Planet Fitness Is The Worst Gym In Existence
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PF would fit my needs, and I considered it when the opened near me. However, I won't give out my checking account information for a recurring monthly debit. I found my city's fitness centers have indoor tracks and open basketball and pickeball courts, and only charge $10 a YEAR for those amenities. So, my cardio and sports needs are covered. I do calisthenics for strength at home or at the park, and that's free. I'm so cheap that even PF is too luxurious a price for me.4
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They missed the boat completely on #2. That's where I stopped reading.
Food kills gains? Nope.
"When im trying to cut or put on lean muscle this is the last thing i need. "
In that case, I put forth (for two reasons, which I'll expand a little upon) that you don't know what you're doing or talking about.
1) Pizza is not some magical fat loss inhibitor. Sure, I can pound down 1/2 a pizza without blinking an eye, which would be problematic. But, I've cut while eating pizza once every week or two (and I usually end up eating 3/4 of the pizza over a few days) without too much of an issue.
2) Put on lean muscle? Well, yeah. And food (aka pizza) helps put on muscle.
As such, it seems the author is a stereotypical bro that subscribes to the stereotypical BroScience.
eta: I've trained there a couple of times on upper-body deload days. It's fine - I just use dumbbells, instead of barbells. I've also been on a couple of cruises where the fitness center has equipment much like PF. It was fine - I just did some different things to stay working. I probably couldn't efficiently improve my PL lifts there, but it's not like it's worthless.4 -
Why would someone title a thread "Planet Fitness Is The Worst Gym In Existence" and then end his/her post with
"not sure whether to join or not"?10 -
Seriously, I really hate their advertising campaign, since I dislike how not being around people serious about fitness is put up as a bad thing, that it stereotypes the PF members as people either scared of or contemptuous of serious weight training, and that it encourages divisiveness, which is too much of a problem in general. I don't think I'd happily patronize/join any place or product that used that kind of advertising.
However, that's a separate issue from whether you can get fit there, and of course you can.
It doesn't happen to meet my needs at the moment (location is what I care about, and then equipment and atmosphere/feel of the place and for me it fails on all fronts, most significantly location (I know the feel of the place from occasional hotels that let you use a local PF), but if it were the most convenient gym I could afford, would I join? Sure. If it was more convenient to have it as a backup gym, would I use it? Sure. Those things for me outweigh my dislike of the advertising campaign and I'd probably just object to the advertising more if I were supporting the institution.1 -
I just realized why it annoys me so (to the point that I was wondering why my reaction was so strong): it pretty much is analogous to me of people mocking others for eating arugula, as if there's something wrong with that, or for enjoying supposedly nerdy things like the symphony or reading or some such or for liking school. A bit of a reversal, but same concept, and really bad for society, as well as just dumb and nasty, IMO.
Maybe that's weird. ;-)3 -
it serves a purpose.
It is good for people who want to check a box- or who have no need to do big movements.
It's also a SPLENDID cheap 2nd gym. I've considered getting a 10$ pass to the local gym myself- because 10$ and free pizza- I cannot even order pizza that cheap. so if I get 1 whole pizza out of it a month- it's paid for itself and I"ve eaten- WIN! free food = mustacian savings- and I'm all about that life.
I HATE their hypocritical advertising- because they are the judgiest gym alive. Plain and simple. I get that it's marketing- but it's hypocrisy at it's finest.
Otherwise- meh- I don't bother.
It's not a gym for me regularly- I'd gladly use it as a second gym- but otherwise it suits people fine- I think people are delusional that it's a safe space- or it's not judgmental- but whatever that's 100% not my problem.
We posts like this all the time- and I'm quite frankly not sure why you posted it other than to stir the proverbial pot.
I am only commenting on your last sentence. Doesn't that apply to 80 percent of the threads on here
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yeah- pretty much.1 -
I don’t know about the free pizza, Mondays because that is just bizarre. Pizza, in any form is just BAD for you. I could see free protein smoothie Mondays, maybe sharing some healthy delicious recipes with gym members to try.
