walks and runs differently. Some pronate (roll their feet in), some supinate (roll their feet out), and some do neither (they have a neutral gait). Visit a trainer who is versed in these walking styles to get a basic assessment and find shoes that will work for you. This can prevent shin splints or stave off general fatigue in the feet and legs. Also, for lifting, you may want to invest in lifting shoes or just go barefoot (Arnold Schwarzenegger has long spoken about the benefits of barefoot training — improvement in proprioception, or an understand of your body’s movement or position). If you have flat feet (your medial longitudinal arch flattens out when you walk or stand), you may need arch support. Overall, you need your feet to feel comfortable.

Towel — Always walk with one. A basic hand towel will do.

Water Bottle — You don’t need a fancy shake bottle or anything with a brand name on it. You can get a basic plastic water bottle for about 10-15 USD. Just don’t reuse the water bottles that you buy water in too often as the plastic in those degrade pretty easily in the heat, leaching harmful chemicals into your water.

Basically, what matter the most when you exercise is comfort. Style and brand names are irrelevant and they won’t help you hit that personal record or get that flat stomach/those abs that you have been wanting for so long. Get comfortable and get exercising.