Planet Fitness
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"cwolfman13 wrote: »...that's what is so irritating...the notion that if one is lifting in this manner, one is a "lunk"...no...we're just really into our training and want to be the best athletes (in my case I use the term loosely) we can be. Lifting like a boss isn't always about body building..as a cyclist I'm about 180* from a body builder...lifting like a boss is about functional training and being all you can possibly be.
Correct. This is yet another problem with PF. It's not just that they demean hard-working bodybuilders. It's also that they foster incorrect notions of what weight lifting and other intense exercise is all about.
When I took a tour of Planet Fitness, I asked my guide why they didn't have any bench press stations or squat racks. He immediately said, "Those are for bodybuilders. We don't cater to those kind of people." I thought that was a deeply shameful thing to say, since virtually everyone can benefit from those kinds of exercises. Heck, even high school students are taught how to do such exercises! People in the fitness industry should know better.
This is why I disagree when people say that Planet Fitness is just right for beginners. The equipment might arguably match what most beginners are looking for, but the amount of misinformation that this company spreads is astounding. That's not what beginners need.3 -
All that stuff about the loud grunts and throwing weights down being forbidden, I could care less. That was never a factor in our decision to sign up. We just needed to get our sweat on after midnight due to work hours with a good price. Planet Fitness fit the bill perfectly. People will continue to make fun of PF and their philosophies because they aren't fans of the huge guys staring at themselves in the mirror the whole time they're lifting huge amounts of weights. There are gyms of all kinds. Salon.com had an article online about it before and talking about how different gyms are like cliques in school. Don't know the link offhand but compared them (typically) to members of the Breakfast Club. It was pretty funny. If you're really into weights and love your slamming and grunting, PF isn't the gym for you but there is one out there for you. If you want to sweat away your fat on as many cardio machines as possible, come over to Planet Fitness. Disclaimer: If the lunk alarm goes off when you're on a treadmill, you might get tested for roids.1
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While bashing weight lifters may irk some people, if you are PF's target market -- usually a relative newbie who is more about movement & doing something as you lurch off the couch maybe for the 1st time, like me -- it's a good place because you feel accepted.
No it is not ok to bash anyone to make other groups feel better
Nor to feel accepted because other groups aren't
I'm sure if you think about what you said you will realise and accept that theoretically that premise is simply abhorrent
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Even if it means telling people that bodybuilders and other athletes are horrible people? Even if it means telling the public (incorrectly) that deadlifts and other highly functional moves are only to be performed by such detestable human beings?If it helps a group of people who would not otherwise be helped, it's good.
Somehow, I doubt that PF would get a pass if they were to discriminate against the overweight in that manner. Middle America would be in an uproar. PF demeans highly accomplished athletes instead though, and so the people around here applaud their tactics. Something is wrong with that.
Lunks are just the people that are throwing the weights around and screaming and grunting the whole time during their workout. How could that not intimidate somebody? If you're just lifting weights and not slamming the weights back down while being respectful to others around you, I see no problem. That wouldn't be lunking at all.0 -
Remember how I said that PF likes to spread a lot of falsehoods? This is another example of that.If you're really into weights and love your slamming and grunting, PF isn't the gym for you but there is one out there for you.
In almost every gym I've been to, deliberately slamming the weights is forbidden. It's also considered horrible etiquette. PF likes to tell people that this is commonplace though, and that their facilities provide a unique refuge from such mythical beasts.
As for grunting, any fitness pro should be able to tell you that moderate grunting is reasonable and expected when working hard. Did you ever wonder why martial artists let out a "Ki-yaa!" yell as they strike? PF wants people to believe that the same moves can be performed equally as well in complete silence, and that's complete bunk. (See http://milkandcookies.com/link/267592 to see the extremes to which PF takes this.)
Of course, yelling at the top of one's lungs is another matter. Again, such behavior is universally considered to be horrible gym etiquette. Mere grunting though? It's to be expected.
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Even if it means telling people that bodybuilders and other athletes are horrible people? Even if it means telling the public (incorrectly) that deadlifts and other highly functional moves are only to be performed by such detestable human beings?If it helps a group of people who would not otherwise be helped, it's good.
