What's wrong with Planet Fitness?

Bobby_Clerici

No grunting and they don't like bodybuilders. I wish it was my gym. Mine is just the opposite (rhymes with Mold's Tim) but it's convenient.

That reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld being interviewed buy Larry King years ago after his luggage was lost on the flight over.
Larry King: "So, Jerry. Which Airline was this?"
Jerry said...:For liability reasons my attorney advised me not to mention the name of the Airline, so all I will say it was an AMERICAN Airline"...:bigsmile:

tigersword

4. You can get through your workout without grunting (along with dropping the weights, it is a violation of their policy and will have you publicly humiliated via an air raid siren-style alarm they sound whenever someone breaks the rules. They call it the lunk alarm, and on top of the public humiliation, they eject you if you do it again).

I've read about this, never, ever, ever, ever seen it.

Now you have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXP6WaVTJpM&feature=related

TexasRattlesnake

I lift things up and I put them down.

chixdrag2

I go to PF, and have for almost 2 years now and while I do love it there, I can definitely see where there are some things left to be desired. They are great if you are just starting out or if you are on a budget (like me!). They have plenty of cardio machines and decent weight machines - even a few hammer strength machines. Being a girl, I don't ever have this problem because I'm not likely to max out 65 lb db's, but my hubby says the weights don't go high enough for him, so I guess once you increase your strength past a certain point it's time to move on to a new gym! The staff is friendly, although they are mostly all really young college kids with very little knowledge of fitness and are little help if you need guidance. There is also some equipment that they don't have, although it depends on the specific location because the next closest one to me has a few of the things that my gym doesn't and vice versa. In short, it's not a very SERIOUS gym, but I sort of think of it like going to community college - as long as you apply yourself, you will see results, even if they don't have everything the real thing has!

fitnessgal1318

I love Planet Fitness..it has everything that I need. There is plenty of access to the free weights which go up to 75 lbs. Lots of machines. It is super clean..the first gym I've belonged to that I've been comfortable showering at. The staff are friendly, there are trainers on-site during the day, most days. There are people of all fitness levels there too..which I think is great. Best of all, 10 bucks a month. I do agree with some of the other posts...Planet Fitness sites can vary from state to state so I would definitely check it out and be sure it has what you are looking for.

BackTatJIM

one by me says no cut off t shirts!!! f all that!

BahamaMama77

I used to go to a different gym and I was always so self-conscious at the "lunks" there who would full-out stare at anything with boobs.

Now I go to Planet Fitness and I feel a lot more comfortable. And I use the weight machines right alongside everyone else without feeling like I'm a piece of meat on display.

aimforhealthy

EricSpringTX, that commercial always cracks up me and my son. That dude is off the chain.

Before you make any decisions about the PF near you, visit it.

PFs can vary widely from location to location. I never understood why people didn't like them until I realized that most of them are not like mine. Mine has a lot of free weights, squat racks, power racks, dumb bells, the whole nine yards. A lot of people use the cardio machines, but there are a LOT of weight lifters too.

Everyone is friendly, I've only heard the lunk alarm go off like twice in my year here (once I didn't see what happened, and once a guy literally threw his bar on the ground and walked off without re-racking). People grunt all the time and no one sets off the alarm.

This is all true of my gym, which gave me a free and detailed tour before I joined. The personal trainer there is very knowledgeable and nice, too. Mine not only has free weights, but has a whole section dedicated to weight-lifting and "the whole nine yards" too.

I was told that the only time they use a "lunk" alarm on mine - and the sign is posted - is if you're heard body-snarking on someone, or making fun of someone's workout, or if you drop the weights. No one has said anything about grunting and that's not what their website says, either. People grunt involuntarily sometimes, so I can't imagine how anyone enforces that.

Our gym has a dress code, too, but it's common sense stuff like: no boots or sandals, no jeans and no headgear except baseball caps - with religious headgear exceptions, of course.

gigibenton

I was a member of PF for years and loved it. People from all walks of life...no one is too old, too heavy, or too inexperienced to fit in. Mine was near a college campus and was full of students as well. Nicest crowd you could ever meet and no gym jerks! Btw I am not a paid spokesperson!

