Monarch Fitness is a personalized fitness subscription box. You fill out a short profile questionnaire before sign-up that asks about your fitness goals, dietary needs and preferences, preferred types of apparel, etc. Then the Monarch Fitness team chooses products based on your answers. I don’t remember everything I picked (you can take the survey without entering credit card information if you want to see it), but I definitely remember that there were vegetarian and vegan options available. You can also opt to get a box every other month instead of every month.
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The SubscriptionBox: Monarch Fitness
The Cost: $64.99 + $5 shipping (in the US) for monthly subscription, $67.99 + $5 shipping (in the US) for bi-monthly subscription.
COUPON: Save 20% off your first box with code MSA20!
The Products: full-size supplements, fitness apparel/gear, healthy snacks, nutrition advice, plus workouts, educational materials, and motivational content, selected according to your fitness goals and preferences and curated by fitness professionals and trainers.
Ships to: US
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Because these boxes are customized and not everyone receives the same items, Monarch Fitness sends individual cards with more information on the items in the box.
Also included was a card with an arm workout. I think I can do most of the exercises on my home gym but might have to substitute dumbbells for a few. I am going to be changing up my routine in a week and a half or so (I do this about once a month) so I will have a chance to incorporate this then.
The other side of the card discussed the effects of meal frequency on metabolic rate. There were lots of citations to studies if that’s your thing. It seems the take-home message is that, if you are consuming the same number of calories in a day, it doesn’t matter in terms of weight loss whether you eat three times a day or more frequently. (Lately I have tended to snack a lot but have been counting calories and still losing weight. I just seem to do better that way.)
BPI Sports Best BCAA in Passion Fruit (30 Servings) – Value $19
Want to hear something funny? The week before this box arrived, I bought this EXACT SAME product from Amazon, only in a different flavor. It’s like the folks at Monarch Fitness were reading my mind. (I like BCAA drinks for dealing with delayed onset muscle soreness after a workout. I also hope that taking the BCAA will slow muscle loss as I lose weight. I haven’t lost much muscle yet, thankfully.)
MP Combat Protein Powder in Chocolate Milk (1.23 oz) – Value $1.50
This is a clever idea – you just add water, shake it up, and you’ve got yourself a protein shake. My thing is, I can’t drink protein powders in water alone because I don’t like the texture (and usually I put any supplement at about half strength, but that’s not possible here).. So I will admit to cutting this open and mixing the powder into morning smoothies.
Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips in Chili Nacho Cheese (1.2 oz) – Value $1.49
I think I have had these before. They are gluten free and you can kind of tell from the texture. But, the flavor was good (I will say this about most cheese-flavored things, for what it’s worth).
Athletic Edge Steeledge in Strawberry Margarita (20.2 g) – Value $1.20
This is a pre-workout supplement. It has creatine, which I don’t have much experience with, as well as various compounds like betaine, choline, and caffeine for sustained energy and focus. I liked the flavor but have found lately that pre-workouts with a lot of caffeine tend to keep me up at night since I use them in the evening (since that’s when I work out).
Tufmed Tufrelief Natural Muscle and Joint Rub (5 oz) – Value $17.99
I’m not one of those people looking to avoid “chemicals,” but I have not been happy with Bengay lately, either. This is a natural product that has some different active ingredients from similar products so I am definitely giving it a chance. I just haven’t had much in the way of muscle soreness to test this out on yet. FYI, this has capsaicin in it (the compound from hot peppers) so be careful where you get it.
Fitwear Flux Leggings with Aztec Panel Design – Value $54.38
These are perfect for me. I almost always work out in leggings or yoga pants. These fit super well and are a good length (for a person who is 5’5”, anyway). The material seems to be super high quality, especially when compared to the inexpensive workout clothes I’d been using. (This is a brand from New Zealand so I did a currency conversion in Google.)
Verdict: I calculated a value of about $95.56 for the April Monarch Fitness box. Again, that is over the cost of the box (and the retail value may be higher because some of the quoted prices are sale prices). The three main items (BCAA supplement, leggings, and muscle rub) are hits for me and the other items are nice as extras. I am again super impressed with the customization and value of this box. I think it is my favorite fitness box! Please keep in mind that you might receive different items depending on how you fill out your survey.
What did you think of the April Monarch Fitness box?
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