Planet Fitness Is The Worst Gym In Existence
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I don't thing PF is that bad....even for a serious bodybuilder who is not on illegal drugs. I'm a natural bodybuilder and was a member of a gym that is similar to PF. It was nice.
I work out at home now. Power rack and pulley system...I have everything I need. I left chain gyms for many reasons. It's nice not to have to wait for equipment or wioe off someone else's sweat.0 -
I really loathe their advertising campaign and the way they position fit people and pit groups against each other and prey upon the fears people have. It's brilliant as a PR campaign, but it's terrible to say yes, that stereotype is real. It's like telling a kid that there really is a monster under the bed.
Saying that, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with the place. It's cheap, and convenient, and people can make decent use of it if it meets their particular goals. When I recently had to leave my more expensive gym, I almost got a PF membership just for cardio but we were able to scrape some money together for a home treadmill.
My husband goes there because it's the only nearby gym that has hours that are convenient for him.3 -
I used to work at PF. Many people complained about lack of equipment, but that simply say it is not the gym for you if it doesn't have the equipment you need. It is basic because it is marketed towards people intimidated to go to a gym and simply needing to build simple, healthy habits. I helped open a new location and I can attest that MANY regulars who joined obese got into incredible shape just using the equipment available at the gym (combined with healthy eating, of course).
I do get upset when people bash PF. Not because I worked there, but because I know what it feels like to be ashamed of your body and uncomfortable to go to more "intense" gyms. It is an amazing starting point for many people. I had people tear up during their tours because they felt they finally found somewhere they could be comfortable.
To be honest, it's really ignorant to claim that people who go to PF all maintain one specific mindset. It is advertised towards first-timers who feel intimidated. How is that a bad thing, when everything else is geared towards the opposite?
It is not for everyone, as nothing is.
(For the record, my location had everyone from severely obese to people training for body building competitions).
Your bolded sentence seemed to cut off mid way through.
Yes, it's advertised towards first timers who feel intimidated.........by caricaturizing the fitness enthusiast and perpetrating a stereotype that doesn't really exist all the while saying they're a "judgment free zone" but yet being one of the most judgmental businesses on the planet. That's why PF gets a bad name and many see their advertising as a "bad thing".
If PF didn't call people that don't fit their advertising demographic dumb or stupid (a lunk) all while saying they don't judge people, PF would catch a lot less hell. Thing is, that's exactly what they want....no publicity is bad, right? It's genius actually.5 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I really loathe their advertising campaign and the way they position fit people and pit groups against each other and prey upon the fears people have. It's brilliant as a PR campaign, but it's terrible to say yes, that stereotype is real. It's like telling a kid that there really is a monster under the bed.
Saying that, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with the place. It's cheap, and convenient, and people can make decent use of it if it meets their particular goals. When I recently had to leave my more expensive gym, I almost got a PF membership just for cardio but we were able to scrape some money together for a home treadmill.
My husband goes there because it's the only nearby gym that has hours that are convenient for him.
Yeah, this is a better way to say what I've been trying to.2 -
JoyMaillet wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Michael190lbs wrote: »I went there 60 lb dumbbells was the highest weight killed it for me. Powerhouse gym I currently belong to has 190 lbs dumbbells I use 110 for several lifts so it just made sense. Money $235 a year vs $120 a year its worth it to be in an atmosphere of heavy lifters rather than offending a Planet Fitness member.. The planet fitness "Judgement free" commercials are a JOKE..
No one starts out using 110 let alone 190 pound dumbbells. Clearly PF is not the gym for you. But I think it serves an important niche. I'm sorry the advertising offends a lot of you, but you're not the target audience.
I'm currently going to a women-only gym. It's right around the corner from my house, which is where I work. I love being able to go at lunch time. The dumbbells only go up to 55 pounds. Right now the highest I'm using is 30. Should I regularly need heavier weights, I will look for an alternative. And I'll probably pick the PF that is going in down the street, as I've learned that location is really, really important for me.
I'll save my outrage regarding corporate policy for banks like Wells Fargo and meat/dairy producing companies that treat their animals cruelly.
Women's only gyms..dont get me started...all
These years striving for equality, to be able to even go to a gym where men have typically dominated..only to cower and hide because of our insecurity, segregating ourselves because we are uncomfoetable in our bodies. Saddens me to no end. Do not give me the "sleazy leering men" that is extremely rare. It's the modern day equivalent of a burka.
