Planet Fitness vs Edge Fitness

amykwi2014
amykwi2014 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All. I’m new to the gym membership thing and pretty intimidated at the thought of joining one but the time has come. Wondering if anyone has had experience with Planet Fitness and Edge Fitness. Would really appreciate feedback.
Thanks!!

Replies

  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
    It really depends on what you're going to do. Those gyms are basically the same, with the one in your region maybe offering a better set of classes than the other.
    They heavily focus on cardio machines with fewer options for bodybuilding.

    What are you looking for in a gym?

    The reason I ask that, is because I use mainly free weights, with a lot of heavy lifting and mostly in a circuit, which means i need a gym with a very well equipped weight room.
    For that reason, I look for the body builder gyms. The big ugly boxes with no tvs, no classes, just a big ugly pile of old equipment and machines.
    But if I were doing mostly cardio, with some light lifting and use mainly machines, I would go for the cheapest Gym i could find. It will most likely have everything you need if that's your case.
  • JBApplebee
    JBApplebee Posts: 481 Member
    My wife belongs to Planet fitness & that isn't for me. It's nice & all, but barely any free weights, mostly machines. Plus one Friday a month they have pizza. That kind of defeats the purpose of a gym, but that's just me. That being said, the main thing you need to consider is if you like it. Does it have what you need/are looking for? The vast majority of people at gyms know what you're going through & they aren't judging.
  • amykwi2014
    amykwi2014 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks all. I’m 51 and lost 60 pounds so far on my own. Never have been the physical type so that’s where the insecurity is coming from. I’m definitely a beginner level so I guess what I need is help setting up a program and maybe even a class or two where a total newcomer can join in and not pass out in the first five minutes. (That would really be embarrassing!!)
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    amykwi2014 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I’m 51 and lost 60 pounds so far on my own. Never have been the physical type so that’s where the insecurity is coming from. I’m definitely a beginner level so I guess what I need is help setting up a program and maybe even a class or two where a total newcomer can join in and not pass out in the first five minutes. (That would really be embarrassing!!)

    I am 51 as well. But not necessarily a beginner.

    I was a member of Planet Fitness and then went to another gym because I wanted to do powerlifting and ya kinda need a squat rack for that! Smith machines dont cut it there.

    Back at Planet Fitness and love the community there. Not really any free weights at Planet Fitness - except dumbbells.....lots of machines.

    So pick what works for you. Whatever that might mean. Maybe location is the deciding factor?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    IF you can get a free tour/session at each, take it. get the feel and vibe for the place at the time you would be normally using it.

    Every PF is a bit different.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    IF you can get a free tour/session at each, take it. get the feel and vibe for the place at the time you would be normally using it.

    Every PF is a bit different.

    Agree 100% I go to the PF on Reynolda here in Winston-Salem, NC. But started at the one on Peters Creek Parkway. Def different vibe. And the one at Towers in Roanoke, VA is completely different.

    And great idea about time. I find that from 5PM to 10PM they are pretty busy. Like most gyms.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    IF you can get a free tour/session at each, take it. get the feel and vibe for the place at the time you would be normally using it.

    Every PF is a bit different.

    Agree 100% I go to the PF on Reynolda here in Winston-Salem, NC. But started at the one on Peters Creek Parkway. Def different vibe. And the one at Towers in Roanoke, VA is completely different.

    And great idea about time. I find that from 5PM to 10PM they are pretty busy. Like most gyms.

    The one I go to(very infrequently) is pretty lunky... lol Sports bras, string tops, grunting, no clanging, cut off jeans, some seriously musclehead dudes doing acrobatics with the cable machines(not judging,just noting). A couple folks doing heavy smith pulls(Deadlift) and squats...
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    edited June 2018
    tlpina82 wrote: »
    It really depends on what you're going to do. Those gyms are basically the same, with the one in your region maybe offering a better set of classes than the other.
    They heavily focus on cardio machines with fewer options for bodybuilding.

    What are you looking for in a gym?

