Planet Fitness

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  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
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    Just to preempt any further debate on this ridiculous point about men struggling to press 70lbs...

    In my men's fitness class, we typically start newbies off with multi-rep sets of 75 to 95 lbs each. These are not seasoned athletes, mind you. These are typically people who have been sitting on the couch and are just now starting a fitness program. Even our one teenager started out with that weight range.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    SeikoMonster wrote: »
    dym1 wrote: »

    If you think a 70lb bench press is massive, then you're right, Planet Fitness is perfect for you.
    I was being sarcastic. It is usually the idiot putting up little weight making the most noise.

    Maybe it's heavy for him/her.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    I'm not a fan of PF business practices and advertisement campaigns.

    Luckily for me my gym is close in price to PF and has everything for my lifting needs without the side of passive aggressive.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Maybe it's just me, but my main issue with pf is the lack of a squat rack (smith squats are not an adequate replacement) more so than some of the anti-lunk policies. On the other hand, the cost is really low so there is that...
  • 3M_TA3
    3M_TA3 Posts: 1,037 Member
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    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    the catch is they don't like people who take their workouts too seriously - no deadlifts, no noises, no supersets, no benching, no overhead press. if you like just cardio I guess it could be ok.

    This is not the case at the PF that I am a member of. I enjoy the 30 minute workout and lift in a way to register as cardio. Mine has plenty of machines for cardio and lifting. From what I have heard about others, mine is fairly unique as they have 2 squat racks. It is all about what makes you comforatble.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    Oh, so you heard a story about a guy who knew a guy who was thrown out of a PF more making a grunting sound and dropping a weight. Yeah, sounds legit. It is kind of bizarre to have a strong opinion about PF if you have never actually exercised there.
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,216 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Oh, so you heard a story about a guy who knew a guy who was thrown out of a PF more making a grunting sound and dropping a weight. Yeah, sounds legit. It is kind of bizarre to have a strong opinion about PF if you have never actually exercised there.

    My main concern would be lack of heavier DB's, fixed BB's and the laughably light stacks on their machines.

    It may be a great place to start your journey but I can't see anybody serious about lifting not outgrowing their equipment within a year or two.
    dbkyser wrote: »
    It is a great place for cardio, I powerlift at home. For me its convenient and can usually find one when traveling. I do get a kick out of people using the smith machines, but hey they are doing more than most people.

    I love the smith machine for heavy shrugs and for burning in some incline bench presses after doing some free-weight flat BP's - especially if there is no spotter. The smith machine is a great piece of equipment and has its uses... although squatting or DL's isn't one of them.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    jseams1234 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    pondee629 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    SeikoMonster wrote: »
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    the catch is they don't like people who take their workouts too seriously - no deadlifts, no noises, no supersets, no benching, no overhead press. if you like just cardio I guess it could be ok.

    You are incorrect in almost everything you said.

    I dead lift, super set, bench and overhead weekly.
    They don't want people screaming and dropping weights. If you are referring to that as noise. Actually its nice, not having that guy doing massive 70 pound bench press grunting like he just lifted a car.

    It is not the gym to turn you into mr olympia. But for the other 80% of people that don't need more than 75 pound dumbbells, and are okay using a smith machine its a good place.
    Cheap, clean, never much if any wait for using a machine or spot to use the dumbbells.

    Lol..."massive 70 Lb bench press"...if a 70 Lb bench press is massive, PF is probably spot on your place to be...

    And I read "massive 70 Lb bench press" as a sarcastic dig at grunting showboaters.

    Anyone who needs to put some effort into the lift is going to make a little noise...that's not show boating, that's actually working out...and nobody is grunting with 70 Lbs...

    I had my wife quit her idiot trainer a few months ago and have her lifting with me now. She has made incredible progress and now benches two 25# plates - so about 95#. She grunts a little on her last few reps of her last set. She'd kill me if I tried to make fun of the weight she was pushing. It's HEAVY for her. It's all relative.

    I was responding to a post that specifically mentioned a guy...yes, it is relative, but most guys who have been working out aren't going to have difficulty with 70 Lbs...context of what I was replying to brah...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited July 2017
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    MsHarryWinston wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    SeikoMonster wrote: »
    I dead lift, super set, bench and overhead weekly.
    They don't want people screaming and dropping weights. If you are referring to that as noise. Actually its nice, not having that guy doing massive 70 pound bench press grunting like he just lifted a car.
    Seriously? 70 lbs isn't even a beginner level bench press. That's the exactly the sort of mentality that PF tries to promote -- the notion that people above a beginner level are somehow being excessive.

