From figure-8 lifting straps and creatine to ice rollers and oversized tees — our favourite gifts under £40 for the gym fanatic in your life.
Shopping for someone who spends half their life in athletic gear can feel like a minefield. Get them the wrong thing and it’s destined for the back of the cupboard. Get them the right thing and you become their favourite person until at least next leg day.
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve hand-picked the best gym gifts for bros, gals and everyone in between — every single one under £40, every single one from Amazon UK, and every single one something they’ll genuinely use. From lifting accessories and supplements to a few unexpected winners you’d never think to gift, there’s something here for every kind of gym person.
We’ve organised everything into sections so you can skip straight to what’s most relevant. And if you’ve got a bit more budget to play with, scroll to the bottom for three pre-built gift bundles that combine our favourite picks.
Gym Accessories & Kit
The unsexy stuff that makes a real difference to someone’s training. Most gym bros and gals won’t buy these for themselves — which is exactly what makes them brilliant gifts.
Figure-8 Lifting Straps
If they deadlift, shrug, or pull anything heavy off the floor, figure-8 straps are a game-changer. They take grip out of the equation so the back, legs, and traps get the full workout instead of giving up because their forearms tapped out. They’re also far easier to use than traditional lifting straps — you literally just loop and lift, no faffing around at the bar.
Why we love it: Cheap, tiny enough to live in a gym bag forever, and seriously appreciated by anyone chasing a deadlift PB. The kind of gift that makes them go “oh, sick” rather than “oh… thanks.”
Wrist Wraps for Heavy Pressing
Heavy bench, overhead press, push press — basically anything that puts weight over their wrists. Wrist wraps stabilise the joint so they can press harder without that awful bendy-wrist feeling. Look for around 18-inch length and a thumb loop. Total stocking-filler territory at this price.
Why we love it: They look the part, they feel the part, and they actually do something. The gym equivalent of a really good pair of gloves — once you’ve used them, you don’t go back.
A Proper Gym Duffle Bag
You know the type — separate compartments for shoes (or sweaty kit), a water-bottle pocket, and enough room for a full kit change without looking like they’re moving house. Under Armour’s Undeniable range is a perennial favourite and usually creeps in just under our budget cap.
Why we love it: Most gym-goers are still hauling their kit in a Sainsbury’s bag-for-life. Upgrade them, and they’ll think of you every time they walk into the gym.
Resistance Bands Set
Equally loved by powerlifters (warm-ups, banded squats, glute activation) and the home-workout crowd (basically everything). A good fabric booty-band set plus a couple of long-loop bands covers nearly every use case. Bonus points if they travel a lot — they pack into a tote pocket.
Why we love it: Versatile, lightweight, and one of those things people are always saying they “should pick up.” Now they don’t have to.
Beginner-Friendly Lifting Belt
For anyone moving real weight on squats and deadlifts, a belt isn’t optional — it stabilises the core and protects the lower back. You don’t need a £100 leather lever belt to start. A nylon or PU-leather belt in the £25–35 range does the job brilliantly for newer lifters.
Why we love it: It looks proper. It feels proper. And it’ll genuinely help them lift heavier within a week or two of using it.
RENPHO Mini Massage Gun
The real Theragun costs a fortune, but the budget alternatives on Amazon UK have come a seriously long way. RENPHO is the standout — five-speed settings, five interchangeable heads, quiet motor, and a small enough form factor to fit in their gym bag. Brilliant for chasing out DOMS after a brutal leg day, and well within our £40 budget.
Why we love it: Feels like a luxury gift even though it’s well within budget. Anyone who trains regularly will use it constantly.
Foam Roller & Peanut Massage Ball Duo
The unglamorous backbone of recovery. A standard 33cm foam roller covers all the big stuff (quads, glutes, back, calves), and a peanut-shaped massage ball gets into the spots a roller can’t reach — particularly along either side of the spine and into the upper traps.
Why we love it: Cheap as chips, lasts forever, and used by literally everyone from CrossFitters to yoga instructors. A safe bet for any gym person.
Clothing & Wearables
Kit they’ll actually wear, not stuff that ends up shoved in the back of a drawer with the tags still on.
Oversized Gym Tee
The oversized “I lift” uniform isn’t going anywhere. Look for heavyweight cotton, dropped shoulders, and a slightly cropped or boxy fit. Easy win for both bros and gals — and there are loads of options under £25 on Amazon UK.
Why we love it: Comfortable, on-trend, and gets worn outside the gym too. The kind of gift they’ll actually post about on Instagram (free marketing for you, technically).
Seamless High-Waisted Leggings
For the gym girlies (or anyone, really — gender-neutral fits exist now). Seamless leggings shape, squat-proof, and don’t roll down mid-set, which is honestly all you can ask for. Loads of solid options under £30 — look for high-waisted, four-way stretch, and ideally a hidden pocket for keys or phone.
Why we love it: Always wanted, rarely bought as a treat for themselves. Get the size right and you’re a hero.
Cross-Training Shoes
Running shoes are bad for lifting (too squishy), and lifting shoes are bad for everything else. Cross-training shoes split the difference — flat-ish heel, stable base, but enough cushion for a bit of cardio or HIIT. Plenty of solid budget options under £40, particularly from Reebok, Ryka, and Adidas.
