Gym Snobbery - are you unashamedly guilty

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Replies

  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    I'm not a gym snob.

    If it has the equipment I need and I can get my 90 minute workout in then I'm fine with that. That's all I really need.

    I would love to have a home gym though. Then there's no excuse for not going.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    Not really a gym snob but I do prefer some gyms over others.

    Personally the one I go to now ranks far above any other gym I've been to:
    - Metal plates (I love the clanking sound for some reason)
    - $12/month monthly, no sign up fee
    - Power Rack, Squat Rack, Oly Platform (including bumper plates)
    - Dumbbells up to 150lb
    - All the regular nautilus/hammer strength/cable machines for those who like them

    /flex
  • illuvatree
    illuvatree Posts: 185 Member
    Go where you, as an individual, wanna go. No point in snobbery.
  • illuvatree
    illuvatree Posts: 185 Member
    I got gym-snobbed by a family member because I go to a gym that apparently discriminates towards men because they have a separate women's area. Which is one of the main reasons that I go there. Granted, I'm about to outgrow the weights in that area and use the big boy side of the gym more now, but I've had that time to get there mentally. :D

    My gym is my second home these days, and I love it. It's huge, it's grimy, it's leaky, it's cold in the winter and warm in the summer, and often runs out of paper products, but it's got everything I need and I couldn't find better people to share it with.

    A separate women's area! Jealous!

    (And honestly, I think your gym sounds great. Men at the gym can actually be very intimidating. I've had girls and women tell me this. So yeah, that's great.)
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I'm not a gym snob. The proof is that I belong to Planet Fitness and I love that gym! I've belonged there for over 5 years and haven't yet been tempted by pizza night. It's super clean and I love the free weights section, plus they have more than plenty of cardio equipment.
  • dirty_dirty_eater
    dirty_dirty_eater Posts: 574 Member
    I don't go to the gym. I do think there are people there, not all of them, who look down on the overweight people because they don't have good bodies like them, when actually, they should think 'Well done to them for actually coming here and doing something to change their body'.

    We have regular meetings at my gym to decide who gets to harass the next fatty that joins.
    I'm so pissed that I haven't been chosen yet! It's way past being my turn.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    I like my gym :bigsmile:

    c746324b-0a6f-4b2a-9ff1-978f06186b19_zps29b304d9.jpg?t=1386268108

    And if I want to curl in the squat rack I can :tongue:

    Im jealous. That is awesome.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    The only "gym" people have strong opinions about is Planet Fitness and that is a result of their marketing and refusal to allow people to perform barbell compounds.

    Other than that, I've never really seen anyone bad mouth other legitimate gyms.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    This thread is showing me ads for Equinox, which is a decidedly snobby gym!
  • crazie4lulu
    crazie4lulu Posts: 762 Member
    i am a personal trainer at my gym. my gym has it all. track ... pool... weights... womens weight room.. all the cardio machines known to man... weight cages.... its all good.
  • jdaley90
    jdaley90 Posts: 259 Member
    I'm a gym snob.

    No Power cage no squat rack- no visit.

    I can't be bothered.

    No dead lifting? GTFO.

    The more "meat head" of a gym it is- the happier I'll be.

    This is also what I think and I'd like to be a gym snob but I personally hate my gym- they have no power cage and ONE squat rack that is frequently curled in. It does allow deadlifting and grunting: THANK GOODNESS! However it doesn't allow gym bags on the floor or jump roping... i go there PURELY out of convenience since it's 1/2 mile from my house and make do

    edited for poor grammar -_-
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    I used to go to PF... then switched to the Y... and finally decided just to work out at home because unless you want to get on 1 of the million treadmills or other cardio apparatus they have an abundance of... you just about have to work out at 2am to have a spot to work out in the free weights section. My hubby and I took the plunge and bought our own equipment and just spend a little here and there adding to our weight plates as we need to.
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
    I always crack up at people who are totally offended by planet fitness. People choose different gyms for different reasons. Me? I was always one to join fancy-*kitten* gyms with juice bars and millions of squat racks & tons of classes. And I loved it.

