GymBag is a premium monthly fitness subscription box service. Each month they send subscribers an awesome box of high quality fitness goodies like: aesthetic apparel, If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) snacks, gains-inducing supplements and so much more.
Cost: $55.49 (USD)/month
Shipping: Free Shipping to USA, $4.99 to Canada, $9.99 to International (UK, Australia, etc.)
Promo Code: GIRLMEETSBOX - Save 10% off your box!
GymBag promises 4 things if you become a subscriber. They promise transparency as they are a new business and expect that there will be issues to work out. The goal is to always be clear and honest with subscribers. They promise to never sell you a 'new revolutionary diet supplement NFL athletes are abusing to get JACKED,' or one of those physique nutrition coaching 16 week programs. They are trying to source products that work. They promise real value especially since this is the highest priced fitness box. They are going on the slogan “You get what you pay for.”. Lastly, they promise customer satisfaction.
This is straight from their website:
Refund? No questions asked.
Cancel? No problem.
Skip a box? Your call.
Lost box? We'll send you a new one.
Not satisfied? Tell us why and we'll fix it.
Pretty straight forward. I won’t be able to test the customer service but if you get the opportunity post a comment and let us know.
This month’s theme is ENERGY.
No matter which supplement you look at, they generally contain some sort of artificial sweetener or chemical that boasts enhanced abilities of this or that. For example, artificial sweeteners reduce calories and taurine is an antioxidant that prevents oxidative stress induced by exercise. There are good arguments on both sides as to whether these ingredients are good or bad. Personally, with products like this we need to do our own research. The companies producing these products generally don’t care about your health and are more concerned about profit. If you are using supplements, it pays to know what you are putting in your body. So as a disclaimer, I won’t be criticizing all the merits of what goes into a product unless I really feel strongly about something or find something interesting during my research. It truly is quite daunting to traverse the myriad of information and opinions.
BCAA Energy Blue Raz & Fruit Punch
$56.97
BCAA Energy has been designed to boost your energy, recovery and performance needs whether they are before, in-between or after your workouts. Each serving is 5g of the highest quality BCAAs per serving combined with Beta Alanine, L-alanine and Taurine to enhance endurance, recovery and focus. BCAA Energy used natural energizers and antioxidants from Green Coffee and Green Tea for energy and focus with less chance of crash. You could use this product as an energy and recovery boost anytime you would typically reach for a coffee, soda or energy drink. Customize your experience based on occasion with 1-serving for mild energy and 2-3 servings for more intense anytime energy, performance while training or post-workout recovery. I like that the first ingredient in this product is L-Leucine at 2.5 g.
Viter Energy Mints (Wintergreen)
$3.99
Viter Energy Mints are breath mints about the size of an Icebreaker or Altoid mint. The mints are wintergreen flavor with a touch of menthol for a strong kick. They are strong so if you don't like strong mints then you probably will not like these. Each mint is 900 mg by weight and contain 40 mg of caffeine. One mint has roughly 1/2 of the amount of caffeine as a standard cup (8 ounces) of coffee. One mint is also 1/2 of the amount of caffeine as a small can of Red Bull.
Charged Chocolate Tasty Energy
$2
This 28 g chocolate bar boasts that it packs the punch of two energy drinks. The energy is coming from 150 mg of caffeine. So it’s a milk chocolate bar with added caffeine. Not too exciting, maybe you might consider this on a cheat day?
FitBook Six Pack Fitness Edition
$24.95
Fitbook is a 12-week fitness and nutrition journal for the serious goal-getter. This is the 12-week goal-setting and reward system with tips and inspiration to keep you motivated and on track. It includes weekly planning pages to set goals, plan workouts and meals for the week ahead, and set rewards to motivate you. You record workouts to track progress and it includes space to record strength training, cardio, classes + flexibility. The food log has space to record meals, macros + emotions, plus trackers for nutrients, vitamins, water and sleep. At the end of every week there are wrap-up pages to reward progress, reflect on your week and journal thoughts and inspiration. The book is small which makes it easy to carry in your gym bag and on the gym floor. It has a nice black cover made of plastic with pages made from good paper stock. The binding is spiral, keeping it all together. The spiral binding makes it easy to tuck in the pen that is included. The level of detail in this book is incredible. I can’t think of anything that might be missing. This is by far the most comprehensive journal I have ever seen. I do have friends that love to journal their training and they often complain about what is available on the market. For me, I am far too lazy and rely on technology to record my runs and workouts.
C4 on the Go (Icy Blue Razz)
$3.58
This is a pre-workout energy and performance drink. The main ingredient here is Beta Alanine at a bit over 3.4 grams and there is a good write-up on how it works to improve a work out HERE. Smells like slushy syrup. Tastes like liquified cotton candy. I mean this stuff is sweet. It’s not sugar sweet, it uses sucralose as a sweetener which is consider to be 320 to 1000 times sweeter than sucrose. There is an ongoing debate as to the safety of sucralose. So does it work? I definitely got a rush of energy.
5-hour ENERGY
$2.42
5-hour ENERGY is a liquid energy shot that can help you feel energized and alert for hours. It contains a special blend of essential B-vitamins, amino acids and nutrients – all with zero sugar or herbal stimulants and four calories. Regular Strength 5-hour ENERGY shots contain about as much caffeine as a cup of the leading premium coffee. The product also comes in an extra strength and decaf version. We got the Berry flavour. It also comes in many other flavours such as Pink Lemonade, Pomegranate, Grape, Orange, and Citrus Lime. Here is one fun fact about this product. If you go on their web page you will find an article from 2012 about counterfeit 5-hour ENERGY products. Yup, I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I tried this product and to be honest, it does work. It definitely gave me a kick. The flavour is very strong like a concentrated juice. A bit tart, it reminded me of a red bull with no carbonation.
Gatorade Prime Energy Chews
$1.87
Built to adapt to your game, Prime Energy Chews let you call the shots when it comes to energy. Eat all six carb chews before training to prepare muscles for action, or in the midst of competition to resupply fuel levels. They would be easy to take on a run or to the gym for a workout so I like the format. There are 24 grams of carbs in 12g of sugar from corn syrup and 100 calories. The major source of energy here is vitamine B6. They taste like a concentrated drink of Gatorade.
GymBag is not cheap fitness subscription. Once you factor in the exchange rate and the shipping charges if you live outside the US, it’s an investment. For me in Canada to order this box, it would cost me approximately $80 CAN. So if you are not worried about the money, go for it! The estimated value of the products is about $95.78. The products sourced are coming from the top suppliers, so it’s premium. The training journal was a really nice addition especially considering the quality. This is our first box from Gymbag. I hope we see a few more to see if that level of quality is consistent. If you are a gym rat or fitness nut, you won’t be disappointed.
What do you think of GymBag?