I have lived through many of those years striving for equality. What we strived for all those many years ago was the right to choose. That meant if we wanted to go to the gym...we could...any gym including those for women only.
I remember when the Thigh Master came out...Elvis Presley wiggle his hips too much...well...enough of memory lane.
I will say however...I strongly believe that if women can have an all women's gym then men should have that same right.3 -
Yes, it's advertised towards first timers who feel intimidated.........by caricaturizing the fitness enthusiast and perpetrating a stereotype that doesn't really exist all the while saying they're a "judgment free zone" but yet being one of the most judgmental businesses on the planet.
This I can totally get behind. The thing is, whenever I read comments on the Planet Fitness FB page there does seem to be a general disdain for those into serious strength training, and I don't think PF instills that mindset. They don't plant the seed, they simply water it with their ad campaigns. I don't care for their marketing tactic anymore than I understand Pizza Monday. Fortunately, my PF seems to appeal more to the fitness conscious than other people's locations. It may be the local demographic, though. I live in a university town.
And, of course, the judgmental attitude goes both ways. I am serious about my training, but for now I am limited to going to my local PF. I have been belittled by those who hate PF with the burning intensity of a thousand suns, telling me I'm a poseur and not really serious about my training, because if I was, I wouldn't be going to PF. I've had bodybuilders tell me I probably just "act like a fat girl and eat the pizza". It's hurtful to be ridiculed either way and both sides are terribly guilty.
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I have two gym memberships, one is planet and the other is a "meathead gym" lol. I go to planet for 2 things, cardio and core. The other gym has everything that planet is missing, 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. But like most "serious gyms" there's almost no cardio equipment, so I keep my planet membership because it's only $10. I find it completely hypocritical that they say judgement free but, they judge you on your size, your workout, your clothes, your noise level, everything. Other than that, whatever, I can't run in the snow, so I go there during the winter, Only! And after fighting 200 people lined up today all waiting for a machine or elliptical or treadmill, I may not go back to planet for about a month if at all. I do find it both rediculous and smart business that they bring you in to lose weight and get in shape but, then they provide candy, donuts, pizza and cookies which just perpetuates most of their clients eating cycles causing them to either give up or keep coming back to lose the same weight all over again. In the end, it is what it is. It's cheap and as long as you don't mind hearing that alarm go off every 20minutes then go for it.0
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The gym i used to go to had a separate weights room upstairs just for women (full of machines), i never saw a single soul in there, the girls were all down stairs in the "proper" gym.
I must admit, i thought about going into the down stairs weights room a few times, but because i had no idea where to start or what to do, i never did. I didn't want to look like an idiot! If i were to rejoin a gym, i think i'd hire a PT first and go when it was empty, just until i knew what i was doing and could blend in with the others.0 -
Former PF member here. The only reason I stopped my membership is because in my last pregnancy I reached a point where I stopped working out. I had been a member for well over a year. I LOVED IT! GREAT hours. Endless cardio machines...I particularly loved the stair master. At one point I started meeting a coworker there before work so I took advantage of the shower and locker. I had the black membership so occasionally I did the chair massages after my workouts. I never caught the pizza nights but I do catch several bagel and coffee mornings.
From a business standpoint, as someone said already, there is a market out there who they are reaching....its cheap, it has the basic stuff, it's 24 hours. Also, depending on your goals you can transform your body ANYWHERE.0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »I think some missed my point. I wasn't speaking to the results being mediocre. Hell, you can go to a riverbed and move rocks around and build muscle. I was talking specifically about the mindset of the people whom their advertising appeals to. The kind of person who is less likely to be going to the gym to improve themselves, than to shut up a spouse, a doctor, whatever. The "I'm trying" but not really trying crowd.
Way to try and save it. An actual trainer (you aren't one, right?) is telling you you're wrong and still you want to insist that you're right. Ok. Guess I better attention to you because clearly you know more than a professional.
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In PF's defense, one night a month of pizza isn't going to derail anyone's diet.3
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...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....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.0 -
@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.0
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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.
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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.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...
I suppose you could call it a 'fitness centre' - but certainly not a gym.1 -
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.
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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.0 -
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'.2 -
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.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...
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".1 -
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" gym2
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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.0
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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?0
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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.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.
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.
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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.0 -
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.2
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