    The reason I ask that, is because I use mainly free weights, with a lot of heavy lifting and mostly in a circuit, which means i need a gym with a very well equipped weight room.
    For that reason, I look for the body builder gyms. The big ugly boxes with no tvs, no classes, just a big ugly pile of old equipment and machines.
    But if I were doing mostly cardio, with some light lifting and use mainly machines, I would go for the cheapest Gym i could find. It will most likely have everything you need if that's your case.

    bolded sounds more like powerlifting/cross fit/ oly lifting gym than a bodybuilding one. Body builders tend to use both a lot of free weights and machines that isolate muscles.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    I prefer Anytime simply because I love to travel. Whichever gym you prefer and would use is the best one.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i loved PF. never saw any food there, and since i dont think they would have force fed me, dont think id have cared if i did lol

    joined the y in my grandfathers town when i moved in with him to take and just didnt like it

    moved back afer his death, joined and hated anytime fitness, it was dirty and had a ton of broken equipment.


    joined a local gym when i bought my new house last summer and it was ok but expensive and not convenient.

    joined the local Y and its okay. close enough i go and clean and cheap enough.

    PF was my favorite by far.
  • allisonlane161
    allisonlane161 Posts: 269 Member
    I glanced at your profile but it doesn't say where you are located. If you're talking about Edge Fitness in the New England region and recently moved to NJ, well they are the bomb of a gym. I've been a member of most and all "name brand" (hated PF), and I've never been anywhere like Edge. But there are two: the one I'm talking about, and then another one that is not them (obviously). If it's the one I'm referencing, they are terrific. PS. I'm not employed by them or get a commission, lol, I've just never gotten this fired up and motivated by a gym before. I'm in the south Jersey area and have gone there around 8 months.
  • LovesDogsAndBooks
    LovesDogsAndBooks Posts: 190 Member
    amykwi2014 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I’m 51 and lost 60 pounds so far on my own. Never have been the physical type so that’s where the insecurity is coming from. I’m definitely a beginner level so I guess what I need is help setting up a program and maybe even a class or two where a total newcomer can join in and not pass out in the first five minutes. (That would really be embarrassing!!)

    I'm about the same age, and for a while just did mostly cardio while losing weight. Towards the end of last year I felt that I was getting softer all over (muscle loss from losing weight?), so before Christmas (yes, before, not after!) I started strength training sessions with a trainer at the local gym. It is more money than just a membership, but it makes such a difference! Maybe you could do something similar, at least for a couple of months to get you in the routine. It is so worth it, and if money is an issue, maybe you can cut back in some other area. It always amazes me how people say they wouldn't have the money for a gym or sessions, but leave plenty of $$ at coffee places etc. every day. If the obstacle is more the intimidation part, that's something you have to just get over with, it took me a while, too. You said you have lost 60 lbs so far, that implies you want to lose more. Strength training will probably help you tighten up skin, it will definitely help you retain/build muscle. Give it a try!
  • huntersvonnegut
    huntersvonnegut Posts: 1,177 Member
    Sorry, I have no knowledge about Edge but I am a member of PF. It is not for hardcore lifters but they have 75lb dumbbells which is more than I’ll ever need. It was $0 down & $10 a month for a month to month membership. It’s right on my way home from work. Open 24 hours except weekends. Whatever gym you’re considering, I would recommend checking it out a couple of times at the hours you most likely will go. Is it packed? Do you have to follow people as they walk to their car to get a parking space like the mall at Christmas? Check online too about customer service ratings/complaints. Are there many reports of people having problems canceling? Bottom line is, it’s going to be a waste of money if it’s a pain to get to and use. Oh, and wherever you wind up, don’t ever be self conscious or intimidated. Good luck.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    edited June 2018
    duskyjewel wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »

    also, there is no reason to be intimidated by a gym environment (none, zero, zip, nada).

    You know, this is really very unhelpful. I know how to lift as I had running coaches in high school who believed in overall body development (one was a bronze medal Olympic discus thrower) and yet still find myself not wanting to approach a free weight area full of weight-slamming bros with gallon bottles and massive attitudes. It's a thing.

    I had a membership at Planet Fitness for years and did pretty well there, but then I changed my work schedule and literally never went, so I cancelled it. I agree that if machines are largely what you're after, it's a good place. I've found that I really enjoy several types of group classes though, in addition to machines, so if I ever join a gym again, it'll be the You Fit near my house, which even has a pool. I refuse to pay 50 or 60 dollars a month for a gym membership so my options are limited. But I'll only join one if I get off the 8 hours 5 days a week schedule at work. I'm a nurse and never worked this schedule before and frankly, I haaaaaaate it. I'd love to get back on three 12s a week, but I'm stuck where I am for now because of benefits. So I do the best I can right now with walking the dogs every day.

