U.S. people: Any Planet Fitness members out there?

deniseg31

Have any of you in the states checked out Planet Fitness? They were advertised during the Biggest Loser the other night and it said you could join for as little as $10.00 per month (I imagine the price will go up eventually).

If you are a member and how do you like it?
If you've checked it out are you thinking about joining?

Let me know.

Thanks!

6mimi

I LOVE my Planet Fitness. I have been going for about a year and it has stayed at the $10 a month. Mine does not have classes or a pool, but it has plenty of equipment. The hours are great. It is a none judgement zone so everyone really does feel welcome. I actually had a lifetime membership at another gym and joined PF because I liked it a lot better. Also, it has a lot of cardio machines so I have never had to wait for a turn.

deniseg31

Thanks for letting me know. There's one by my house that just opened a couple of weeks ago. I might swing by there to check them out. I like the "no judgement zone" and "burn calories not cash" slogan. :bigsmile: THANKS!!!

MrsLawsonNavyBrat2B

YES! i love planet fitness and it is seriously on $10 a month. I have the $20/month plan bc that includes unlimited tanning (and I love to tan).

They have a great atmosphere and the people that work at my Planet Fitness are super nice!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

deniseg31

Bump

zafferFL

A gym that doesn't allow you to do the most basic of exercises? No thank you.

Yanicka1

A gym that doesn't allow you to do the most basic of exercises? No thank you.

THey are pretty clear that they do not want my business lol

taso42

You get what you pay for. If you're interested in real strength training, which you should be, they basically disallow it.

They explicitly disallow deadlifts, for example. That is just as preposterous as if MFP disallowed food scales.

Nopedotjpeg

Planet Fitness: never again.

Masachapa

$10/mo is a great price. Our PF in Modesto,CA is always clean, well maintained, and the staff is great!

mukamom

Yes to PF for me!! It suits me for what I want to accomplish. I have an affordable place to go to do cardio and strength training. I don't want to lift heavy weights, don't want to participate in group exercise, and could care less about a pool, a daycare, or a juice bar.

My wants and needs may change over time, but for now 10.00/month is a small price to pay for better health!

meshashesha2012

the one i toured to seemed to be filled with cardio machines and mat areas where tons of skinny fat women with side ponytails were doing a trillion reps with 1 pound barbells. plus the person who gave me the tour made some disparaging comments about weight lifting and body building. what kind of a gym does that?

PASS.

c3js80

Joined almost 2 years ago. $10 a month and won't go up. Only thing is there is an annual fee of $29.00 or so they take out sometime in October. It's hard not to get your $10 worth out of it. It's very clean and the machines are in good condition. It's been great for me. I walk a little over 3 miles on the treadmill and do some weights also. I've lost my weight and am now looking for another gym - one that has classes. But for the money, you can't beat it. Also, if you join and don't like it, you can just cancel with no penalty. No contracts

vsmurrow

Dude, I love PF.
I don't care what people say.

It doesn't have all the shiny of an expensive workout spot, it's just straight-forward and effective. Go for it.

Nopedotjpeg

the one i toured to seemed to be filled with cardio machines and mat areas where tons of skinny fat women with side ponytails were doing a trillion reps with 1 pound barbells. plus the person who gave me the tour made some disparaging comments about weight lifting and body building. what kind of a gym does that?

PASS.

Because only "lunks" want to use barbells.

1996gtstang

i like it there,i have been a member for about a month they are open 24hrs during the week which i like because i get out of work at midnight sometimes and i can work out after. i have only heard the lunk alarm go off once and i think they were just joking with someone

as for being a judgement free zone, that does not work because they single out and stereotype bodybuilders lol

Nopedotjpeg

I got lunk alarmed when doing rows with a 25 lb. dumbbell. I apparently put it down to quickly, and it made a light thud. Much more distracting than something similar to a fire alarm blaring throughout the gym.

meshashesha2012

I got lunk alarmed when doing rows with a 25 lb. dumbbell. I apparently put it down to quickly, and it made a light thud. Much more distracting than something similar to a fire alarm blaring throughout the gym.

:noway: yikes. that seems like a lot pressure for a gym. do people get in trouble for running too fast or breathing too hard on the treadmill?

Nopedotjpeg

I got lunk alarmed when doing rows with a 25 lb. dumbbell. I apparently put it down to quickly, and it made a light thud. Much more distracting than something similar to a fire alarm blaring throughout the gym.

:noway: yikes. that seems like a lot pressure for a gym. do people get in trouble for running too fast or breathing too hard on the treadmill?

They tend to leave cardio people alone. I've done flat-out sprints on the treadmill and haven't had anyone give me any problems. I'll be honest, I had a decent go with the gym for a year or two, but as soon as I became really interested in weight lifting is when it became painfully clear that I would have to look elsewhere.

mjbrenner

Planet Fitness can be good, so long as you know what the chain is about and go in understanding its strengths and weaknesses.

First and foremost, know that Planet Fitness operates using a franchise model. This means that the experience between locations is not identical. Make sure that you specifically check out the location you wish to join.

Like many above have said, PF as a chain frowns upon so-called "lunks", which stands directly in the way of serious weight lifting. That said, this policy is not universally enforced. I have noticed at one location that the "lunk alarm" is never plugged in. I have also noticed that at this location, the weight lifting going on is much more serious than others seem to encounter at their locations. It is not as intense as many people encounter at more "serious" gyms, but my point is that a healthy variation does exist within the company.

The equipment at my location is always in excellent repair. Again, this may vary my location, but clean, well-functioning equipment is a theme I consistently hear when people describe PF.

The company makes a big deal about being a "judgement free zone". On one hand, this can be good if you are out of shape and have a long way to go. You won't be the only person there like that. On the other hand, this also means that there is little pressure to avoid exercises that are just a waste if your time. I see plenty of people at my PF doing exercises that are not going to do one dang bit of good. The lack of being able to hire a personal trainer is similarly a two-edged sword.

In my opinion, Plant Fitness can make a decent "beginner's gym". The price is right, and you can likely afford to keep up the membership while you struggle with making it a habit to hit the gym. If you are not intimidated by people in better shape than you, and you want to lift heavy things in a manner that will build real muscles, then I'd skip it in favor of a more serious gym.