Gainz Box is a monthly box of fitness apparel, supplements, equipment, snacks, and more. Gainz Box is a veteran-owned business and donates a portion of their proceeds to charities that support US veterans.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Gainz Box
The Subscription Box: Gainz Box
The Cost: $32 + $7 shipping on a month-to-month basis, save with longer subscriptions
The Products: Workout apparel (in your size), equipment, snacks and supplements, and other fitness items. (Gainz Box markets to a CrossFit audience, but I do not think you absolutely have to be into CrossFit to enjoy this box – many of the items are suitable for general fitness enthusiasts!)
Ships to: The US
Gainz Box January 2020 Review
Gainz Box has recently changed to a simpler information card (the cheesy poses with the box items are gone but the amount of information is about the same):
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The box came with a full color information card.
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There was also some advertising material.
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And some stickers.
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Born Primitive X-Factor Sports Bra - Estimated Value $50
I couldn't find this exact design on the Born Primitive site so I linked to one in the same style but a different color, which does match the price from the information card. This is pretty nice. I don't need much support so I usually wear cheap sports bras but I can tell the difference in quality here. (I can't speak to how well it would support someone larger than a 34B but it was great during a cardio workout for me, personally.) The only thing that was a little strange was the elastic band was right under the cup part and there was maybe an inch of fabric under that, which tended to roll up on top of the elastic while I worked out. I was at home and I didn't feel this, so it didn't matter to me, but if you were wearing this without a shirt on top, it might be noticeable. Men received a different garment, obviously!
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Ascent Protein Pre-Workout and Native Fuel Whey - Listed Value $6 (Buy 2 lbs of protein powder for $39.99 and 30 servings of pre-workout for $34.99)
These were listed together on the information card. This is a new brand for me. The protein powder was whey so it dissolved/mixed well, and it didn't absorb an unreasonable amount of liquid like some plant-based powders I have tried lately do. This went nicely into my morning smoothies for a few days. The flavor was lemon sorbet which is different from the sorts of flavors of protein powder I usually receive in boxes, but it worked well with the mostly fruit and cacao I tend to include.
The pre-workout powder has 150 mg of caffeine in a single serving so I can't use it as a pre-workout (I have hypertension and that is more than a cup of coffee or possibly two). I did mix it up to try and it is tart with a bit of a stevia aftertaste. I would urge caution if you're not used to doing workouts under the influence of large amounts of caffeine, and probably not recommend this for cardio, but this should be all right for people who don't otherwise have medical conditions where lots of caffeine might be contraindicated.
Bear Komplex Lifting Tape - Listed Value $5 (Buy 4 rolls for $19.99)
You'll get a lot of tape and grips and wraps and similar items in this box so I hope you lift weights in some capacity if you are a subscriber. (I do lift weights, usually 3 times a week plus 2 kettlebell workouts.) This is latex free and has a sweat-proof adhesive (not sure how to test that as my hands tend to not get super sweaty because my exercise room is cold, cold, cold). You can tear it without using scissors, which is also nice. My weightlifting gloves are starting to fall apart so I tried this on my thumbs during a kettlebell workout and I feel like it helped me maintain my grip.
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Steeped Coffee Single Serve Coffee - Listed Value $1.50 (Buy 10 bags for $15)
I don't drink coffee but my husband does and although he said he wouldn't replace his usual coffee with this, he thought it wasn't bad and happily finished it all off. You do tend to receive coffee in this box somewhat often. What my husband liked about this, in particular, was that it doesn't have a bunch of externally-added caffeine (some of the coffees in fitness boxes do, so it's something to watch out for).
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Tosi Peanut Superbites - Listed Value $3.99 (Buy 12 for $39.50)
The whole package is actually two servings and it's hard to eat just one because there are an odd number of pieces and they're really difficult to break into two. Most people will probably just eat the whole package, though. I thought this was a new item for me but the hyperlink was purple in my web browser so I guess I've visited the site before. These are mostly peanut with some seeds (includes sesame) but the seeds aren't really noticeable. These have a little added sugar but it's really not much, and they're very high in protein, so they could be a nice alternative to protein bars if you don't like the texture of protein bars.
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Chomps Original Beef Stick - Listed Value $2.25 (Buy 10 for $22.50)
I had to pass this along to someone else to enjoy because my husband isn't a fan of meat sticks and I am a vegetarian. You do get a lot of meat-based snacks in fitness boxes, in general, due to the popularity of the keto and paleo diets. The beef is grass-fed and sustainably sourced and this is also gluten free, if that is of concern to you.
Verdict: I calculated a total value of $68.74 for the January Gainz Box. That's not the highest value I've ever seen for this box, but it's honestly not too bad. Most of the value was in the sports bra this month but as it was something I can and will use, I'm OK with that. (When Gainz Box sends sports bras, they are always quite good quality, too. They do it at least a couple of times a year.) This was kind of food-heavy; usually there are fewer snacks and supplements. But I discovered some new things, like the whey protein from Ascent, and I guess I was reminded of the Tosi bites since I really didn't remember having them before, and overall I was pretty happy with the box.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, Gainz Box has already shipped for January. Your first box will most likely be February’s.
Value Breakdown: At $39 for this box ($32 monthly plus $7 shipping), you are paying approximately the following per item:
- Sports bra $26.91
- Protein and pre-workout $3.23
- Tape $2.69
- Coffee $0.81
- Peanut bites $2.15
- Beef stick $1.21
Check out our past reviews of Gainz Box or see more fitness subscriptions in the Fitness Subscription Box List!
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What did you think of the January Gainz Box?
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