    @duskyjewel

    Those weight-slamming bros with their water bottle and massive attitudes are beyond narcissistic, amiright?

    Hence, they aren't concerned with you, only themselves.

    Therefore, if they aren't concerned with you, why should you be concerned with them?
    Please don't let 'their thing' become 'your thing'.

    Most every gym has one or two of those knuckleheads; just ignore those clowns.

    Also, $50 or $60 dollars a month is a cheap date when it comes to a gym membership.
    $50 is the price of a nice lunch. Just skip the lunch.
    It's your health (both physical and mental); why not invest in yourself?

    Best of luck with moving forward. You're worth the time, effort and money.




  • duskyjewel
    duskyjewel Posts: 286 Member
    edited June 2018
    LOL that you think I have $50 to regularly drop on lunch.

    In my family, $50 is a few meals worth of groceries. It's a tank of gas in my van. It's a parking permit for my son at his high school (to which he drives himself and my other kids in the18 year old van). It's a couple months' worth of food for my dogs. It's two decent pairs of running shoes I got for less on eBay because they're last year's model. It's a haul of clothing for my family from 50% off Saturday at the Goodwill.

    You can buzz right off with your assumptions that I'm swimming in wasted money I can supposedly divert to LA Fitness. I do plenty to invest in my health, on the budget I can afford.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    duskyjewel wrote: »
    LOL that you think I have $50 to regularly drop on lunch.

    In my family, $50 is a few meals worth of groceries. It's a tank of gas in my van. It's a parking permit for my son at his high school (to which he drives himself and my other kids in the18 year old van). It's a couple months' worth of food for my dogs. It's two decent pairs of running shoes I got for less on eBay because they're last year's model. It's a haul of clothing for my family from 50% off Saturday at the Goodwill.

    You can buzz right off with your assumptions that I'm swimming in wasted money I can supposedly divert to LA Fitness. I do plenty to invest in my health, on the budget I can afford.

    @duskyjewel

    Okay, I'll buzz off while you do your thing.....

    I was just trying to be nice.... and I'm sorry for the thinking that $50 was not a lot of money.

    Have a good day & best of luck to you moving forward.


  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
    erickirb wrote: »

    bolded sounds more like powerlifting/cross fit/ oly lifting gym than a bodybuilding one. Body builders tend to use both a lot of free weights and machines that isolate muscles.

    No Crossfit, but there are some power lifters there.
    What I mean by it, is that where bodybuilders workout, the focus is much more on the weight room than the cardio or classes.

    The gym i go to is, by today's standards, an ugly place.
    The lighting sucks, the equipment is old, but we do have a ton of equipment. Bench Press alone, there are 6 + 3 up and 3 down inclines. 4 leg presses, a bunch of squats racks.
    Lower weight dumbells, from 12kg (About 26lbs) to 40kg (About 88 lbs) have 3 pairs of each with higher weights having 2 pairs. There's never a problem with hogs.
    Everyone racks their weights.

    There's no loud music and no TVs around.
    Only a protein/juice bar which consists of a bunch of different products and a grumpy old guy using a blender and a bunch of old equipment that works, but has seen a lot of miles.

    It's heaven for me and for a good group of people. It's more expensive (Not by much) and I see a lot of people twisting their noses when they go in, but there's no better place for me.

  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,596 Member
    Update: Cancelled PF last week because I did qualify for the discount at the Y. But I did really like Planet Fitness. The one I went to was clean and up-to-date. The vibe there was kind of ... quietly encouraging. More "nudge" than "push." They're there to help if you want, but if not, they'll let you do your thing and just make sure everyone is safe.

    Having gone to a few other gyms at the start of the summer, I feel like this is different and it's more helpful for some people. I don't mind trainers who yell "Go, go, go! you can do this! you're over halfway through!" But I know for others it might be more helpful for a trainer to quietly ask how you're doing, and then say "It's okay to be tired. That's normal. You got this."
This discussion has been closed.

Categories