“When you need the realism of hitting a bag of boxing gloves, FightCamp replicates it at home.”
benefits
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Robust, professional equipment
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Lots of boxing classes to choose from
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Precise punch tracker
disadvantage
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Not chasing for proper form
the Home fitness experience is more diverse than ever. While workouts like high-intensity exercise and cycling have been popularized by the pelotons and mirrors of the world, there are others that are little to no exposure. Boxing is one of them.
When you’ve had enough of these other exercises, FightCamp can pique your interest with their boxing and kickboxing workouts. Of course, you can expect some tracking and guidance to get you into boxed shape, but it can really replace the one-on-one, Personal trainer experience? Well, at least you run into a real punching bag.
Setup and installation
FightCamp is made up of three different packages that you can customize to suit your preferences: Connect ($ 439), Personal ($ 1,219), and Tribe ($ 1,349). I tested the staff, which includes punch trackers, quick wraps, a freestanding bag, exercise mat, and quality boxing gloves. Shipping is free for all packages.
It has everything you need for boxing workouts at home, but if you don’t need the bag and just want to track your punches, stick with the Connect package to save a considerable amount. The tribe package has everything in the staff, but comes with additional boxing gloves.
Well, the hardest part of setting up FightCamp is finding a place for it – just because once it’s set up you really can’t move it. That’s because the bottom is filled with either water or sand, so the freestanding bag can stay in place while hitting.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
It ended up tipping the scales over 300 pounds, which later made it nearly impossible to move unless the sand was emptied. In the end, I stopped everything in mine makeshift gym in my garagebut I can see this can be a problem around the house if you want to keep it somewhere when not in use.
The final step in the setup process was pairing the punch trackers with mine iPhone SE via bluetooth. After that was done I was ready to use FightCamp.
Boxing equipment
Although immobile, the freestanding bag looks and feels like something you would actually use in a boxing gym. Since the sand inside the base prevents it from moving, I can kick and hit it with full force. It feels well made and gives me confidence that it will last in the long run. I punched and kicked with a lot of force, so I’m glad it can take anything I give him.
The boxing gloves supplied also seem to be professionals. They’ll protect your ankles, especially if they start feeling too sore from hitting the sack. The punch trackers are placed in a pocket on the Quick Wraps that you place on your hands so that FightCamp can monitor how many punches are made during each workout.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
Finally, there’s the heavy exercise mat that looks like something you’d find in a gym again. It’s big enough to put the punching bag and me on it, but the dirt builds up pretty quickly. There have been workouts where I sat on the mat or my palms touched it, so you should clean them up frequently to prevent footprints from building up and being difficult to clean.
Overall, I’m impressed with the equipment here because it’s not weakened from what you’d find in a traditional gym.
Trainings
If you’ve never boxed before you’ll appreciate how FightCamp’s courses box you in with the basics. The instructors are informative and offer instructions on the different strokes, with lessons also including some high intensity interval workouts where I did burpees (my poor knees). Unsurprisingly, by the end of the training session, I was sweating, which is always expected when you try something new.
If you’ve never tried boxing or kickboxing, cardio training can definitely give you the opportunity.
FightCamp is currently compatible with iOS devices, so you’ll need an iPhone or iPad to attend classes. There is a Android app on the way but there is no timeframe as to when it will be released. While the lessons can be filtered between boxing, kickboxing and core via the app, the only distraction I had with FightCamp was trying to look at my iPhone during the exercises. I just wish there was a spot on the case where I could keep my iPhone snuggly to follow the directions just because it’s difficult to look at my phone in a nearby spot while focusing on where I have to hit the pocket.
During the workout, the punch trackers closely monitored how often I threw punches. Goals are set at the start of each class, but what is missing here is the ability to monitor proper form as you hit the bag. Yes, there is a difference between throwing a hook, jab, or uppercut, but I’d love to see FightCamp tell me if I’m hitting the right areas of the punching bag. It doesn’t, nor can it distinguish the force behind my punches. However, you keep track of some form of it through the output, which is measured by the speed and technique of the strokes.
However, if you’ve never tried boxing or kickboxing, it can definitely be used for some cardio workout. FightCamp makes it easy for beginners to deal with different Beginner courses and Tips to bring someone up to date. I would just love to see iterative improvements that could keep track of proper form and ability to determine the force behind my punches.
Subscription service
FightCamp’s subscription service is $ 39 per month, which is in line with other related fitness services like Peloton, Mirror, and Temp, to name a few. This subscription service gives users access to 1,000+ workouts, but since it focuses on boxing, you won’t find the diverse and robust courses found on Mirror or Tempo.
FightCamp’s courses cover the entire spectrum, from beginners to advanced.
At the same time, FightCamp’s courses cover the whole gamut, from beginner to advanced, so you get more informative guides on boxing than the other platforms where you just have shadow boxing.
Our opinion
Cycling and high-intensity interval training (HITT) exercises have become the dominant home fitness experiences, which is what makes FightCamp so appealing. It’s certainly different and focuses solely on boxing, but I really love the hardware. I just wish it were smarter, especially given the cost of the gym quality punching bag and gloves. On the other hand, FightCamp’s realism and ability to automatically track punches is still better than just shadowing someone you see on video.
Is there a better alternative?
Liteboxer is the only other similar alternative to check out. It costs more at $ 1,695, but it gambled away the experience in ways that make it appealing.
There are also other fitness services that offer boxing classes such as Apple Fitness +, but while the subscription cost is extremely cheap compared to FightCamp, it doesn’t match the tracking or advanced courses offered by FightCamp.
How long it will take?
I’ve mentioned several times that FightCamp gear looks and feels like gear you find in boxing gyms. So far, there doesn’t seem to have been any build quality issues in the two months I’ve been using it, but it’s hard to say how long it will last in the long run. At least there is a one year limited warranty against processing and material defects.
Should you buy it?
Yes, but only if you’ve had enough of all of the cycling and HITT training services and equipment. Boxing isn’t for everyone, but there’s no harm in learning a few moves and combinations.
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