Best water bottle for the gym: water bottles for working out

With the best water bottle for the gym in hand, no workout will be too tough. Keeping hydrated is one of the main foundations for staying powerful and alert during any workout, no matter whether it’s pilates, weight training, or a round of sprints on the best treadmill. However, there’s more to a great gym water bottle than a simple water-carrying vessel. The best water bottle for working out should also be easy to grip, accessible for quick sips, and equipped with anti-spill valves or other features to prevent a gym floor mishap or a leak in your gym bag.

The best gym bottle can be just as stylish as it is functional. With different colors and styles for all tastes, options include squeezy designs (for a gym bottle that easily delivers quick bursts of liquid), flasks such as the Corkcicle Dipped Canteen that have thermal tech to keep your water cool for your whole session, and designs with a large handle that are ideal for keen treadmill runners. A big perk to owning the best water bottle for working out is that it’s more environmentally friendly than using and chucking single-use plastic bottles every session, but a gym water bottle made from recyclable plastic will also have an even better impact.

If you’re the type to do intense HIIT workouts or stay in the gym for extended periods of time, you’ll need a bottle that has a capacity of over 700ml. Keeping hydrated during your gym workout will help you feel alert by making more nutrients and energy available in your body at short notice,  as well as keeping the joints slick and preventing you from overheating.  A top-rated gym bottle, such as the Specialized Purist MoFlo Water Bottle, will also be lightweight and easy to carry around, especially if you’ll be walking to and from the gym.

If you’re more into your hikes than your gym treadmills, classes, and weights, then check out our guide to the best water bottles for hiking instead. 

The best water bottles for the gym you can buy right now

They often say they don’t make them like they used to, but that couldn’t be further from the truth with Lululemon’s Purist Cycling water bottle. With a classic squeezy design, it offers everything you need from a water bottle but with the added perk of an anti-spill valve, which I’ve found is great at preventing leakage as it will only open when you suck on it. Available in black and white only, it would be nice to see some different color ways here but the addition of a built-in “tasteless” liner - which stops water tasting weird - certainly makes up for it. A firm favorite.

Well, is this the most stylish water bottle you’ve ever set eyes on? It sure is. And with a name like “Dipped Canteen” are you surprised? Despite its super sleek look that you’d not associate with sweaty workouts, it has an easy-grip design and a non-slip silicone bottom which prevents it from sliding or spilling while you're training. Best of all, though, is its insulation tech, an innovative triple walled design that keeps drinks ice cold for up to 25 hours or piping hot for up to 12 hours, if you fancy a hot drink after exercise, that is. There’s also a no-leak screw-on cap that prevents air and liquid from escaping. This water bottle has it all. 

Okay, so this workout water bottle might not have the most conventional design, but that’s the beauty of it. That, and its low, low price tag. 

Ideal if you’re looking for something to replenish your thirst that won’t cost the earth, the Ultimate Performance is light enough to cling on to while running or jumping about. It also features a finger indentation for a more comfortable grip. With a 580ml capacity, it doesn’t hold the most in my lineup of best water bottles, but if you’re planning to use it as intended – for short runs or jogging – then it should suit you fine.

Ah, filtered water. If only you could get it into your water bottle without awkwardly pouring it from a filter jug, missing the opening, and soaking yourself in the process. Well, you can, silly. In this case, it’s Bobble Sport: a reusable water bottle made for workouts that filters water as you drink. It works via a carbon filter built into the lid, which removes chlorine and organic contaminants from ordinary tap water as it passes through into your gob. Ingenious. It also has a textured grip and fits into most bike holders. Although, be warned: the filters need replacing monthly and they don’t come cheap.

It’s happened to the best of us: you didn’t quite close the lid properly on your water bottle before throwing it into your gym bag. Before you know it, your wallet is soaked, your earphones are unresponsive and your back is left with a suspicious wet patch. This is where Ion8's leak-proof water bottle comes in. 

With a hygienic spout cover that flips open with one finger and locks closed for safety, it's ideal for preventing spills. It’s also slim enough to fit into most bike holders, despite its large, one-liter capacity. It might scratch easily but its soft touch grip and a handy carrying ring make up for it.

How to choose the best water bottle for the gym

With a plethora of water bottles available on the market right now, it’s virtually impossible to sift through endless web pages and find which would suit you best. Thankfully, I’ve done the work for you.

It’s not just a matter of picking the one that looks the nicest, either - surprisingly, there's a lot to consider when buying a water bottle for the gym. One of the most important factors is size. If you’re planning to work out for a good amount of time, like a long distance run, then you’ll need a higher capacity bottle (750ml and above) to accompany you on the treadmill and supply you with enough of nature's juice. On the other hand, if you just need something to sip on during a weights sesh, then a 500ml bottle should do the trick.

Ultimately, finding the perfect match comes down to your preferences. Are you looking for cooling tech to help keep your water cold? Does it need to be ergonomically designed for a better grip during your training sessions? Perhaps you want it to filter your water for you as you drink. Or are you simply looking for something stylish to feature in your #gymselfies.

Whatever your reasons, there’s something for everyone, regardless of your needs and budget. From cheap and cheerful to super slick, here are the best water bottles to take on your workouts...

Are water bottles BPA-free? 

BPA-free. It’s a phrase that you’ll find plastered on many gym bottles, but what exactly does it mean? BPA stands for Bisphenol A, which is a chemical that is listed by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences as an endocrine disruptor. 

It’s considered an estrogen, according to a study by scientists James E. Cooper, Eric L. Kendig and Scott M. Belcher. While this sounds innocent on the surface, there are concerns that it could potentially wreak some havoc when it makes its way into the human body. On top of that, BPA is commonly found in the coatings of tin cans, other consumer goods, and polycarbonate plastics – the exact material that’s used to make your standard, shop-bought single-use water bottle.

So, what about gym water bottles in particular? This same study put reusable plastic, aluminum, and stainless steel water bottles to the test to see whether your drinking water would be contaminated with BPA. Thankfully, it’s good news for gym-goers, because they couldn’t find any traces of BPA in the drinking water of any of the reusable bottles that claimed to be BPA-free – or at least, there weren’t any traces that were detectable.

That means that if you’re concerned about the BPA content in your reusable gym bottle, you should be in the clear. At the very least, you’ll be in a better position than if you were to roll up to the gym with a standard, polycarbonate water bottle from the chilled section of your local store.