Nikiki

As others have said it varies by location. I love almost everything about mine. If I could make changes I'd add a pool and lighten up some of the odder rules, like the dress code, I personally have no issues (I come in compression tights, sports bra and tshirt usually) but my husband has run into issues with his bandana. He wears it on his head to soak up sweat and a few times (depending on who's working and how much they care) has been asked to take it off because its against their rules (no hats or bandanas allowed as they could be gang symbols... which is a little funny in my area!!)

The lunk alarm is a little annoying when it goes off but they don't "publicly ridicule" people, just hit it for a second any time people drop weights which isn't too often. I will say they are very good with keeping things from being intimidating for beginners, there was a guy who took up residence at the a tricep machine in the circuit room, and while I understand (and occasionally jump in there myself) people going in to use it because its the only one like it in the gym, he plopped himself in there in front of 4 people who were actually doing the circuit and refused to move when asked because he wasn't done with it (he was on it for over 5 minutes and had only completed 1 set) so I grabbed one of the trainers and they booted him from the circuit. He backed down and left once he was faced with an employee instead of the old lady, young girl and me who apparently weren't intimidating enough or worthy of being treated respectfully.

I've never actually been there on a free pizza night or bagel morning but if I was there I wouldn't have an issue saying no if it didn't fit into my meal plan for the day, as for the tootsie rolls, they keep a container of them up next to the check in, and I have actually had a few of those, I have blood sugar issues and get dizzy if my levels crash. I grabbed a few before a workout when I was feeling off and they bounced up my sugar levels enough to do my workout and go home and eat a normal dinner, and 3 tootsie rolls didn't negate my workout in any way so I'm not concerned.


Make your own judgement on your local Planet Fitness, I like it because of the variety of equipment (I rotate between free weights, machines & cables to get my strength training in so I like that I have so many options with them) I've never had to wait for my cardio machine of choice (which I always had to at my old gym that I paid $45/month for) I pay the $20 and bring friends and visiting relatives along with me often along with tanning occasionally and really there isn't a better deal to be had!

SilkyHotspur

There is a lot of misinformation, and assumptions by people who are not members of Planet Fitness.

1. There are two memberships: $10 per month, and $20 per month. $10 gets you membership to one PF of your choice, and allows a certain number of visits per month to another PF. $20 gets you unlimited access to all PF gyms, and unlimited guest visits. Guests come in with you, sign in...put down your member number, and that's it. No sales pitch, no being shown around, they come in...sign in, workout. The $20 also gets you unlimited access to the stand up tanning booths, and to the massage chairs while watching TV.

2. "Free Weights". There are Smith Machines, and Leg presses. People typically use the plates on just those machines, and also in the AB workout area. Dumbbells are typically limited to 60lb, or 75lb...depending on your location. This cuts down on the types of people that are willing to become members.

3. The machines (lots of them) are new models, in good working order, and have covers so that when you select your weight, others cannot see what you are lifting....

4. There is a 30minute workout circuit, excellent for beginners
5. There business model is a gym for everyone, ie...no lunks. If you need to grunt, or drop weights to show that you just kicked *kitten*, go somewhere else.

I have a $20 membership, I like the gym, and based on the various types of people that workout there, so do a lot of other people. Typically i'm in the dumbbell section, smith machines, and ab section. If i need a "spot"...plenty of big guys around to assist, so no worries there.

plus i like the free Tootsie Rolls, and the spray and wipe stations to clean your equipment after use......for $10 a month, what more do you want?

trinitrate

My wife and I just joined PF.... Got the $20 membership for her, and we go together with me as her free guest. (This was not only allowed, it was encouraged by the staff).

The atmosphere is 'judgement free' only in that they intentionally don't make it a great place for meat-heads to work out at... That being said, you can do some lifting there, but if you want to squat 900 lbs, this isn't the place for you..

At the one we joined, dumb bells go to 80 lbs, and most machines top out around 300 lbs. For a leg machine that might get a little light for some people, but thats not their target audience. If you outgrow it, consider that a good thing... In the mean time, can't beat the price.