    Now? I go to Planet Fitness because it's a minute from my work & I can get in some cardio at lunch, all while using my home gym for lifting and primarily focusing on running & the spin classes I take at an independent place. Oh, and Planet Fitness was $10. For me, that's worth the equipment shortage that some clubs have.

    I will say I constantly deadlifted, squatted, etc. at Planet Fitness & no one ever said a word to me. I've never heard the "lunk alarm" go off once. The trainers there were actually more helpful in correcting form than the meathead-looking college-aged dudes they would hire at the more "elite" gyms I've gone to.

    I'm totally fine with going to the gym that makes you the most comfortable and gives you the best tools for success. What I think is ironic is that everyone who thinks PF is so "judgmental" are really the most judgmental-sounding of all.

    TL;DR - Every gym, corporate franchise, or not, is different. Focus on yourself.
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    I LOVE LOVE LOVE my gym. I originally chose it because it has a daycare and a pool; I was 3 months pregnant with my 2nd child, and the pool was the selling point, because I would have given anything to have access to a pool in the last few months of pregnancy with my first! (we lived in the mountains where the closest gym was a planet fitness, and it was 45min away)

    I love the fitness floor- lots of cardio machines and the weight room is such that there's plenty for me to do and I don't forsee myself outgrowing it. They have more land and water classes than I've tried yet, and their pool is killer. And there's a hottub. The only thing that's less than stellar is the daycare is closed from 1-4p and no kiddles under 6 mo, so my LO can't get in until Jan.

    I have friends that do planet fitness, vent fitness, YMCA... and they all pay less than I do... but I don't care. I love this gym, and if that makes me a snob, I'm unabashedly guilty.
  • MuscleAndMascara
    MuscleAndMascara Posts: 1,260 Member
    i am a personal trainer at my gym. my gym has it all. track ... pool... weights... womens weight room.. all the cardio machines known to man... weight cages.... its all good.


    o man! I want to go to your gym!!!
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    What I think is ironic is that everyone who thinks PF is so "judgmental" are really the most judgmental-sounding of all.

    You obviously haven't seen one of their advertisements.
  • amandajones1978
    amandajones1978 Posts: 140
    I have a Planet Fitness and a Lifetime Fitness within a mile of where I live, one is $10/month and the other is $65/month. I chose the $65 because of the amenities and the cost alone would motivate me to use it. haha
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    What I think is ironic is that everyone who thinks PF is so "judgmental" are really the most judgmental-sounding of all.


    As I posted earlier: yes, PF is - corporately speaking - very judgmental. Just because some (apparently many) individual franchises choose to not follow all of the corporate rules/ideas doesn't change that.

    Here - look at this ad that's on PF's youtube channel. No - no judgment here. None at all.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5mzEAMAkY
  • baldmitch
    baldmitch Posts: 90 Member
    I go to the $30/mo gym. I like it.

    My wife wants to go to the $60/mo gym across the street. So she can have an hour and a half of elliptical. And then pester me about shortening my workout because she wants to go home.

    And even if I quit my workout now, I would want to hit the dry sauna for at least 5 minutes, use their hot water instead of mine.

    Ain't no way I'm paying $120 a month so I can *not* work out and enjoy the facility the way I want. I'm paying $30, I have access to all the equipment I pretty much need. I want to work out. She wants to hang out with rich people.
  • nedtoloseme
    nedtoloseme Posts: 98 Member
    I hear what you're saying, but as someone who started going to the gym when I was morbidly obese you have to tune people out and remember why you're there.

    I have to say that I have found if people see that you are consistent, really trying, and losing the weight they are very enciouraging. If you ever want to try, I'm sure you will find a place that people will treat you well, but remember this is your journey - do what's best for you.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I will say I constantly deadlifted, squatted, etc. at Planet Fitness & no one ever said a word to me. I've never heard the "lunk alarm" go off once. The trainers there were actually more helpful in correcting form than the meathead-looking college-aged dudes they would hire at the more "elite" gyms I've gone to.

    I'm totally fine with going to the gym that makes you the most comfortable and gives you the best tools for success. What I think is ironic is that everyone who thinks PF is so "judgmental" are really the most judgmental-sounding of all.

