Many of us who carry a handgun routinely want to be healthy and stay fit, but what do you do with your handgun when you are in a gym or workout facility? This situation presents a lot of problems for the law-abiding concealed carrier who is trying to work out. You need to combat a lot of issues you might not otherwise experience going to, for example, a grocery store, gas station, or some other mundane errand in your day. In this week’s Concealed Carry Corner, we will take a look at the obstacles you need to overcome and what might work best for you.

Concealed carry corner: obstacles of carrying in a workout facility

One thing that can be problematic about carrying a handgun in a workout facility is who else is around you. A workout facility might have a dedicated daycare center; others do not. When children are present it alters how you may want to carry.

Another impediment to carrying in a workout facility is your own movements. You are heaving, grunting, bending, flexing, twisting, contorting in all kinds of creative ways you never would in your office chair or in the frozen foods aisle. So you need to account for your gumby movements not that you end up like one of those fudds who drops their carry gun.

Final food for thought piece I would have you entertain is how far from you is your carry pistol? Some people might not be comfortable having their carry gun on them while working out. It’s all preference, your personal training, and ability level. If you do not think you can do a set of bench press or a cardio machine without your gun printing like crazy, then maybe it will be stowed away somewhere else.

concealed carry corner: belly band carry in a workout facility

For some of us, this could be your perfect solution. This was actually a great recommendation by our very James Reeves in a TFBTV video, nearly a year ago, dubbed “Five Summer Concealed Pistol Carry Methods.” This is not the most popular method for concealed carry because it might make you sweat, it is not something you can easily try on and test for fit at a gun shop, and most people (myself included) have this irrational idea that it will take 5 minutes to draw from that position.

James does a terrific job of explaining the ins and outs of belly band carry and debunks the myth that this type of carry is slow to draw from. He consistently (through practice and being a stallion of a man) can draw from a belly band position in roughly 1 second. To specifically watch the belly band carry portion, check out the 2:00 Minute Mark through 3:50-ish.

I do believe more people should give this method a try if you are wanting to carry in a workout facility because you are probably sweating already and this method requires no need to clip something into your waistline. The only reason why you might want to avoid a belly band carry is if you are a guy or girl who wears skin tight shirts because a lot of printing will be going on. Or if you do really explosive movements like Olympic lifting, box jumps, burpees, etc. Many belly band holsters are an “open top” design so no strap comes over the top of your pistol to hold it in (most belly band holsters; not all).

concealed carry corner: fanny pack carry in a workout facility

I cringe to say this, but if you have been attending outdoor music festivals, summer barbeques, parades, beaches, and other community events the fanny pack is making a comeback as a fashionable item to tote around again. This actually holds true in the gym, too, as people cannot hit a complete set without chewing some electrolyte gummies, putting on some wrist wraps for additional GAINS, and posting it all to social media. So while some might think it is uncool or out of style to have a pocket gun in a fanny pack while working out, it honestly is not.

I once again need to give credit to James because he is ahead of the curve on presenting this type of style for carry. If you are doing a lot of weightlifting like stationary dumbbell or barbell movements, a fanny pack carry could be terrific. If you are doing more explosive movements like I alluded to earlier, then you may not want a fanny pack bouncing up and down on your hip testing the efficacy of your pistol’s safeties. It is definitely an option worth entertaining though.

concealed carry corner: off-body carry at a workout facility

The final option I would throw out for carrying at a workout facility is an off-body style of carry. This could be in a backpack that you keep within an arm’s length of you at all times, in a gym locker, or left in your glove-box in the parking lot. This is the least effective style of carry out of the three I presented, but doing this is better than not having your carry pistol at all.

The reason why it is the least effective is because the longer it takes to present your pistol when a threat is placed before you, the worse off you are. From a backpack; maybe 5-10 seconds?… From your locker; maybe 30-60 seconds if you sprint?… From your car; maybe 1-2 minutes if you can make it there in time?…

I will admit I find myself doing this the most. I am one of those gym junkies who have every gym accessory, do-dad, and gizmo to possibly improve your gains imaginable. So I have a backpack I drag around to every bench, machine, or lifting station to dive into my Narnia of goods as needed. While an off-body style of carry is not ideal because the further away from your pistol you are the worse off you are, it is better than nothing.

concealed carry corner: carrying at a workout facility conclusions

So what is the best option for carrying at a gym or workout facility? The one where you feel most comfortable and confident drawing from. You should not feel paranoid that you are printing, scaring little children, or that your gun is going to fall out during one defining grunt of a back squat. Hopefully, the 3 options we presented to you today gets you thinking a bit if you do not already carry while working out. If you think I am entirely off-base, let us know in the Comments below! We always appreciate the feedback, and keeping the conversation going so we can all learn from each other.

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