Your issue about the gym bag bonus? Many gyms don’t hand about any freebies; get over it.
Next, the sign, which is displayed in the photo, regarding clothing states “no STRING tanks”, that doesn’t mean you can’t simply wear a tank shirt.
Next, do YOU really know why Planet Fitness kicked these patrons out of their gym? Because they were too big? Doubtful. Because they looked like they were on something? Maybe a good thing. Perhaps these patrons were asked if they were using stimulants, steroids, etc ? (not that Planet Fitness should expect an honest answer out of a drug user) But someone under the influence of drugs including steroids, should never be allowed to be around others while doing strenuous physical activities or using heavy equipment; they could hurt another patron or themselves.
Next, I think Planet Fitness should have someone with at least decorum and education to write and design their literature and signs because currently, it sounds and looks offensive, crude and even counterproductive. (I agree with you, here).
Overall, I what I THINK Planet Fitness is trying to do is attract patrons who want to use a gym to get in shape. Not to bulk up, do body building or have their patrons use the gym to intimidate or show off to other patrons at their expense to make themselves feel better. This happens all over the place in hundreds of places in our society because we as Americans put so much emphasis on body image, rather than physical health. There is nothing wrong with Planet Fitness wanting to curtail this behavior. It is simply the way they are going about it, that doesn’t work.1 -
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irshgrl500 wrote: »Overall, I what I THINK Planet Fitness is trying to do is attract patrons who want to use a gym to get in shape. Not to bulk up, do body building or have their patrons use the gym to intimidate or show off to other patrons at their expense to make themselves feel better. This happens all over the place in hundreds of places in our society because we as Americans put so much emphasis on body image, rather than physical health. There is nothing wrong with Planet Fitness wanting to curtail this behavior. It is simply the way they are going about it, that doesn’t work.
Eh, this buys into their claim that other gyms and their members are using the gym for reasons other than to get in shape, particularly to show off, intimidate, or to focus on looks at expense of health or some such. That other gyms are promoting such activities that PF wants to curb is precisely why the advertising is false and disgusting.
(That advertising is misleading doesn't bother or surprise me, but that it's actively harmful in what it claims about other gyms and gym-goers is the problem. Again, it's analogous to saying don't read and stay away from readers since they are snobs who look down on you. They are just reading to show off, so by getting information from [insert other thing here] we are focusing more on the important stuff and not being so elitist. Ugh.)5 -
irshgrl500 wrote: »I don’t know about the free pizza, Mondays because that is just bizarre. Pizza, in any form is just BAD for you. I could see free protein smoothie Mondays, maybe sharing some healthy delicious recipes with gym members to try.
Why?????
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Thanks everyone all the input is so amazing! Really great to see people in the community putting in time to let me know all their own personal opinions and stories about their own experiences with the gym! definitely making my decision so much easier! Thankyou for the support everyone! and if any others still want to keep adding GO AHEAD!
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irshgrl500 wrote: »I don’t know about the free pizza, Mondays because that is just bizarre. Pizza, in any form is just BAD for you. I could see free protein smoothie Mondays, maybe sharing some healthy delicious recipes with gym members to try.
Why?????
I stopped reading right there, lol.4 -
It fills a niche...it wouldn't work for me...it's fine if you want to primarily use cardio machines and resistance machines and are ok with dumbbell work being your primary free weight work. It won't work for you if you do any Olympic lifting or if you're interested in doing traditional compound strength movements like dead lifts, squats, etc.
I think it's ok as a "beginner" gym or secondary gym...0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I just realized why it annoys me so (to the point that I was wondering why my reaction was so strong): it pretty much is analogous to me of people mocking others for eating arugula, as if there's something wrong with that, or for enjoying supposedly nerdy things like the symphony or reading or some such or for liking school. A bit of a reversal, but same concept, and really bad for society, as well as just dumb and nasty, IMO.
Maybe that's weird. ;-)
Eh, people are always hating on kale, which I grow, eat every day, and currently have in my avatar. The hating doesn't bother me.