Somehow, I doubt that PF would get a pass if they were to discriminate against the overweight in that manner. Middle America would be in an uproar. PF demeans highly accomplished athletes instead though, and so the people around here applaud their tactics. Something is wrong with that.
Lunks are just the people that are throwing the weights around and screaming and grunting the whole time during their workout. How could that not intimidate somebody? If you're just lifting weights and not slamming the weights back down while being respectful to others around you, I see no problem. That wouldn't be lunking at all.
So all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
And a standard involuntary sound associated with physical effort, which most people don't make but you hear in all sports (see tennis for eg) is an issue?
And just because you don't understand safe release for some lifts, to avoid injury, then that just means you (as in one not personal) are ignorant of details
It's hateful marketing
Nobody is saying that PF shouldn't provide the facilities at the cost to the target audience they do ..,but discriminatory marketing practice and promoting hatred and misunderstandings is grotesque manipulation of people's fear of the Unknown ..there are far more serious issues in the world ...still doesn't make it ok
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The question must be asked though. How loud does a grunt have to be to have the lunk alarm go off? The PF gym I went to last night seemed pretty lax. Could have been because it was after midnight but I saw a few girls in there with tanktops that are supposed to be forbidden. Not complaining of course. I'm sure just normal grunting would be permitted. For people that just want a gym to lift weights at, PF isn't for you. That message is never hidden. Everybody should do their research before signing a contract to a gym or anything else for that matter.0
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So all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
Bodybuilders don't need to slam the weights down. If you truly are really strong, you would get an even better workout lowering the weight more slowly to the ground instead of dropping it from six feet in the air. I was only giving a definition of what they deem as lunks...lunkers...whatever the correct usage is.
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Did you watch the video that I linked to in two of my earlier posts? Not very loud at all.The question must be asked though. How loud does a grunt have to be to have the lunk alarm go off?
Enforcement will doubtlessly vary from one location to another, but according to the executive in this video, even moderate exhalation should be enough to set off the alarm.
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Well you can't beat the price and hours of operation! I also think it's a great place for beginners in particular. You don't feel like you're in a competition and people are not walking around kissing their muscles. lol
I've had the opportunity to work out in 2 gyms that make most top 10 lists of the most hard core gyms in the US. I'm old and in decent shape but not huge by any means. I did t feel like I was in a competition and didn't see anyone kissing theit muscles.
Intimidation is in people's heads and pf is fueling this with their advertising imo.1 -
Did you watch the video that I linked to in two of my earlier posts? Not very loud at all.The question must be asked though. How loud does a grunt have to be to have the lunk alarm go off?
Enforcement will doubtlessly vary from one location to another, but according to the executive in this video, even moderate exhalation should be enough to set off the alarm.
Yeah it would have to vary from locale to locale since they're all independently owned. Maybe they should have just called it Planet Cardio and people wouldn't be whining so much.0 -
ONCE AGAIN though, there's a difference between dropping weights (as is often necessary) and deliberately slamming them down. We can all agree that slamming them down forcefully is rude. PF's policy, however, is that one cannot even drop the weights -- not even for the sake of safety, such as when exhausted after a dumbbell chest fly set. The result? People will be forced to work out with less effort, lest they run afoul of this rule.So all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
Bodybuilders don't need to slam the weights down.
And actually, their policy goes way beyond even that. A friend of mine was kicked out just for doing renegade rows -- a horribly simple move in which the dumbbells are picked up off the ground. I've met people who were either kicked out or scolded for such horrible offenses as:- Doing overhead presses
- Jumping rope
- Running "too fast" on the treadmill (i.e. at a speed that might intimidate other people)
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Packerjohn wrote: »Well you can't beat the price and hours of operation! I also think it's a great place for beginners in particular. You don't feel like you're in a competition and people are not walking around kissing their muscles. lol
I've had the opportunity to work out in 2 gyms that make most top 10 most hard core gyms in the US. I'm old and in decent shape but not huge by any means. I did t feel like I was in a competition and didn't see anyone kissing theit muscles.
Intimidation is in people's heads and pf is fueling this with their advertising imo.
