Planet Fitness

alska

I'm not. But I am a member of the YMCA. I get a huge discount on membership. They won't refuse you if you can't afford it.... you'll still be able to join.

EDIT: I pay $28 for a family at the YMCA, I get free classes with my membership, and get to swim and use all their things. I love it!!

SnuggleSmacks

I joined just a few months ago, and quit last month. There was no commitment or contract, no early termination fee or signup fee. It only cost me the $10 per month for the few months that I was a member. It was well worth the price, but I outgrew the gym quickly. For those with more to lose, who want to concentrate more on cardio and lifting only with machines, it's perfect.

sphkhn

I am a member. It works for me because it is walking distance from my house fits into my tight budget and works for my current needs. I am thinking once my fitness levels go up I will move on but for right now it works fine for me. I ignore the pizza, tanning, tootsie rolls. Mostly I am wearing headphones and in my own world so the vibe of the gym doesn't bother me.

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm not. But I am a member of the YMCA. I get a huge discount on membership. They won't refuse you if you can't afford it.... you'll still be able to join.

EDIT: I pay $28 for a family at the YMCA, I get free classes with my membership, and get to swim and use all their things. I love it!!

My Y was pretty good. Then it went up to 40 for one person.

Kagemori

Wow so many replies. Send like everyone has something to say.both good and bad. I will try going in and checking it out tomorrow I think after work. One of the radio's I was interested in this gym in particular was not only because of the cheap price but also because the gym is literally right next door to my new job so I thought it would be really convenient. Most days I'm stuck waiting two sometimes three hours for my ride to get out from their own job so it would give me the chance to work out at the gym a few times a week waiting on them.

Thanks for all your opinions. If anything interesting happens or stands out I'll mention it here tomorrow.

dbmata

I pay $34 an hour to use a private gym. (Along with my el cheapo YMCA membership.)

At that price, I make sure I get the value out of my work.

How many people do that with a $10 a month gym? It's interesting to me how the value of a membership is correlated to the amount it's used.

ETA - RE:PF : You'll totally get sweet free pizza nights there, and someone to tut-tut you if you work out too hard.

Sabine_Stroehm

I pay $34 an hour to use a private gym. (Along with my el cheapo YMCA membership.)

At that price, I make sure I get the value out of my work.

How many people do that with a $10 a month gym? It's interesting to me how the value of a membership is correlated to the amount it's used.

ETA - RE:PF : You'll totally get sweet free pizza nights there, and someone to tut-tut you if you work out too hard.

I'm TOTALLY getting my money's worth out of my 10 dollar gym. In fact, I'm not using it any differently than I used my last gym. Except that it's close, so I use it more often.
I DONT believe paying more necessarily equates to better or more use. Last year or so I belonged to an 80 dollar gym. Not much different, except no one's handing me a towel.
Oh, and it had pool parties with cheeseburgers.

Sabine_Stroehm

Wow so many replies. Send like everyone has something to say.both good and bad. I will try going in and checking it out tomorrow I think after work. One of the radio's I was interested in this gym in particular was not only because of the cheap price but also because the gym is literally right next door to my new job so I thought it would be really convenient. Most days I'm stuck waiting two sometimes three hours for my ride to get out from their own job so it would give me the chance to work out at the gym a few times a week waiting on them.

Thanks for all your opinions. If anything interesting happens or stands out I'll mention it here tomorrow.

Ask them if you try it and then join can you convert the one day guest pass fee to pay the first month.

cpettigrew

I was a member of PF. I told them in writing to cancel my membership after my 1 year contract was up. I had the $10/month deal. They refused to cancel it. I cancelled the automatic payments myself. They continued billing for 3 more cycles, and then sent it to collections. When I fought it, they told my I breached contract and cancelled early. This happened to several people I know.

Sabine_Stroehm

I was a member of PF. I told them in writing to cancel my membership after my 1 year contract was up. I had the $10/month deal. They refused to cancel it. I cancelled the automatic payments myself. They continued billing for 3 more cycles, and then sent it to collections. When I fought it, they told my I breached contract and cancelled early. This happened to several people I know.