When I didn't have a smart phone (and before that when I didn't have a cell phone) I caught a lot of flack for that. Again, not a problem.0 -
I think it is ok depending on your needs. For example, I've been a "gym rat" for at least 5 years. I need exercise in my life and 90% of the time, I need more than Planet Fitness can offer. Six months ago, I had a knee replacement though and I am slowly working my way back up. Unfortunately I have gained weight as a result of not being able to work out as much, and honestly just eating anything that I want, so my focus now is losing weight, cardio and light lifting to rebuild my strength. Planet Fitness is a good, cheap option for that. I also know, though, that by summer time, I will move back to my regular gym that offers more. There is no sense in paying $79 a month when I only need the $10's worth.1
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kshama2001 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »I just realized why it annoys me so (to the point that I was wondering why my reaction was so strong): it pretty much is analogous to me of people mocking others for eating arugula, as if there's something wrong with that, or for enjoying supposedly nerdy things like the symphony or reading or some such or for liking school. A bit of a reversal, but same concept, and really bad for society, as well as just dumb and nasty, IMO.
Maybe that's weird. ;-)
Eh, people are always hating on kale, which I grow, eat every day, and currently have in my avatar. The hating doesn't bother me.
Saying "I don't like kale" doesn't bother me (although I also like it).
If people were claiming (as with the dumb arugula thing) that eating kale was something people were doing to show off or be pretentious and that it was something that should be mocked and considered uncool, then I would think that was harmful, yeah.
(See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/22/AR2008082202958.html: there's a kale reference too, which you might like, although it's funny because once upon a time both were inexpensive foods for not so well off people. I have a cookbook by some Irish vegetarian chef whose name escapes me -- it's all farm to table stuff and seasonal with great photos -- and he has an essay about kale and spinach being uncool when he (or we, the spinach was about the US) were kids, but now it's a long enough divide for them to lose the stigma of being cheap or some such. Anyway, the essay was better than I am at describing it.)When I didn't have a smart phone (and before that when I didn't have a cell phone) I caught a lot of flack for that. Again, not a problem.
Again, different. (I don't think there's a particular desire to make up stupid divisive stereotypes about people who do or don't like or have smart phones, but maybe I missed it.)
Sneering at people for wanting to be good at things or take them seriously, and suggesting that doing so makes you elitist or intimidating or bad people, etc., is simply a way of discouraging people from caring about or doing those things, and I think is used in a way that is actively bad in our culture. Certainly the anti elitist stuff for caring about education or good food is, IMO, and why isn't the sneering at serious gyms the same thing?0 -
I'm a PF member and the entire time I read this article, I thought "What are you talking about?"
My location has never handed out pizza, I got a free t-shirt but it was not the reason I joined, it doesn't have signs telling people not to do certain exercises or talking about steroids, the Lunk Alarm has never gone off (pretty sure it's just a joke), it has dumb bells heavier than 60 pounds, and it has three vertical smith machines, which are basically squat racks.
And to be perfectly honest, this person getting so offended at PF's judgmental judgement free zone made me smile a little. Now they know how some of the rest of us feel when we go to other gyms. I had a membership to Lifetime Fitness for awhile which I hated. I would go at 3 am and there would be guys there as big as The Rock and they would spend more time walking around, looking at (and judging) other people and flexing in the mirror than actually exercising. It intimidated me because I'm a skinny guy and I could never lift as much as them. And everyone says, "Just don't pay attention," but it's hard not to pay attention when you finish a set and out the corner of your eye you see someone who looks like a linebacker staring at you. Is everyone who goes to that kind of gym like that? No. But it happened enough times, I got sick of it and cancelled my membership. I don't get any of that at Planet Fitness, because it seems like everyone there– old, young, short, tall, muscular, skinny, obese– is there for the same reason which is to get in shape and everyone there seems to understand that getting into shape means different things to different people. When I was at Lifetime, the place seemed to be filled with people who thought being in shape meant you had to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger and be able to bench press a Volkswagen 20 times. That's not my goal. If that's your goal (which it seems to be the article's author's goal) then go somewhere else. But if your goal is something simple, then PF isn't a bad place to go. I love my location and I'm glad I signed up there.6 -
matthewrharden wrote: »I'm a PF member and the entire time I read this article, I thought "What are you talking about?"
