Planet Fitness

I guess I'm still confused about the space and expense. This is all you need for a comprehensive resistance program in a home gym:

http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-Doorway-Trainer-Black-Chrome/dp/B000HBUNAO/


http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/


http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sports-Rubber-Official-Basketballs/dp/B003WX78FC/


That's like four months of Planet Fitness (or their mid-year membership fee.) It would fit under a bed or behind a door.

I've chosen to do Stronglifts, and I can afford a membership with a good gym which has lots of extras like the steamroom and whirlpool, classes I enjoy, and tons of equipment, and is open 24 hours, so those items aren't helpful to me. Most people who are very overweight have a primary objective of just moving for an extended period, so those options aren't always terribly helpful for them, either.

I go to a full power lifting gym- and all those things are helpful to me.
jump rope- there should be a jump rope in there too

sooooooo I'm not sure what exactly that means.

I mean, those things are not helping me toward my goal of deadlifting 300 lbs. I have a jump rope, some adjustable dumbbells, and other assorted small things at home, but they are also not my primary means of exercise. The gym is. What is so difficult to understand about this? If someone wants to join a gym, don't discourage them...even if that gym is Planet Fitness. Is that difficult to understand? Do you seriously have an objection to this? Really?

How does a gym that bans deadlifting help anyone achieve a goal of deadlifting 300lb? Plus you're not allowed to drop weights or grunt. From personal experience of deadlifting close to max, grunting and dropping weights is inevitable.

No-one is telling anyone they're not allowed to go to planet fitness if that's the best thing for them. They're just providing information that is potentially useful to them, such as "most planet fitness gyms ban deadlifting and don't have squat racks" - how is that not helpful? If I was thinking of joining a gym then that information is useful to me as it'll save me time (and possibly money too) avoiding a gym that's not going to help me achieve my goal ....and deadlifting 300lb is one of my main goals... spending money on my own barbell and plates is a much better investment than joining a gym that bans deadlifting, no matter how cheap that gym is. It's useless to me if I'm not allowed to deadlift, drop weights or grunt there. And yes I am strapped for cash. And yes I do have to buy myself a barbell (I'm moving back to the UK so I have to give my friend her barbell and plates back and near enough rebuild my home gym from scratch).

If planet fitness is the best option for you, then just go there and enjoy it... no-one wants to stop you going there if that's what's working for you. Although I'm not going to blow fairy dust up your rear end by telling you that you can achieve a 300lb deadlift working out at a gym that bans deadlifts, dropping weights and grunting, because that's an elite level lift for women which requires serious effort and training including doing actual deadlifts. Maybe you have some future plan that enables you to be able to practice actual deadlifts in the future, or your planet fitness is one of a tiny minority that allows deadlifts and never sets off the lunk alarm. We're all adults with working frontal lobes so we're all capable of making a decision about what's best for us in our present situation - but that does not mean anyone should stop providing information such as the fact that PF bans deadlifts and doesn't have squat racks, which makes it a really bad choice for anyone who's serious about lifting. If it's a case of beggars can't be choosers then that's ****ty luck and you just have to do the best you can. But in no way does that mean people should not provide accurate information about these kinds of things.

ETA: from another post it seems that you go to a different gym so read the above as applying generally, not as applying to you specifically...... PF is not a good choice of gym for people who are serious about lifting, and pretending that it is is akin to blowing fairy dust up peoples arses.

I guess I'm still confused about the space and expense. This is all you need for a comprehensive resistance program in a home gym:

http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-Doorway-Trainer-Black-Chrome/dp/B000HBUNAO/


http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/


http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sports-Rubber-Official-Basketballs/dp/B003WX78FC/


That's like four months of Planet Fitness (or their mid-year membership fee.) It would fit under a bed or behind a door.

I've chosen to do Stronglifts, and I can afford a membership with a good gym which has lots of extras like the steamroom and whirlpool, classes I enjoy, and tons of equipment, and is open 24 hours, so those items aren't helpful to me. Most people who are very overweight have a primary objective of just moving for an extended period, so those options aren't always terribly helpful for them, either.

I go to a full power lifting gym- and all those things are helpful to me.
jump rope- there should be a jump rope in there too

sooooooo I'm not sure what exactly that means.

I mean, those things are not helping me toward my goal of deadlifting 300 lbs. I have a jump rope, some adjustable dumbbells, and other assorted small things at home, but they are also not my primary means of exercise. The gym is. What is so difficult to understand about this? If someone wants to join a gym, don't discourage them...even if that gym is Planet Fitness. Is that difficult to understand? Do you seriously have an objection to this? Really?

How does a gym that bans deadlifting help anyone achieve a goal of deadlifting 300lb? Plus you're not allowed to drop weights or grunt. From personal experience of deadlifting close to max, grunting and dropping weights is inevitable.