This happened to me with a fancy Wellbridge Gym. When I quit PF, it was simple. It's a horrible waste of time dealing with this sort of stuff.

pipertargaryen

I'm not. But I am a member of the YMCA. I get a huge discount on membership. They won't refuse you if you can't afford it.... you'll still be able to join.

EDIT: I pay $28 for a family at the YMCA, I get free classes with my membership, and get to swim and use all their things. I love it!!

I also have the low-income membership to the Y, and I love it. Beside the normal cardio and weight equipment, you've got the big-*kitten* swimming pool and tons of classes (I do Zumba 4x a week, because it's so much fun), included in the membership.

nkeklund

YMCA offered me $60 a month which is way too high for me.

nkeklund

I feel PF shouldn't have pizza Monday's every month. It's good to reward yourself, but pizza is not generally good for you. Is it so members gain more so they have to come back and continue working out? I love pizza but I always wondered why they would have something that contributes to weight gain there.

pgphd1

Watch out for the fees! It's $120 a year plus annual fees which could be in excess of $100

SnuggleSmacks

I feel PF shouldn't have pizza Monday's every month. It's good to reward yourself, but pizza is not generally good for you. Is it so members gain more so they have to come back and continue working out? I love pizza but I always wondered why they would have something that contributes to weight gain there.

It only contributes to weight gain if you eat too much of it. Every gym I've seen sells protein shakes and bars at the front counter. Those also contribute to weight gain when you eat too much of them. At least the pizza is free.

liz_low7

I started at Planet Fitness, and you basically get out of it what you put into it. That being said, they simply don't offer certain things, so if you want to do squats or deadlifts you won't be able to. It's a decent place to get comfortable going to the gym if you're just starting, but I switched once I realized that I wasn't going to be able to take my progress much further without the right equipment.

mayfrayy

There are only two girls at my gym who actually squat at the power rack, so it isn't really a rude thing saying most women wont be affected by their rules.

Just because it is the internet doesn't mean people have to over-crusade everything.

Unknown

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rmills22

There are no catches with PF. There are no extra costs, however you can upgrade to the $20 membership and gain use of the massage tables, chairs, and other machines. This also allows you to be able to go to more than just your "home gym". This is a great way to get started, I wouldn't say that it is designed for a "gym head" that seeks everything. I love that it is 24 hours, because most of the time if I can't sleep I will get up and go or if I have been running around all day I don't have to try to make it by 10:00, as most gyms in my area close @ that time. The staff is wonderful at my home location and the other that I visit quite frequently. There are other gyms in the area that have the "$10 membership" as well, but I noticed that you also get the $10 treatment after visiting and then later when I ATTEMPTED to join! That being said, I love PF and am there daily and never have experienced the overcrowding that some other members speak of. I know that the evenings after work is usually the peak time at my location and even then, I am always still able to move around as I please and able to get a machine. Also, if you are near a Costco you can go there and purchase a $34 pass for 6 months....can't beat that! (although I later upgraded to the $20 membership, only due to work as I am sometimes ending my day in other areas). $34 for 6 months, and YES at the end of the 6 months you can go and purchase another....$70 for the year=not bad! I know of some that charge more than that MONTHLY!

imjolly

There are no hidden cost. It is a good gym if you are looking to do weights and exercise machines. It depends on what you want out of a gym. I was a member for years but changed gyms once I started training for a triathlon (I needed a pool for lap swimming).

dbmata

I pay $34 an hour to use a private gym. (Along with my el cheapo YMCA membership.)

At that price, I make sure I get the value out of my work.

How many people do that with a $10 a month gym? It's interesting to me how the value of a membership is correlated to the amount it's used.

ETA - RE:PF : You'll totally get sweet free pizza nights there, and someone to tut-tut you if you work out too hard.

I'm TOTALLY getting my money's worth out of my 10 dollar gym. In fact, I'm not using it any differently than I used my last gym. Except that it's close, so I use it more often.
I DONT believe paying more necessarily equates to better or more use. Last year or so I belonged to an 80 dollar gym. Not much different, except no one's handing me a towel.
Oh, and it had pool parties with cheeseburgers.

