Planet Fitness Is The Worst Gym In Existence

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  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
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    In PF's defense, one night a month of pizza isn't going to derail anyone's diet.
  • xSkinnyFitx
    xSkinnyFitx Posts: 35 Member
    edited January 2017
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    veganow wrote: »
    ...I've been messed with at every Planet Fitness I've ever been to. I'm usually viewed as "the skinny girl" and somebody always finds a way to say something to me but I just complain to corporate and then they know not to bother me. So nobody bothers me anymore...

    This boggles my mind. It sounds like middle school locker room behavior, not the behavior of grown adults. I personally have never seen this sort of thing happening, and I'm a "skinny girl" myself. Everybody pretty much behaves at my gym. Maybe you just go to a really crappy location with lots of really crappy people as members. Sounds terrible.
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    veganow wrote: »
    ...I've been messed with at every Planet Fitness I've ever been to. I'm usually viewed as "the skinny girl" and somebody always finds a way to say something to me but I just complain to corporate and then they know not to bother me. So nobody bothers me anymore...

    @jenilla1 that's a very broad generalization to make. Implying that I must go to a gym in a "crappy location with crappy people." I'm not going to let a few rotten apples spoil the bunch that's not the way to live life.
  • xSkinnyFitx
    xSkinnyFitx Posts: 35 Member
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    @jenilla1 that's a very broad generalization to make. Implying that I must go to a gym in a "crappy location with crappy people." I'm not going to let a few rotten apples spoil the bunch that's not the way to live life.
  • Piperbarb
    Piperbarb Posts: 4 Member
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    I have been a member of PF for about 5 years. For me, I cannot beat the price, convenience, cleanliness, and hours (24/7). PF, like other gyms, is not for everyone. I find, for me, it suits me very well. For $10 a month, I don't feel badly when I don't use it for a while because I am getting my cardio outdoors. I have found the atmosphere, both customers and staff, very pleasant and friendly. There are all sorts, ages, shapes and sizes of people who go the the PF in my area. PF may not be the perfect gym for you, but it works for many people. That is why we have choices for where we want to leave our sweat.
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    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...
    My feeling is if there is NO squat rack, and no deadlifting ... it's NOT a gym. I'm not a lunk or a bodybuilder, I just want to maintain muscular strength and compound exercises are the best way to do that.

    I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
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    albertabeefy wrote: »
    My feeling is if there is NO squat rack, and no deadlifting ... it's NOT a gym. I'm not a lunk or a bodybuilder, I just want to maintain muscular strength and compound exercises are the best way to do that.

    I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.

    I think that's really splitting hairs. I wouldn't consider PF a proper bodybuilding gym, and it certainly wouldn't have the necessary equipment for power lifters to train, but it's still a gym. And, while a Smith Machine is definitely not a squat rack, you can still do barbell squats on one. You have to modify your posture, but it's doable.

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    JennGardner1 wrote: »
    albertabeefy wrote: »
    My feeling is if there is NO squat rack, and no deadlifting ... it's NOT a gym. I'm not a lunk or a bodybuilder, I just want to maintain muscular strength and compound exercises are the best way to do that.

    I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.

    I think that's really splitting hairs. I wouldn't consider PF a proper bodybuilding gym, and it certainly wouldn't have the necessary equipment for power lifters to train, but it's still a gym. And, while a Smith Machine is definitely not a squat rack, you can still do barbell squats on one. You have to modify your posture, but it's doable.

    You are doing them wrong if you are doing them in a Smith machine.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    edited January 2017
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    JennGardner1 wrote: »
    albertabeefy wrote: »
    My feeling is if there is NO squat rack, and no deadlifting ... it's NOT a gym. I'm not a lunk or a bodybuilder, I just want to maintain muscular strength and compound exercises are the best way to do that.

    I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.

    I think that's really splitting hairs. I wouldn't consider PF a proper bodybuilding gym, and it certainly wouldn't have the necessary equipment for power lifters to train, but it's still a gym. And, while a Smith Machine is definitely not a squat rack, you can still do barbell squats on one. You have to modify your posture, but it's doable.

