The first thing that comes to my mind when the subject of gym equipment comes up is the gloves. I’ve had quite a few pairs of those - had a couple pairs stolen as well - and they always came in handy, except for this pair that had rubber in the palms and it peeled off. Those became slippery and pretty much unusable after that.
The very thing I’ve always liked about gloves was not the protection they gave, but the grip they provided. I also trained a lot barehanded though, and simply used chalk to make for better grip, however the very best thing when it comes to grip is pieces of rubber cut from inner bicycle tubes. If the rubber is a bit sticky too -from all the wear and tear -, ain’t nothing going to beat those babies when it comes to grip.
As far as shoes are concerned, in a gym, you can pretty much find a really exhaustive array of types of footwear. I’ve seen everything from flip-flops to combat boots, from sandals through sneakers to weightlifter’s shoes.
While flip-flops seemed quite unpractical and sometimes downright gross -besides I’d hate to see someone in flip flops drop even a light dumbbell over his foot by mistake - , weightlifter’s shoes did appear rather handy and fit for the task. (these are the type of shoes with a hard sole and a thicker heel that provides great support when squatting)
At any rate, you should always be aware of the type of pressure you’re feet are subjected to, when lifting heavy weights, and always wear something your feet are comfortable in.
Straps - the kind used around the wrist to strengthen grip - represent another type of gym accessory. They can be particularly useful - wrapped around the bar in an inside to outward direction, to prevent the bar from rolling - when lifting heavy weights, especially the type of weights that are big enough to challenge one’s back. I’ve used them myself however there seems to be a general view that they’re unnecessary, as without them the grip would strengthen anyway to support the load needed.
Belts can be almost thought of as a gym fashion accessory. Their primary role is to support the muscles of the lower back during heavy lifts and also to increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity thus further strengthening the torso, some guys though, just feel they’re so darn cool, they stroll around the gym all day wearing them.
The downside of the heavy belt is, that worn too often, it actually takes load away from lower back muscles, thus weakening them over time. It also pretty much knocks the abdominals right out of the process of lifting.
Other than the above, there are various other types of gym devices, from all sorts of crazy wraps and headstraps to gravity boots that you can use to hang upside down, to take the load off your spine.
All of these accessories were invented to aid with the process of training, however, bear in mind that the best and most wonderful piece of equipment you can take to gym is your body itself.