I'm happy for your experience.

I pay for my expensive gym to avoid people, it's mine for that hour, and that's worth a lot more to me than cutesie pizza parties.

While you may value and utilize (or overutilize) your $10 membership, you have to give some thought to why there exists a $10 membership. It's simple, at the price point of two lattes, people have no problems forgetting about it, because the cost is neglible. What that does is increase gross revenue while not significantly impacting maintenance costs or wear and tear on equipment. Equipment being significant capital investment, that only makes financial sense. They have the cheap memberships because most people don't use them because they don't value the financial impact.

Now let's look at the body shaming, and the pizza parties. Those pizza parties are clever, the bulk of the people there have eating challenges and are trying to lose weight, so free pizza night directly works to erode any diets they have in place, and potentially increase future need of their membership services. It's an investment in the future. The cynical money guy that I am sometimes... I LOVE it. I think they should do it weekly.

No_Finish_Line

it goes against the prevailing paradigm of fitness on this site which is olympic lifts.

but one can still 'lift heavy'

that being said, you really can't do any barbell training there.

probably the majority of fitness minded people will find it to be enough for thier 10 bucks. but most of them will also think it a compromise of some sorts, lacking in some way; be that free wieights or classes or whatever.

if you like to work out on machines, especially cardio machines, you will be very happy there.

the best thing i can say about it is that they update thier equipment far more regularly then any other gym i've belonged to

willrun4bagels

I go to a PF because that is all I can afford. My black card membership is $20/month, and other gyms in my area are double that amount per month. I am switching to a new gym as soon as they open in the next few weeks - they offer more stuff than PF, and it'll cost me $15/month.

That being said, I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 at my PF since early May, and not one person said said a word to me about any of the barbell lifts I do there... including deadlifts. The free weights section is spacious, never crowded when I'm there at 5am, and it's clean. They have enough olympic bars, weight plates, benches, etc., just 1 squat rack (though I'm always the only one using it :laugh:). It works for me. I'll be switching to the new gym when they open because it's closer to my house.

dbmata

I've never seen a PF with barbells, that's cool!

The last one I went into they said they don't need barbells because their clientele wasn't on steroids.

I should have just gotten a $10 monthly account for the free pizza.

Sabine_Stroehm

I pay $34 an hour to use a private gym. (Along with my el cheapo YMCA membership.)

At that price, I make sure I get the value out of my work.

How many people do that with a $10 a month gym? It's interesting to me how the value of a membership is correlated to the amount it's used.

ETA - RE:PF : You'll totally get sweet free pizza nights there, and someone to tut-tut you if you work out too hard.

I'm TOTALLY getting my money's worth out of my 10 dollar gym. In fact, I'm not using it any differently than I used my last gym. Except that it's close, so I use it more often.
I DONT believe paying more necessarily equates to better or more use. Last year or so I belonged to an 80 dollar gym. Not much different, except no one's handing me a towel.
Oh, and it had pool parties with cheeseburgers.

I'm happy for your experience.

I pay for my expensive gym to avoid people, it's mine for that hour, and that's worth a lot more to me than cutesie pizza parties.

While you may value and utilize (or overutilize) your $10 membership, you have to give some thought to why there exists a $10 membership. It's simple, at the price point of two lattes, people have no problems forgetting about it, because the cost is neglible. What that does is increase gross revenue while not significantly impacting maintenance costs or wear and tear on equipment. Equipment being significant capital investment, that only makes financial sense. They have the cheap memberships because most people don't use them because they don't value the financial impact.

Now let's look at the body shaming, and the pizza parties. Those pizza parties are clever, the bulk of the people there have eating challenges and are trying to lose weight, so free pizza night directly works to erode any diets they have in place, and potentially increase future need of their membership services. It's an investment in the future. The cynical money guy that I am sometimes... I LOVE it. I think they should do it weekly.