    TL;DR - Every gym, corporate franchise, or not, is different. Focus on yourself.

    how did you squat at PF? they have no squat racks? You can only BB squat so much without an actual barbell or even with one and no squat rack?? I mean goblet squats are great- and medium weight squats are great- but you can't really get into squatting without either squat stands or a rack???

    If it's right across the street and then you have free weights at home- and I was in your shoes- I would TOTALLY go to PF. They are convient for a lot of reasons... but I agree- clearly you haven't seen their commercial

    I mean I had a complete stranger tell me the local gym wasn't one of the "I pick things up and I put things down" type gym. That's EXACTLY how he described it- I was like- well that's a shame- that's my kind of gym. It's a common colloquilism shamming and entire group of people- and some how they have managed to make a full blown marketing agenda out of it.

    Yet- hysterically - one woman posts a picture saying "what's your excuse" and the whole world says she's body shaming? Really? No- corporate PF whole entire premises is judgy mcjudgerson. It's a great marketing tool- but it's extremely judgy.
    Ain't no way I'm paying $120 a month so I can *not* work out and enjoy the facility the way I want. I'm paying $30, I have access to all the equipment I pretty much need. I want to work out. She wants to hang out with rich people.
    that's just stupid. I'd tell her to take herself- but then you would have to buy a car- and I still haven't figured out how you keep a car in the kitchen...

    how do you even let her out of the kitchen that long?
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I workout at home...best gym in my opinion as I don't have to deal with other people.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I'm a tiny bit snobbish about using free weights, not machines, with the huge caveat that machines can be a better choice for some people. I'm just glad that free weights are a better choice for me. I wouldn't join a gym that only had machines. The only thing I need, other than free weights, that some gyms don't have, is a squat rack.
  • TheSwollMinister
    TheSwollMinister Posts: 246 Member
    I got super lucky at the new Fitness 19 in my town. They were having some insane membership deals when they first opened and I walked out with $149 down and $6 a month for life, all clubs, all hours. About a year after I signed up they expanded into the next door building and they pretty much have it all now.
  • LBeth1015
    LBeth1015 Posts: 35 Member
    I love my new Planet Fitness.

    I do squats, deadlifts, etc. there.

    And I do it all in a tshirt they gave me that says PF on the front and "I pick things up and put them down" on the back. :laugh:
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    I don't have a gym membership. I have some kettlebells and dumbbells. I have a bike, a fitness ball and a medicine ball. I have tons of trails to run on and a dog to keep me company. I do have a membership to the boathouse so I can go kayaking in the spring, summer and fall. I am going to get a membership to a gym in a few months, because I have to have a pool to train for the swim part of my triathlon. I guess if I'm going to start shelling out money, I do want some nice things like kettlebell classes, child care, and the option to find a coach to help me with my training. Snob? I dunno.
  • vanillacoffee
    vanillacoffee Posts: 1,024 Member
    I'm not a gym snob but- the cardio machines have to work, and be fixed right away if they're broken, and there should be a variety of weights available. I dont care about bells and whistles too much, though!
  • spider_mark51959
    spider_mark51959 Posts: 2,869 Member
    I'm a total gym snob! I can workout anytime I want. Very quick walk downstairs.
  • marykdba
    marykdba Posts: 1
    I'm new to fitness - meaning I'm a total couch potato who has never been inside a gym - and I googled Planet Fitness to find out more about it and found this thread. Threads like this are the reason I've been afraid to join a gym - the snobbery. It's a free country, people should go where they want to go. And not judge others because of it. I want to get healthy and I think a gym like that is a good way to start for me. A person like me should be congratulated for taking the first step, not looked down upon, if I join Planet Fitness - or ANY gym.
  • Kowee84
    Kowee84 Posts: 65 Member
    i agree^^ i wouldnt say im afraid of gyms... but i dont feel comfortable... i know im overweight and the thought of ppl talkin about how im struggling to do stuff gets in my way. i use to have a trainer but he wasnt strong enough mind wise to take me on.. my gym also had guys who would marry themselves if they could.. i get they wanna be healthy and wanna tone.... but i swear they would kiss their abs when noone was looking lol..maybe when i get to my first goal of weightloss id consider the gym again.. but id look at either a womens gym, or a 24 hour gym... not many ppl train at 11pm lol

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