the strategist

8 Things David Barton Can’t Work Out Without

David Barton's gym necessities.
David Barton’s gym necessities.

In late March, David Barton opened TMPL, a massive 40,000-square-foot fitness palace in Hell’s Kitchen and his first workout space since leaving David Barton Gyms in 2013. The techie TMPL experience begins not with a membership and a trainer, but rather a metabolic assessment to determine how your metabolism might affect your workout goals, and an analysis that generates 3-D images to track bodily changes and even project what you’d look like with different body-fat percentages. But if that all seems like too much, David Barton, the man himself, has some more low-key gym rituals. Here he expands on his eight gym necessities.

Inov-8 Squatting Shoes
“This shoe elevates the heel, which is better for the alignment of the hips and pelvis when you’re doing squats.”
From $65 at Amazon

Versa Grips
“These are for when you’re lifting heavy weights. It’s probably the most straight-up gym thing I use. It’s a wrist strap that takes a load off the weight, so it helps you lift something that might be too heavy for you to grip.”
From $55 at Amazon 

Converse High Tops
“Converse are flat and I like flat shoes for lifting weights. They’re comfortable, but they’re also more natural for the foot and help position the body properly. I like the high tops.”
From $54 at Macy’s

Monster iSport Victory Headphones
“These are the headphones I’ve been using most recently, and they sound good and look cool. My favorite bands to work out to right now are Death Grips, Dumbo Gets Mad, and Run the Jewels.”
From $39 at Amazon

Whey Protein
“At TMPL we have our own whey blend, but even if you’re not there you should have protein after working out because it enables the body to take in nutrients, recuperate, and replenish what was depleted during exercise. It’s good for recovery. Whey assimilates quickly, which is why it’s my favorite.”
$68 at Amazon 

Vintage Harley Davidson Tee
“I don’t use a lot of standard gym stuff, like stretch purple Nike shirts or anything like that. I just wear vintage tees that I buy at No Relation. They have this abundant selection of shirts that are really cheap, so I’ll get an old concert tee and cut the sleeves off.”
$30 at No Relation Vintage

Marc Jacobs Sweatpants
“I always wear jeans unless I’m working out my legs. In that case, I always wear Marc Jacobs sweatpants because they’re not just sweatpants, they’re cool.”
$490 at East Dane

Illy Duo Espresso & Coffee Machine
“One of my favorite rituals is having two espressos before going to the gym. I just got a new Illy machine that is super easy to use and makes the perfect cup of espresso. Caffeine is a healthy pre-workout metabolic boost.”
$255 at Amazon

8 Things David Barton Can’t Work Out Without