Planet Fitness removing squat racks? Aroo?

My mistake in starting this discussion was thinking that more people would want to confront that fear, to actually venture beyond their own notion of what they were capable of, and come away with a f-ckng win.

Last year, the moment I crossed that invisible line in the gym was terrifying. I was the dumpy, middle-aged mommy who had been getting in my own way for years. I was a throwaway, in my mind. Not even worth ridiculing. I was a monument to unrealized potential, paralyzed by fear of failure, and of success. Sound a little dramatic for someone making a choice to just walk over to the weights section? Judging by the lengths to which people will go to avoid it, I don't think so.

My life has been absolutely transformed by that moment, that one decision. I was manic for the next several days. Then over the next year I began to test my capabilities in other arenas of my life, and soon found a love of moving that self-set limitation farther and farther away, until I just don't think about limits anymore. This has completely revived my career, made me a better partner to my husband, a better mother, daughter, friend. Now, I only think of what I want to do next, come up with a plan to get there, and execute. No wolves at my heels, no meanies in my head. If there are real people making fun of what I do, *shrug* I can't see 'em from up here.

And it all started with a squat rack and a little girl who didn't want to be comfortable in her safe-bet life anymore.

When you have that moment, the first thing you want to do is make sure every other person on the planet gets to have theirs. Even, and I'd venture especially, someone taking those first steps in Planet Fitness. The idea that anyone could miss out on their moment because they're never in a position to be scared, but do it anyway, makes me sad. Seeing those same people cling willfully to and argue for their right to be deprived of the chance to be brave and awesome pisses me off. So,

Hi folks,

First of all, I would like to apologize for the name calling I engaged in earlier. There was no call for that.

PF has clearly identified a need and set a price point that works. The gyms I go to are generally busy, so while the marketing may be offensive to some, their customers seem to appreciate what is being offered. I certainly appreciate the lack of yelling, dropping weights, etc. If that makes me judgemental, then so be it.


Good luck,
Keith

Hi folks,

First of all, I would like to apologize for the name calling I engaged in earlier. There was no call for that.

PF has clearly identified a need and set a price point that works. The gyms I go to are generally busy, so while the marketing may be offensive to some, their customers seem to appreciate what is being offered. I certainly appreciate the lack of yelling, dropping weights, etc. If that makes me judgemental, then so be it.


Good luck,
Keith

That's not judgmental, that's preference, it's the marketing scheme that calls anyone who; wears gym attire, drinks out of a gallon jug (got one on my desk), or just flat out pushes themselves to the limit is a slow/dumb person.....but yet say they are "judgment free".

They are also preying on individuals by pushing the BS that all gyms are what you are claiming. I was a member at a Gold's for about 7 years, and never once saw or heard any screaming, weight dropping, anything... I would say it was geared as much to the beginner as it was the advanced....but PF tries to make the member think they don't belong at other facilities, even when they outgrow what PF can offer by selling that to them and making sure they believe it.

My mistake in starting this discussion was thinking that more people would want to confront that fear, to actually venture beyond their own notion of what they were capable of, and come away with a f-ckng win.

Last year, the moment I crossed that invisible line in the gym was terrifying. I was the dumpy, middle-aged mommy who had been getting in my own way for years. I was a throwaway, in my mind. Not even worth ridiculing. I was a monument to unrealized potential, paralyzed by fear of failure, and of success. Sound a little dramatic for someone making a choice to just walk over to the weights section? Judging by the lengths to which people will go to avoid it, I don't think so.

My life has been absolutely transformed by that moment, that one decision. I was manic for the next several days. Then over the next year I began to test my capabilities in other arenas of my life, and soon found a love of moving that self-set limitation farther and farther away, until I just don't think about limits anymore. This has completely revived my career, made me a better partner to my husband, a better mother, daughter, friend. Now, I only think of what I want to do next, come up with a plan to get there, and execute. No wolves at my heels, no meanies in my head. If there are real people making fun of what I do, *shrug* I can't see 'em from up here.

And it all started with a squat rack and a little girl who didn't want to be comfortable in her safe-bet life anymore.

When you have that moment, the first thing you want to do is make sure every other person on the planet gets to have theirs. Even, and I'd venture especially, someone taking those first steps in Planet Fitness. The idea that anyone could miss out on their moment because they're never in a position to be scared, but do it anyway, makes me sad. Seeing those same people cling willfully to and argue for their right to be deprived of the chance to be brave and awesome pisses me off. So,

My point all along is that you're assuming that people who started at PF or who continue to go to PF didn't have that moment. And that's not fair, nor is it accurate. I can't speak for anybody else, but I can speak for myself. I started at PF. And I had my moment. It wasn't on a squat rack. But I had it. And it has kept me motivated and continues to motivate me make me push myself. But you having yours on a superior piece of equipment doesn't make mine any less significant or encouraging for me than yours did for you. You should totally feel proud and happy and motivated on how you have changed your life. You deserve to feel it because you earned it. I'm damn sure going to feel proud of mine, despite the lack of a squat rack because I earned mine too.