My PF is never crowded when I'm there.
Body shaming?I've been lifting regularly since 1996.I've had personal trainers. I've been a member of a number of gyms. The most uncomfortable I ever was was at a Gold's style gym. The comments, the mindset, how they talked about other people. THAT was off-putting. It was 20-30 bucks a month. And farther away. And had dreadful air circulation.
The folks at my Y were nice. But the sunday hours were a pain. The folks at my fancy Wellbridge gym were okay. But I had a hard time justifying 90bucks a month when what I do there is lift. And the folks way way back in the 90s at my "world gym" were some of the nicest folks. But yes, by far, the least pleasant experience I've had has been at a more traditional "gym"

At PF I do my thing. There are others doing what I'm doing sometimes.

Never been to a pizza party there. I can't speak to who goes, what they eat, or what their relationship with food is. So I won't make assumptions.
My Y had donuts. My fancy wellbridge gym had cheeseburger BBQs. I didn't participate in those either.

And in fall, we'll see, I may go back to my FREE university gym. It has more free weights. It also has legions of 20 somethings, terrible hours, a lack of hygiene, and rape-rap music. So who knows. Oh, and classes? I take those at the university. The hours suck during the summer, but I go to those. So yeah, for now 10bucks gets me by just fine.

GretchenReine

My view is

It doesn;t matter what machines etc the gyn has, it what you "put in" in the gym that counts

It does for me, because my main goal is a 300lb+ deadlift and that's not going to happen in a gym that won't allow deadlifts, dropping of weights on the floor or grunting.

Is PLanet Fitness = Globo Gym?

Thats mental. My gym €29 a month, no contract, do whatever you want, hamemrs, tires, you name,

LMAO @ Globo Gym! Planet Fitness is the exact opposite of Globo Gym! I want to watch Dodge Ball now!

dbmata

My PF is never crowded when I'm there.

Exactly. At $10 a month it will be crowded a couple times a year, that's it.

Body shaming?

You're right, I neglected to mention the lunk alarm, and the derisive commercials.

First, the lunk alarm is predicated on shaming a minority of users, and essentially driving them out, because PF marketing knows that having too fit of clientele will push the non-fit users to competitors such as curves. By making the environment unattractive to people who work out hard, two things are achieved.

1. You prevent them from becoming overutilizers.
2. You don't run the risk of other clients seeing them and becoming overutilizers due to inspiration, or quitting due to perspiration.

So essentially, the shaming they perform is a great tool to craft the right environment for high membership rates paired with low utilization rates.

Sabine_Stroehm

My PF is never crowded when I'm there.

Exactly. At $10 a month it will be crowded a couple times a year, that's it.

Body shaming?

You're right, I neglected to mention the lunk alarm, and the derisive commercials.

First, the lunk alarm is predicated on shaming a minority of users, and essentially driving them out, because PF marketing knows that having too fit of clientele will push the non-fit users to competitors such as curves. By making the environment unattractive to people who work out hard, two things are achieved.

1. You prevent them from becoming overutilizers.
2. You don't run the risk of other clients seeing them and becoming overutilizers due to inspiration, or quitting due to perspiration.

So essentially, the shaming they perform is a great tool to craft the right environment for high membership rates paired with low utilization rates.

You've clearly given this a lot of thought and drawn your own conclusions. I leave you to it.

dbmata

Just looking at it through an economic lense. It's pretty well crafted. A few things I would do differently, but all in all, not bad.

I would change the following:
1. Hire competitive body builders to come in and lift during peak usage times, then have a staff member set off the lunk alarm, and then dramatically and loudly kick the lifter out, cementing the "lunk alarm" and "no-judgement zone" propaganda.
2. Increase the frequency of pizza feeds.
3. Re-label the weight plates on the workout machines, making them rated 10# heavier than they actually are.

I think that would be pretty effective.

JoRocka

Most PF don't stock free barbells- how are any of you squatting and DLing??

The lunk alarm?? I've only heard it a couple times at our location.

the fact you have to hear it all is an issue.


and Yes- planet fitness has an entire marketting campaign built around body shaming.

Anyone who doesn't get that doesn't understand that body shaming isn't just about making fun of fat people. It's about making fun of ANY body's body.

Including fit people- and yes- fit people get hated on- a lot.

For those of you who think you're self esteem magically appears when you lose weight and are fit- you're in for a big surprise.