Where do you think people got those intimidation thoughts though? Probably from a gym they frequented when they were younger and had a really bad experience. I've never had bad gym experiences but I could understand. Doing curls and stuff in other gyms the guys are always looking at their muscles the whole time they're lifting and comparing themselves to the person next to them. Gymtimidation does exist even if it specifically hasn't happened to you.0 -
For me it boils down to the fact that if I have to buy into hatred and the belittling of others as a group in order to join somewhere and feel better about myself then my moral centre says noSo all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
Bodybuilders don't need to slam the weights down. If you truly are really strong, you would get an even better workout lowering the weight more slowly to the ground instead of dropping it from six feet in the air. I was only giving a definition of what they deem as lunks...lunkers...whatever the correct usage is.
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Or, more likely, from preconceived notions -- or because Planet Fitness tells them that's what they should expect. That's pretty much the focus of their TV commercials, for example.Packerjohn wrote: »Well you can't beat the price and hours of operation! I also think it's a great place for beginners in particular. You don't feel like you're in a competition and people are not walking around kissing their muscles. lol
I've had the opportunity to work out in 2 gyms that make most top 10 most hard core gyms in the US. I'm old and in decent shape but not huge by any means. I did t feel like I was in a competition and didn't see anyone kissing theit muscles.
Intimidation is in people's heads and pf is fueling this with their advertising imo.
Where do you think people got those intimidation? Probably from a gym they frequented when they were younger and had a really bad experience.
All the more reason to deplore their tactics.
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ONCE AGAIN though, there's a difference between dropping weights (as is often necessary) and deliberately slamming them down. We can all agree that slamming them down forcefully is rude. PF's policy, however, is that one cannot even drop the weights -- not even for the sake of safety, such as when exhausted after a dumbbell chest fly set. The result? People will be forced to work out with less effort, lest they run afoul of this rule.So all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
Bodybuilders don't need to slam the weights down.
And actually, their policy goes way beyond even that. A friend of mine was kicked out just for doing renegade rows -- a horribly simple move in which the dumbbells are picked up off the ground. I've met people who were either kicked out or scolded for such horrible offenses as:- Doing overhead presses
- Jumping rope
- Running "too fast" on the treadmill (i.e. at a speed that might intimidate other people)
I havent even looked around everywhere in the gym. I am tonight though. Do they even have free weights? If so, are there mats to set the weights back down on after lifting. If there aren't any, you could easily see why overhead presses aren't allowed. You drop them and the weights could be damaged rather quickly. I know jumping rope has been banned. Havent been much into jumping rope since I was 10 though so not a big loss. Not sure what too fast is though. Completely subjective. I'd never get accosted for that anyways. I stay just walking around 3.0 mph the whole time.0 -
never seen the bolded part at any gym I have been too ...sounds like you have been drinking the planet no gains kool aid...
You're not listening to much then. And if you're thinking i'm 100% dead serious I'd like to introduce you to sarcasm.
Picture on the top left is June of 2014, picture on the bottom right is June of 2015. And I could really care less about "bulking up" I have no interest in bulking. Fitness comes in many different shapes, fashions and forms.
What does bulking have to do with anything?1 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Well you can't beat the price and hours of operation! I also think it's a great place for beginners in particular. You don't feel like you're in a competition and people are not walking around kissing their muscles. lol
I've had the opportunity to work out in 2 gyms that make most top 10 most hard core gyms in the US. I'm old and in decent shape but not huge by any means. I did t feel like I was in a competition and didn't see anyone kissing theit muscles.
Intimidation is in people's heads and pf is fueling this with their advertising imo.
Where do you think people got those intimidation thoughts though? Probably from a gym they frequented when they were younger and had a really bad experience. I've never had bad gym experiences but I could understand. Doing curls and stuff in other gyms the guys are always looking at their muscles the whole time they're lifting and comparing themselves to the person next to them. Gymtimidation does exist even if it specifically hasn't happened to you.
Or people get the idea from pf marketing whivh is very effective.
Face it gymtimidation wasn't a word until some advertising guy or girl made it up for pf commercials.4 -
You know what I think if I see an unfit or fat person working out in my very mixed gym where there is a free weights section, dedicated bodybuilders and a mixture of ages
Generally Not a single thing. They do not register because I'm there to workout! On the odd occasion I do notice someone else I generally think "good for them, takes a feck of a lot of effort to move that amount of mass...built in resistance..hope they stick at it "
You know what I felt when I started at the gym and I was a fat person...exposed and out of place...lasted for a couple of sessions and then I got over myself...because it's insecurity.