No-one is telling anyone they're not allowed to go to planet fitness if that's the best thing for them. They're just providing information that is potentially useful to them, such as "most planet fitness gyms ban deadlifting and don't have squat racks" - how is that not helpful? If I was thinking of joining a gym then that information is useful to me as it'll save me time (and possibly money too) avoiding a gym that's not going to help me achieve my goal ....and deadlifting 300lb is one of my main goals... spending money on my own barbell and plates is a much better investment than joining a gym that bans deadlifting, no matter how cheap that gym is. It's useless to me if I'm not allowed to deadlift, drop weights or grunt there. And yes I am strapped for cash. And yes I do have to buy myself a barbell (I'm moving back to the UK so I have to give my friend her barbell and plates back and near enough rebuild my home gym from scratch).

If planet fitness is the best option for you, then just go there and enjoy it... no-one wants to stop you going there if that's what's working for you. Although I'm not going to blow fairy dust up your rear end by telling you that you can achieve a 300lb deadlift working out at a gym that bans deadlifts, dropping weights and grunting, because that's an elite level lift for women which requires serious effort and training including doing actual deadlifts. Maybe you have some future plan that enables you to be able to practice actual deadlifts in the future, or your planet fitness is one of a tiny minority that allows deadlifts and never sets off the lunk alarm. We're all adults with working frontal lobes so we're all capable of making a decision about what's best for us in our present situation - but that does not mean anyone should stop providing information such as the fact that PF bans deadlifts and doesn't have squat racks, which makes it a really bad choice for anyone who's serious about lifting. If it's a case of beggars can't be choosers then that's ****ty luck and you just have to do the best you can. But in no way does that mean people should not provide accurate information about these kinds of things.

ETA: from another post it seems that you go to a different gym so read the above as applying generally, not as applying to you specifically...... PF is not a good choice of gym for people who are serious about lifting, and pretending that it is is akin to blowing fairy dust up peoples arses.

We're not talking about gyms for people serious about lifting. We're talking about gyms for people just starting out. I agree, and have stated previously, that people outgrow Planet Fitness when they're ready to move on to things like serious lifting. But that's no reason to discourage someone who is brand new to the whole idea of gyms from joining a cheap and convenient gym just because their commercials suck.

Ahh, Planet Fitness. You have tapped the vein of discontent that runs nearly universally throughout the MFP forums.

and

A moment of silence for all the potential gains lost due to Planet Fitness...

and

It's just everything that's wrong with America, but it's a fairly good "gym" for most Americans, I suppose.

and

They're a gym which body shames people and have parties in which they serve doughnuts and pizza.

It's mostly the same as any other gym - you get what you put into it. As long as you're not too skinny for their standards, and not too interested in working out, you'll be fine.

and

If given the choice of chewing my toe off or going to a PF, my only question would be what type of pizza they serve on Monday. If I'm limited to peperoni I'm going with the toe.

seem rather discouraging to me. I'm sure many people put on their big boy or big girl panties and make their own decisions, but there are a great number of newbies who come to this forum and are very self-conscious and unsure of themselves, and seeing comments like these when they were finally ready to get off the couch and do something for themselves is rather disheartening and counter to what MFP is here for.

The information about the lack of barbells and discouragement of deadlifts is good to know, but most of these people are in it for the cardio opportunities to start out with. Any gym, or anything that will get them moving, is better than nothing. Right?

If some of them choose to save their money and work out at home instead, what of it? They're using the information to make a decision about what's best for them. Maybe they don't want to go to a gym that gives out free pizza when they're just starting to get used to eating a balanced diet. Or maybe they want to get into strength training and decide to go to a gym that allows it instead (being anxious and self conscious does not mean someone doesn't want to get into any exercise other than cardio).

This is why sites for reviews of anything are very popular... people want to get an accurate picture of what they're buying before buying it. And that means honest opinions, good or bad. Being coddled and protected from the opinions of people who don't like that particular gym does not help anyone. If someone's not capable of reading a bad review and putting it into context then they need to work on their life skills.

I guess I'm still confused about the space and expense. This is all you need for a comprehensive resistance program in a home gym:

http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-Doorway-Trainer-Black-Chrome/dp/B000HBUNAO/


http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/


http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sports-Rubber-Official-Basketballs/dp/B003WX78FC/


That's like four months of Planet Fitness (or their mid-year membership fee.) It would fit under a bed or behind a door.

I've chosen to do Stronglifts, and I can afford a membership with a good gym which has lots of extras like the steamroom and whirlpool, classes I enjoy, and tons of equipment, and is open 24 hours, so those items aren't helpful to me. Most people who are very overweight have a primary objective of just moving for an extended period, so those options aren't always terribly helpful for them, either.