My location has never handed out pizza, I got a free t-shirt but it was not the reason I joined, it doesn't have signs telling people not to do certain exercises or talking about steroids, the Lunk Alarm has never gone off (pretty sure it's just a joke), it has dumb bells heavier than 60 pounds, and it has three vertical smith machines, which are basically squat racks.
And to be perfectly honest, this person getting so offended at PF's judgmental judgement free zone made me smile a little. Now they know how some of the rest of us feel when we go to other gyms. I had a membership to Lifetime Fitness for awhile which I hated. I would go at 3 am and there would be guys there as big as The Rock and they would spend more time walking around, looking at (and judging) other people and flexing in the mirror than actually exercising. It intimidated me because I'm a skinny guy and I could never lift as much as them. And everyone says, "Just don't pay attention," but it's hard not to pay attention when you finish a set and out the corner of your eye you see someone who looks like a linebacker staring at you. Is everyone who goes to that kind of gym like that? No. But it happened enough times, I got sick of it and cancelled my membership. I don't get any of that at Planet Fitness, because it seems like everyone there– old, young, short, tall, muscular, skinny, obese– is there for the same reason which is to get in shape and everyone there seems to understand that getting into shape means different things to different people. When I was at Lifetime, the place seemed to be filled with people who thought being in shape meant you had to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger and be able to bench press a Volkswagen 20 times. That's not my goal. If that's your goal (which it seems to be the article's author's goal) then go somewhere else. But if your goal is something simple, then PF isn't a bad place to go. I love my location and I'm glad I signed up there.
No they are not even close.4 -
matthewrharden wrote: »I'm a PF member and the entire time I read this article, I thought "What are you talking about?"
My location has never handed out pizza, I got a free t-shirt but it was not the reason I joined, it doesn't have signs telling people not to do certain exercises or talking about steroids, the Lunk Alarm has never gone off (pretty sure it's just a joke), it has dumb bells heavier than 60 pounds, and it has three vertical smith machines, which are basically squat racks.
And to be perfectly honest, this person getting so offended at PF's judgmental judgement free zone made me smile a little. Now they know how some of the rest of us feel when we go to other gyms. I had a membership to Lifetime Fitness for awhile which I hated. I would go at 3 am and there would be guys there as big as The Rock and they would spend more time walking around, looking at (and judging) other people and flexing in the mirror than actually exercising. It intimidated me because I'm a skinny guy and I could never lift as much as them. And everyone says, "Just don't pay attention," but it's hard not to pay attention when you finish a set and out the corner of your eye you see someone who looks like a linebacker staring at you. Is everyone who goes to that kind of gym like that? No. But it happened enough times, I got sick of it and cancelled my membership. I don't get any of that at Planet Fitness, because it seems like everyone there– old, young, short, tall, muscular, skinny, obese– is there for the same reason which is to get in shape and everyone there seems to understand that getting into shape means different things to different people. When I was at Lifetime, the place seemed to be filled with people who thought being in shape meant you had to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger and be able to bench press a Volkswagen 20 times. That's not my goal. If that's your goal (which it seems to be the article's author's goal) then go somewhere else. But if your goal is something simple, then PF isn't a bad place to go. I love my location and I'm glad I signed up there.
Smith machines =/= squat racks, not even close...also, you can't do certain exercises at PF...you can't do Olympic lifts...you can't do dead lifts...they have no bumper plates or platform.
Doing traditional lifts like cleans and snatches and traditional compound movements has nothing to do with wanting to look like Arnold...I'm a cyclist, that would be pretty dumb. And this is exactly why a lot of fitness people complain about PF...you're doing exactly what they do...if you want to do dead lifts, you must be a lunk or huge body builder or something...there are a lot of fit and fitness people who do compound movements and explosive movements like cleans and snatches because they understand the benefit of them for overall fitness...
Your post is basically straight out of PF marketing...7
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