Gyms are inclusive places for self improvement
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People make up words all the time. Instead of saying gym intimidation which people understood, they called it gymtimidation instead. Doesn't take a marketing genius to come up with that. If gymtimidation wasn't really happening, everybody would call bs on it from the beginning but, instead, the opposite is happening and PF is growing bigger every day.0
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People make up words all the time. Instead of saying gym intimidation which people understood, they called it gymtimidation instead. Doesn't take a marketing genius to come up with that. If gymtimidation wasn't really happening, everybody would call bs on it from the beginning but, instead, the opposite is happening and PF is growing bigger every day.
Sorry, the job of advertising is to create a need. Sometimes where one doesn't exist.
If you like pf, more power to you I'm guessing it will be a future case study at university marketing classes if not already1 -
Yep. It works for me. Not for everybody. It's a good beginning gym for those getting back in the game and just looking to lose fat. Once you lose that weight and want to start toning up and lifting, probably have to move on. That won't be a couple years down the line for us I think. They're trying to reach the 85% that don't work out instead of the 15% that do. The model is definitely working for them.0
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Not my cup of tea. Knock yourself out.0
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I use planet fitness in mass has everything I need0
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ONCE AGAIN though, there's a difference between dropping weights (as is often necessary) and deliberately slamming them down. We can all agree that slamming them down forcefully is rude. PF's policy, however, is that one cannot even drop the weights -- not even for the sake of safety, such as when exhausted after a dumbbell chest fly set. The result? People will be forced to work out with less effort, lest they run afoul of this rule.So all bodybuilders are "insert derogatory term"
Bodybuilders don't need to slam the weights down.
And actually, their policy goes way beyond even that. A friend of mine was kicked out just for doing renegade rows -- a horribly simple move in which the dumbbells are picked up off the ground. I've met people who were either kicked out or scolded for such horrible offenses as:- Doing overhead presses
- Jumping rope
- Running "too fast" on the treadmill (i.e. at a speed that might intimidate other people)
I havent even looked around everywhere in the gym. I am tonight though. Do they even have free weights? If so, are there mats to set the weights back down on after lifting. If there aren't any, you could easily see why overhead presses aren't allowed.
That is complete nonsense. Overhead presses do NOT require dropping weights, so that reasoning makes no sense. In fact, if damage to the weights were a concern, you'd see a whole lot more gyms prohibiting this exercise.... but you don't.
But for the sake of argument, let's grant your objection. What about jumping rope? Is jumping rope really so dangerous that it must be prohibited lest someone be horribly injured? Or running fast on the treadmill? Or doing renegade rows, for pity's sake?
No, these exercises are prohibited because some people MIGHT find them intimidating. PF insults its clientele by treating them as delicate flowers who must be shielded from the sight of exercises that could possibly make them feel a little bit bad about themselves. They treat their members as fragile children rather than full-grown adults.
For pity's sake, you can even be kicked out just for wearing a shirt that says "Pray to end abortion." That is how far they are wiling to go just to shield people from things that might possibly make them feel intimidated. Any reasonable person can see why this is wrong.
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I belong to 24Hr and Planet Fitness (black card member)
Having been a former huge girl!! I am sorry I dont believe pizza at the gym is helpful. AND! All the PFs i have been to the staff are snoots and bored. But!!! I really like purplie thing pf has going on, the number of cardio machines and the black card spa
So of course I go
Now. 24 hour fitness is a gym with amazing trainers and classes and yes!! I love weight lifting.
Had I gone to pf first?? I would not be where I am now. The amazing support and kindess I got at my (real) gym is what I needed!! It saved my life and I am so blessed bc of it.
Also, I am not skinny, like to lift weights and try new things... So I grunt.. Whatevs.. Gall dang it! That stuff is heavy! You try it
you will grunt too. 2 -
OlyCapitalChick wrote: »Had I gone to pf first?? I would not be where I am now. The amazing support and kindess I got at my (real) gym is what I needed!! It saved my life and I am so blessed bc of it.