    I squat all the time and I'm a runner. It is the single best exercise I can do. I think the marketing must be working if you think 'body builders' are the only ones who squat.

    What is a body builder anyway? "I pick things up and I put them down"???

    ETA - Squatting is also one of the most dangerous if you 'modify your posture'.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    albertabeefy wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    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...
    My feeling is if there is NO squat rack, and no deadlifting ... it's NOT a gym. I'm not a lunk or a bodybuilder, I just want to maintain muscular strength and compound exercises are the best way to do that.

    I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.

    Hence their own corporate motto - "We're not a gym. We're Planet Fitness".
  • Savagedistraction
    Savagedistraction Posts: 312 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Funny thing is, I have 3 gym memberships at 3 very different gyms. One is a total meathead gym with a room where I do BJJ training. The one by my house is smaller and has a variety of clientele, the third is strictly a MT kickboxing gym. ALL are less judgey than PF..the "non judgemental" gym
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I jumped on the no money down $10/month with no contract PF special last month. I've only been once, but it's clean, has a variety of equipment and really not as overbearing as their reputation. It's lacking in free weights (no barbells and dumbbells only go up to 75 pounds), so I couldn't make it my regular gym, but it's not bad.
  • jk_morissette
    jk_morissette Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been a member of PF for about 4 months - I use it strictly for Cardio and it works fine. I live in the Northeast, can't always get outside to work out and PF helps me to not miss a workout. I have the black membership, again - works for me because I commute and travel a bit, I can go to any gym anywhere. The PF locations I have been too are clean, maintained and the staff has been friendly and helpful, what's not to like?
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
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    bcchast wrote: »
    I don't know why they refuse to have free weights in planet, the facility is really nice and could be a really great gym.
    Before anyone else mentions it... some PFs do have free weights. Their selection is very limited though, even for people who aren't heavy lifters. Heck, most men and a great many women would outgrown their barbell selection within a few weeks.

    As for why, it's because of their target market. You CAN get fit at Planet Fitness; however, their target clientele isn't the people who are determined to do so. Rather, they try to target the people who aren't too serious -- the kind who will pay the $10/$20 monthly fees and hardly ever show up.

    This is the rationale behind Pizza Monday, Bagel Tuesday, and the free Tootsie Rolls, BTW. Also the massage chairs and tanning beds that do diddly-squat for one's fitness. These amenities make people feel as though they still get value out of the place, and thus further discourages people from cancelling their memberships.

    It's also why they forbid deadlifting, overhead presses, and other exercises that can be considered "intimidating." Depending on the location, this can include renegade rows, jumping rope, or even running too fast on the treadmill. They want to deter the more serious people who tend to use the place regularly, while attracting the people who don't.

    The policies against grunting, loud breathing, spaghetti-strap tops, carrying gallon jugs of water, and dropping weights (from even just a few inches off the floor) have the same goal. These policies tend to deter heavy lifters, endurance athletes, and similarly intense types. It's also why their commercials skewer bodybuilders, Zumba instructors, yogis, and women who stay slender. Those are the kind of people are more likely to use the facility and cause wear-and-tear on the equipment. They aren't the kinds that PF wants to have as members.
  • rjc992
    rjc992 Posts: 20 Member
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    lachiespior wrote: »
    We have all had bad experiences with gyms and often the people in them, but i continually see Planet Fitness being constantly ridiculed for being extremely judge mental and not caring for their patrons!? I did some research and i found heaps of videos of them even kicking people out of their gym!? I found this article about why PlanetFitness Kills Gains idealtestosterone.com/planet-fitness-mistakes/ and i wanted to know if you guys agree with it? or have your own opinions on the gym? not sure whether to join or not!


    I think that some of their locations are better than others. I attended a couple in Denver and was happy with the size and how I was treated. The one in my home town is very small and way overcrowded. They are very judgmental and looking for anyone making noises. I am proud to be the first person "Lunk Alerted" in this gym, but the sad part is, a pc of their equipment broke and cut my leg, causing the noise, not lifting grunting.
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    in my 4 years of training 3.5 were spent at planet fitness. I will allow my body of work to speak for itself. I have since moved on as I wanted to squat in a a real rack and not in a smith.

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