I go to a full power lifting gym- and all those things are helpful to me.
jump rope- there should be a jump rope in there too

sooooooo I'm not sure what exactly that means.

I mean, those things are not helping me toward my goal of deadlifting 300 lbs. I have a jump rope, some adjustable dumbbells, and other assorted small things at home, but they are also not my primary means of exercise. The gym is. What is so difficult to understand about this? If someone wants to join a gym, don't discourage them...even if that gym is Planet Fitness. Is that difficult to understand? Do you seriously have an objection to this? Really?

I guess I'm still confused about the space and expense. This is all you need for a comprehensive resistance program in a home gym:

http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-Doorway-Trainer-Black-Chrome/dp/B000HBUNAO/


http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/


http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sports-Rubber-Official-Basketballs/dp/B003WX78FC/


That's like four months of Planet Fitness (or their mid-year membership fee.) It would fit under a bed or behind a door.

I've chosen to do Stronglifts, and I can afford a membership with a good gym which has lots of extras like the steamroom and whirlpool, classes I enjoy, and tons of equipment, and is open 24 hours, so those items aren't helpful to me. Most people who are very overweight have a primary objective of just moving for an extended period, so those options aren't always terribly helpful for them, either.

I go to a full power lifting gym- and all those things are helpful to me.
jump rope- there should be a jump rope in there too

sooooooo I'm not sure what exactly that means.

but that hasn't swayed your opinion of planet fitness has it? Or robbed you of your ability to make an informed decision. So really you prove my point (made over several posts, not just the one you quoted). People posting sh** about planet fitness on threads like these aren't going to stop people going to planet fitness if planet fitness is the best option for them......... but it gives useful information to people such as those of us into heavy lifting that planet fitness probably isn't the best option for them... so it's a win-win really.... everyone reads the information, puts it into context (which includes opinions like yours, above, which is that the negative reviews are just "noise") and does what suits them and will help them achieve their goals.

ETA: as an aside though, if a lot of negative feelings towards planet fitness comes from people who've seen their ads but not actually gone to a planet fitness gym......... then the only people to blame for that are planet fitness's very own marketing executives. But that's an aside to my main point, which is that people have enough brains and independence of thought to make their own decisions about whether or not to go to a gym or work out at home, or which gym to go to, and people who don't like planet fitness (whether due to having been there, having seen their ads or because they know it has policies that make heavy lifting nigh on impossible) can post their opinions about it and everyone else has enough cerebral cortex to be able to put those opinions into context.

Actually if anything these threads sway me against the anti-PF rhetoric - its tiresome, and then becomes ridiculous when people start to compare it to genuine matters of discrimination. I understand their business model, and recognise that it likely wouldnt be for me even if I was anywhere near one. I can live with that.

The PF threads are half-full of people who have never intimidated anyone in their lives acting as if the marketing was aimed at attacking them when in reality it wasnt.
So youre saying when you read through product reviews, you like to see lots and lots of comments and jokes from people who have never used said product? Fair enough, but comments from people who have tried it out and then formed an opinion are often more helpful in my experience.

but that hasn't swayed your opinion of planet fitness has it? Or robbed you of your ability to make an informed decision. So really you prove my point (made over several posts, not just the one you quoted). People posting sh** about planet fitness on threads like these aren't going to stop people going to planet fitness if planet fitness is the best option for them......... but it gives useful information to people such as those of us into heavy lifting that planet fitness probably isn't the best option for them... so it's a win-win really.... everyone reads the information, puts it into context (which includes opinions like yours, above, which is that the negative reviews are just "noise") and does what suits them and will help them achieve their goals.

ETA: as an aside though, if a lot of negative feelings towards planet fitness comes from people who've seen their ads but not actually gone to a planet fitness gym......... then the only people to blame for that are planet fitness's very own marketing executives. But that's an aside to my main point, which is that people have enough brains and independence of thought to make their own decisions about whether or not to go to a gym or work out at home, or which gym to go to, and people who don't like planet fitness (whether due to having been there, having seen their ads or because they know it has policies that make heavy lifting nigh on impossible) can post their opinions about it and everyone else has enough cerebral cortex to be able to put those opinions into context.

Actually if anything these threads sway me against the anti-PF rhetoric - its tiresome, and then becomes ridiculous when people start to compare it to genuine matters of discrimination. I understand their business model, and recognise that it likely wouldnt be for me even if I was anywhere near one. I can live with that.

The PF threads are half-full of people who have never intimidated anyone in their lives acting as if the marketing was aimed at attacking them when in reality it wasnt.
So youre saying when you read through product reviews, you like to see lots and lots of comments and jokes from people who have never used said product? Fair enough, but comments from people who have tried it out and then formed an opinion are often more helpful in my experience.

If you aren't slightly intimidated by Neandermagon, let alone JoRocka, you're doing it wrong.