Good for you! As I said earlier, I don't agree that PF is a great place for beginners. Beginners, more than anyone else, need to be armed with proper knowledge and the right kind of inspirational environment.
That raises another point. All of PF's unique policies -- no grunting (not even lightly), no heavy lifting, no "intimidating" exercises, no pushing yourself so hard that you might possibly wind up dropping a weight, and so forth -- are all designed to enforce the notion that exercise should be light, easy, and undemanding. Their own website says as much when it describes the company as a place where "you can relax and go at your own pace." (Going at your own pace makes sense, of course... but it is should NOT be taken to mean a relaxing pace.)
Why do they do this? Because they want to attract people who are not particularly dedicated -- the kind who will sign up but seldom actually show up. As this NPR podcast explains, that's their business strategy.
This is why they serve free pizza, bagels, and other fattening foods. People who are serious about fitness are likely to consider such a practice distasteful. In contrast, the less resolute people -- the kind who sorta want to get in shape but aren't strongly determined -- are more likely to be excited and enticed by such freebies.
With this in mind, their whole marketing campaign makes sense. They depict bodybuilders as morons because this makes out-of-shape people feel better about themselves. They tell people that other gyms have Zumba instructors who are vicious, mean-spirited taskmasters, and so forth. In other words, instead of providing an aspirational environment, Planet Fitness tries to make people feel content with low-effort workouts and more piddling results.
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Humm, the wife and I just joined Planet Fitness due to cost and convenience to where we live. For the wife it's absolutely perfect, has everything she wants. Myself, not so much, but I have a full on gym at work and that's where I get my squats and deadlifts on. Couldn't keep justifying spending $$$ on a place further away and extremely crowded when I only need the place for accessory stuff.
PF for me is more along the lines of a place I can get accessory stuff done, maybe not exactly what I'm looking for, but enough variety to get a good lifting session in. Been going 3x per week to get calves, forearms and abs done because I don't have enough time to get those done at the work gym (running Wendlers 531). Occasionally, I'll even get a cardio (shudder when I type that...lol) session in.
I will also say, there's quite a few jacked ladies and gents I've seen over there, plenty of mild grunts (especially in the full on TRX room) and not a word said. Those folk in the TRX room (which looks a lot like a jungle gym) are slamming medicine balls, hitting those big ropes and jumping up on an adjustable platform. They make plenty of noise, are working hard, huffing and puffing like crazy and look to be getting a good workout for their goals.
Do I agree with the marketing, not really, but there's lots and lots of marketing out there I don't agree with.
Based on info from others, I'd say a whole lot depends on the location of the PF and who owns it.1 -
I happened to see an episode of the biggest loser. They were working out in their Planet Fitness sponsored gym, slamming balls, full on dropping barbells, sweating, grunting, etc. All the stuff planet fitness hates.
Then they go to commercial where thet are talking about no gymtimidation, gruntig, link alarms, etc.0 -
OlyCapitalChick wrote: »I belong to 24Hr and Planet Fitness (black card member)
Having been a former huge girl!! I am sorry I dont believe pizza at the gym is helpful. AND! All the PFs i have been to the staff are snoots and bored. But!!! I really like purplie thing pf has going on, the number of cardio machines and the black card spa
So of course I go
Now. 24 hour fitness is a gym with amazing trainers and classes and yes!! I love weight lifting.
Had I gone to pf first?? I would not be where I am now. The amazing support and kindess I got at my (real) gym is what I needed!! It saved my life and I am so blessed bc of it.
Also, I am not skinny, like to lift weights and try new things... So I grunt.. Whatevs.. Gall dang it! That stuff is heavy! You try it you will grunt too.
That's another reason why my wife wanted to try out PF. She heard about the massaging chairs lol Not a big deal for me one way or the other. PF is cheap, it's open 24 hrs and plenty of cardio machines. That's all I need. Don't really need a personal trainer. Some people do but I know how to lose weight on my own. Already lost 50 on my own without exercising except for the occasional use of our stationary bike. I just figure this will help expedite the process. I agree that having the food there isnt a good idea but, if you're actually exercising and those endorphins are kicking in, you wouldn't want to touch those empty calories anyways. If people are just there to eat free food and not take anything seriously, that's on them for being stupid.0
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