The very best Christmas gift ideas for gym lovers

Looking for the best Christmas gift ideas for gym lovers? We've got you covered. Below you'll find some excellent, relatively inexpensive gift ideas for people who like to lift dumbbells or resistance bands for fun.

Oftentimes, gym queens and kings are perceived as people who are impossible to buy presents for; after all, you don't know what supplements they use and you really can't afford to buy them a new adjustable dumbbell or weight bench. Even the best cheap treadmills often cost hundreds of pounds and many of us can only afford to spend much less than that on Christmas presents.

The gift ideas on this list won't cost the earth but will be appreciated by those who think the best way to spend your recreational time is to do bench presses and squats. For even more gift ideas, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday fitness deals.

We also have a dedicated guide to the best Fitbit deals and best Garmin deals; in case you want to surprise yourself with a little something too this Christmas.

• I tried this simple bench press trick and it absolutely blew my mind

Mirafit Gym Flag – My Gym. My Rules.

For anyone who has a home gym already or planning on having one in the near future, a gym flag is an essential accessory. Mirafit gym flags come in a range of designs and cost only £7.95 a pop: the perfect gift idea for meatheads. The flag measures 150cm x 94cm and has four in built eyelets for easy installation.

Let the flag fly high when you're in your very own Church of Iron!

Eleiko Öppen Collars

The Eleiko Öppen Collars are not the cheapest piece of home gym equipment but they ended up on this Christmas gift idea list for a couple of reasons.

Most importantly, they are high quality – Eleiko supplies many world Olympic and powerlifting competitions with its equipment – and just peculiar enough so whoever is interested in weight lifting will appreciate the sentiment of you gifting them a pair. Not to mention, bringing your own collars to the gym is an absolute power move.

Given the price, these barbell collars are also something most lifters won't buy for themselves; they will spend all their money on protein powder and weight plates. However, owning a piece of Eleiko equipment means you reached the next step in your evolution as a lifter and for that, getting the Eleiko Öppen Collars is a small price to pay.

Need something cheaper? Check out these Domyos disc collars at Decathlon instead.

Gymshark Sports Bra/Tank Top

Nowadays, you can't really get away with not owning at least one piece of Gymshark clothing if you frequently visit a gym. The brand was in the right place at the right time and understood very early on how important it is to market its products on social media platforms, mainly Instagram.

The results speak for themselves: Gymshark went from being an obscure brand to becoming a juggernaut in the fitness sector. Wearing Gymshark gear means you take body sculpting seriously, or at least want to look like someone who does.

MyProtein Essentials Large Towel

As well as a gym water bottle, you should always have a gym towel in your gym bag. The MP Essentials Large Towel is the ideal gym towel: it's big enough to cover the bench so you don't have to worry about touching the foam with your skin (wearing your Gymshark tank).

It can also be used to wipe your face after a cardio session on the treadmill or spin class. And considering it doesn't cost the earth either, it makes a great Christmas gift idea for gym lovers. Easy-peasy.

SKLZ Core Wheels Dynamic Strength and Ab Trainer

If you're into home workouts, at some point you'll be gifted an ab roller. The sad truth is, ab rollers are great but the ones people gift to one another don't always represent good quality and therefore won't be used more than a couple of times.

Not the SKLZ Core Wheels. This fantastic home gym equipment can train your shoulders and hips as well as your core in a variety of ways. The set includes two wheels so you can roll the wheels sideways or one at a time.

CAMRY Digital Hand Dynamometer

What's a dynamometer, you might ask? It's a tool that measures grip strength and if you ever spoke to people who like lifting heavy weights, you know they are obsessed with their grip strength and forearm circumference.

The CAMRY Digital Hand Dynamometer is equipped with high precision strain gauge sensor that gives you an accurate momentary digital reading of gripping power. Measuring capacity is up to 198lbs / 90kgs in 0.2lbs / 0.1kgs divisions.

And it's only 40 quid!

Bulk x Millions Clear Whey

Speaking of weird things bodybuilders are into: they like their protein to come in – err – exotic flavours. The Bulk x Millions Clear Whey Protein indeed come in some wild flavours including bubblegum and cola to delight the tastebuds of those who think chicken and rice is a viable breakfast option.

Better still, unlike most protein powders, the Millions Clear Whey come in a retro tub that is perfect for gifting!

Peloton Iris Active Muscle Tank

Peloton, anyone? You must know someone who has a Peloton Bike+ and can't stop talking about it. Gifting them a Peloton Iris Active Muscle Tank will be the ultimate Christmas present. It's now only £22, down from £55, that's 60% off people!

It's well under £30, the commonly agreed upper limit of the Acquaintance Christmas Gift Budget. For this amicable price, you get a semi-cropped tank that looks and feels good and will surely cheer up whoever is on the receiving end of this gift. That's a lot of wins for minimal effort.

MyProtein Layered Bar (Gingerbread flavour)

'Tis the season to be swoly! Protein bars are probably one of the best gifts to give to people who spend most of their free time in the gym. It's not something meatheads will buy for themselves but since it's a healthier (definitely more protein-rich) snack than a chocolate bar, they will be happily snacking away on them when no one's looking.

And since it's Christmas, you might as well get protein bars that are Christmas-themed, right? How about Myprotein's Layered Bar that has "six irresistible layers of taste and texture" and now comes in Gingerbread flavour!? Now we're talking!