The great row of TVs with audio sync'd to all the cardio machines and good comfortable equipment makes it a great place to go. Never crowded for a machine and there aren't a ton of employees trying to upsell you or get you into some class. At the one we go to there is normally only 1 or 2 employees on site in the evenings or weekends.

Free tanning, hydro massage, and red light beds are a nice perk too, although I doubt we'll ever use them.

The free pizza did seem a bit weird... simple enough, dont eat it.

pdizzletaylor

i really enjoyed planet. its cool with every thing in one only down side is no pool . there are free trainers on each diff part of the body there are massage chairs and tanning beds. it is a very nice stress free place to work out in my opinion

BeautyFromPain

Wow, you people are complaining when cheapest we get here in australia is $12.95 per WEEK.
:huh:

starracer23

I have used if for over a year now...$22 for any PF gym in the USA, tanning, massage chairs and I can take a friend every day for free. It works for me!!!

wolfi622

A gym friendly to older folks is a nice thing. Our gym is great - not a PF - but big and has everything (2 indoor, 2 outdoor pool, lots of free weights, machines, classes, courts, cardio farm, etc.). But folks like me - older, lifting heavy in a relative sense ( lift as heavy as I can with good form and continuous progression, but no where near the weight that the big tattoo canvases lift) - are decidedly in the minority and some times of the day or the week it is clear the other clientele don't welcome us.

ETA: our couples' membership is $90/month. We think it's a good deal for all we get, but it comparison to this it seems a bit steep.

autumnk921

Checking this topic out for reference once I find out if there are any in my area....$10 is about as good a price as you can get and I don't need anything fancy just a place to workout would be nice...Sounds like a decent gym to me...

onyxgirl17

I personally like Planet Fitness. They keep the place up well, the machines are nice and modern.

soehlerking

There's nothing wrong with planet fitness at all provided that:

1. You are a beginner at fitness (they don't have the type of equipment that caters to people who have moved past the beginner phase, what with no free weights--only machines and light to medium weight dumbbells).

2. Your goals are strictly weight loss oriented (see above--lack of "heavy lifting" tools mean people looking to build legitimate athletic conditioning are left out in the cold).

3. You have the willpower to resist the treat temptations (free pizza one night a week to all gym members, and all the candy you can eat 24/7).

4. You can get through your workout without grunting (along with dropping the weights, it is a violation of their policy and will have you publicly humiliated via an air raid siren-style alarm they sound whenever someone breaks the rules. They call it the lunk alarm, and on top of the public humiliation, they eject you if you do it again).

I could keep going, but basically here's the gist of it: The gym has only machines that do isolation training, cardio equipment, and dumbbells that go up to no more than 50-60 lbs. The only thing they have that other gyms don't is a designated circuit training center that guides you through a half hour circuit training workout using numbered stations. While this is a good and novel idea, I feel it really only benefits beginners who do not yet know how to put their own program together. The fact that they have no free weights to do more advanced exercises, and rules designed to discourage people who are at a more advanced level of fitness from using their facilities, mean they are really only capable of catering to beginners on a budget who either cannot afford a trainer or do now have a workout buddy to guide them through proper workouts.

In an effort to be "honest" and "unbiased" they have a pizza night one night/month, as well as a bagel morning once/month. and "all the candy" is a bowl of tootsie rolls at the front desk. personally i like to calculate a bagel or a piece of pizza into my diet once in awhile; it's not a big deal to me. I've lost 32lb so far, 25 or so on the machines at Planet Fitness. I have shared my opinion with the company about removing the "lunk alarm," as I don't find it to be encouraging or motivating, but despite that, the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. I hope it works out for you!

trinitrate

In an effort to be "honest" and "unbiased" they have a pizza night one night/month, as well as a bagel morning once/month. and "all the candy" is a bowl of tootsie rolls at the front desk. personally i like to calculate a bagel or a piece of pizza into my diet once in awhile; it's not a big deal to me. I've lost 32lb so far, 25 or so on the machines at Planet Fitness. ...

I asked about the tootsie rolls at the front desk... Their explination was that they cater to a lot of overweight customers, many of which are diabetic. They keep the tootsie rolls there as a way to assist ppl that need a quick sugar spike... Don't know how legit that was, but thats the answer given...