And personally, I resent the "sadness you feel" on my behalf for clinging to a fear. I had the fear. I started my journey, I moved past that fear, and I am proud of the accomplishments that I have already made. I also no longer have any doubts that I will accomplish even more things as I continue on my way to health and fitness.

Gah! I am not saying that a squat rack is the essential and ONLY portal to awesome without which no one will ever accomplish anything!

What I am saying is that is was being removed because it was thought to be intimidating to enough people to deem it necessary. Well, if those people deal with what intimidates them by just making sure it's never around, growth and change doesn't happen, does it? If you had your moment elsewhere I'm glad, then you know what I'm talking about.

I'm just talking about others...

...who potentially...

...could miss out.

Aaaaand, spirit's broken. Good luck to everyone.

Leading up to the new year were a whole bunch of threads from users complaining about all the newbies who would be joining THEIR gym (because clearly only their money counts). Threads about how the newbies would be taking up all the equipment, using it wrong, and how the newbies should just hurry up with failing so the gym can be less crowded again. It was almost as though people thought these newbies didn't belong at THEIR gym (seriously, the newbies money was probably worth less than their money right?). It was almost as though people wished the newbies would all go someplace else. Like, hmm, I dunno, a gym aimed at newbies?

My mistake in starting this discussion was thinking that more people would want to confront that fear, to actually venture beyond their own notion of what they were capable of, and come away with a f-ckng win.

Last year, the moment I crossed that invisible line in the gym was terrifying. I was the dumpy, middle-aged mommy who had been getting in my own way for years. I was a throwaway, in my mind. Not even worth ridiculing. I was a monument to unrealized potential, paralyzed by fear of failure, and of success. Sound a little dramatic for someone making a choice to just walk over to the weights section? Judging by the lengths to which people will go to avoid it, I don't think so.

My life has been absolutely transformed by that moment, that one decision. I was manic for the next several days. Then over the next year I began to test my capabilities in other arenas of my life, and soon found a love of moving that self-set limitation farther and farther away, until I just don't think about limits anymore. This has completely revived my career, made me a better partner to my husband, a better mother, daughter, friend. Now, I only think of what I want to do next, come up with a plan to get there, and execute. No wolves at my heels, no meanies in my head. If there are real people making fun of what I do, *shrug* I can't see 'em from up here.

And it all started with a squat rack and a little girl who didn't want to be comfortable in her safe-bet life anymore.

When you have that moment, the first thing you want to do is make sure every other person on the planet gets to have theirs. Even, and I'd venture especially, someone taking those first steps in Planet Fitness. The idea that anyone could miss out on their moment because they're never in a position to be scared, but do it anyway, makes me sad. Seeing those same people cling willfully to and argue for their right to be deprived of the chance to be brave and awesome pisses me off. So,

Leading up to the new year were a whole bunch of threads from users complaining about all the newbies who would be joining THEIR gym (because clearly only their money counts). Threads about how the newbies would be taking up all the equipment, using it wrong, and how the newbies should just hurry up with failing so the gym can be less crowded again. It was almost as though people thought these newbies didn't belong at THEIR gym (seriously, the newbies money was probably worth less than their money right?). It was almost as though people wished the newbies would all go someplace else. Like, hmm, I dunno, a gym aimed at newbies?

Agreed!

And again....that's not what those threads said, and again....I guess we'll just go with it.

You must be reading totally different things from what many of us are reading here on MFP.

I think the interpretation depends on what you think and believe. The anti PF people are never going to see anything but what they want to see when it comes to PF. The pro PF people are not going to see anything but what they want to see when it comes to PF.

Either way, there are folks here who belong to PF and find it to be perfectly adequate for what they want out of a gym. Some of us have belonged to other gyms in the past, I know I've belonged to different gyms for the past 20 years, PF being the most current and I've belonged there for almost 6 years.

There are folks who belong to other gyms and find those gyms perfectly adequate for what they want out of a gym.

No harm, no foul.

I also feel that they are, in a sense, spreading misinformation about fitness and about fit people to the detriment of their members (if someone is in an environment where they are taught to mock fit people, they are unlikely to ever get to the point where they are fit for fear of being considered a 'lunk').