Why we love it: Most people don’t know they’re wearing the wrong shoes to the gym. Solve the problem and they’ll notice the difference immediately.
Budget Fitness Tracker
Not everyone needs an Apple Watch. Xiaomi’s Smart Band range and Amazfit’s lineup both deliver heart-rate tracking, step counting, sleep monitoring, and workout modes for a fraction of the price of the big names. Most come in well under £40 and the battery life absolutely embarrasses the premium options.
Why we love it: Real data without the wallet-emptying price tag. Perfect for someone curious about tracking who doesn’t want to commit to a £400 smartwatch.
Protein & Supplements
The bread-and-butter of any gym person’s kitchen cupboard. A safer bet than you might think, because most of these are repeat purchases — you’re basically buying them a month they don’t have to spend.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
The world’s best-selling protein powder, and for good reason. Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard delivers 24g of fast-absorbing whey protein per serving, with naturally occurring BCAAs and glutamine, and it’s Informed Choice certified. The 900g tub (30 servings) sits right around the £30 mark on Amazon UK and lasts a solid month of daily use. Double Rich Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream are the safe flavour bets.
Why we love it: Universally needed, universally appreciated. Just double-check they’re not lactose-intolerant or vegan first — that’d be an awkward Christmas morning.
Bulk Creatine Monohydrate (500g)
The single most evidence-backed sports supplement on the planet. Boring? Yes. Effective? Genuinely, yes. Bulk’s 500g tub gives 100 servings at 5g a day — that’s roughly three months of supply for around £15. Micronised for easy mixing, unflavoured, and vegan-friendly.
Why we love it: Cheap, lasts ages, and works for everyone from teenage lifters to nan doing her resistance bands. There’s increasing research on cognitive benefits too, which is a nice bonus.
Electrolyte Hydration Tablets
For the people who sweat through their tops within ten minutes of cardio. SiS, High5, and Nuun all do tablet-form electrolytes you drop into a water bottle — much cheaper than the trendy sachets and arguably more pleasant to drink. Brilliant for hot summer training or anyone doing long sessions.
Why we love it: Genuinely useful and a category most people overlook. Fits perfectly in a Christmas stocking.
Barebells Protein Bar Variety Pack
Barebells and Grenade are the two market leaders, and for good reason — they actually taste like proper chocolate bars rather than the chalky bricks of yesteryear. A multipack lets them try a few flavours and figure out their favourite (the Barebells Salty Peanut is universally agreed to be a winner).
Why we love it: Practical, snackable, and feels indulgent without derailing their training nutrition. A solid stocking-filler or under-£15 budget gift.
The Unusual Ones
The stuff most people don’t think to buy. These are the gifts that get the genuine “oh wow, how did you know?” reaction.
Teenitor Ice Roller for Face
A small detail that’s huge on TikTok and Instagram with the gym girlies (and a growing number of bros, let’s be honest). Pop it in the freezer, roll over the face after training, and you get instant de-puffing and that flushed-skin look that ten minutes ago required a thousand pounds of skincare. Teenitor’s version sits around the £10 mark on Amazon UK and gets brilliant reviews.
Why we love it: Cheap, unexpected, and weirdly addictive once you try it. Bonus points for the fact it doubles as a hangover cure.
Novelty Gym Mug or Candle
“Smells Like Gains.” “Rise & Grind.” “I Only Lift on Days That End in Y.” The novelty market for gym gifts is mostly cringe, but there’s a small sweet spot where the joke is actually funny and the mug or candle is genuinely usable. Hunt around for one that matches their humour rather than defaulting to the loudest design.
Why we love it: Adds a bit of personality to a gift bundle. Works brilliantly as a “filler” alongside something more practical from earlier in this list.
A Quick Note on Bundling
If you’ve got a bit of budget to play with, the smartest move with this list is to build a bundle. Try one of these:
The Lifter’s Bundle (~£35): Figure-8 straps + wrist wraps + a tub of Bulk creatine. Three items, all genuinely useful, all under budget combined.
The Recovery Bundle (~£40): RENPHO mini massage gun + foam roller. Anyone who trains hard will love this.
The Gym Girlie Bundle (~£40): Seamless leggings + ice roller + protein bar multipack. Pretty, practical, perfectly pitched.
Bundles always feel more thoughtful than a single bigger gift — and crucially, they let you cover multiple bases for the price of one.
There you have it — our pick of the very best gym gifts under £40 for the bros, the gals, and everyone in between. From the deadlift-obsessed lifter to the Pilates-pivoting gym girlie, and from the boring-but-essential basics to a few unexpected favourites, there’s something here for every kind of gym person.
The beauty of this list is that none of these gifts feel like compromises. You’re not buying the “cheap version” of anything — you’re buying the smart version. Figure-8 straps work just as well at £8 as they do at £30. Creatine is creatine, whether it’s £15 a tub or £40. And ice rollers, frankly, all do the same job. Budget-friendly doesn’t mean second-best — it means choosing the things that punch above their price tag.
Looking for more gift inspiration? Have a wander through our other guides — we’ve got something for every budget and every kind of recipient.
Happy gifting!
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