    As someone that's working to pass her 75lb bench press and feels darn proud of it can I just say that you might want to be mindful of your tone or at least the way you phrase your argument? I know you're trying to make a point and call out someone else BUT you basically just tore down everyone that's benching under 100lbs in the process.
    LOTS of people start off way below 70lb on a bench press.

    Context, context, context...the response was to a post that was specifically about a "dude"....context of discussion is kind of important.

    Outside of a brand new lifter, most guys aren't going to have an issue with 70 Lbs...and even if they are brand new, 70 Lbs won't be much issue for very long.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    edited July 2017
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    spartan_d wrote: »
    BTW, whatever you do, don't go with their workout recommendations. I kid you not.

    7s6f9xe8tms6.png

    Oh my gawd, a proposed schedule with rest days? Two of them! A week!

    It's a crime against humanity.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    Nothing wrong with the PF by me. I get most of my heavy lifting done at my workplace gym. Those days I can't make it over or if I want a weekend session I can accomplish a good lifting session there. There are some fairly muscular people at the one I go to and they work hard when they are there. About the only no-no I've heard tell about is the spaghetti strap tanks.

    If I miss a squat or DL day at work I can find other ways to get a solid leg day in. Sometimes you have to be creative. Like doing RDL on the smith machines they have. Or front squats like this:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx8O2ziMeiA
  • crummywatertowr
    crummywatertowr Posts: 45 Member
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    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    BTW, whatever you do, don't go with their workout recommendations. I kid you not.

    7s6f9xe8tms6.png

    Oh my gawd, a proposed schedule with rest days? Two of them! A week!

    It's a crime against humanity.

    Don't think it's the rest days that are the issue...
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    Actually, I disagree with the bolded sentence. I think you can, at least at the PF I go too. I wouldn't be able to powerlift but I could definitely switch to a BB program and add mass by progression.

  • MommaShorty
    MommaShorty Posts: 93 Member
    edited July 2017
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    piefeck wrote: »
    Someone just mentioned to me about a discontinue fee. Have any of you ever heard of that?

    I cancelled after a few months and had no fee. I don't like big gyms but this one still made me feel judged so I left

  • crummywatertowr
    crummywatertowr Posts: 45 Member
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    piperdown44 wrote: »
    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    Actually, I disagree with the bolded sentence. I think you can, at least at the PF I go too. I wouldn't be able to powerlift but I could definitely switch to a BB program and add mass by progression.

    And actually, I think you are right. At my PF, I see guys and girls from every fitness level. The larger muscle people are making gains doing their workout, just like the larger non-muscle people like me are working hard to lose weight. The argument for/against PF is just tiring and not constructive. I was just trying to condense the tired arguments of pro/con of PF into an easy statement for the OP.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    I think the bigger issue is if you want to power lift or work primarily with barbell compound movements or like me, Oly lift, it's basically a non starter...I could see doing a BB program at PF. Most of my BB friends primarily work with dumbbells and cables with high volume.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    I think the bigger issue is if you want to power lift or work primarily with barbell compound movements or like me, Oly lift, it's basically a non starter...I could see doing a BB program at PF. Most of my BB friends primarily work with dumbbells and cables with high volume.

    You're def not going to be able to do Oly's. At any PF.
  • crummywatertowr
    crummywatertowr Posts: 45 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    I think the bigger issue is if you want to power lift or work primarily with barbell compound movements or like me, Oly lift, it's basically a non starter...I could see doing a BB program at PF. Most of my BB friends primarily work with dumbbells and cables with high volume.

    I understand. I coach high school football, and I wouldn't recommend my players to join PF, for those reasons. They do tons of compound movements and PF is not equipped for that. However, for someone like me, who has RA in remission, it's a great place for me to do high rep low weight exercises. Again, it's just about the goals of the person. I have access to my school gym 24/7 but it doesn't meet my goals. So I go to PF.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited July 2017
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    crummywatertowr wrote: »
    So the takeaway: If you want to to make gains in mass, don't go to PF. It doesn't have the equipment or weights for you to really do that. However, if you are looking for a place to do light weights (which for me and my RA is perfect) and cardio, it's a great place to work out. In the end, the only thing that matters is your goals and finding the gym/fitness center that meets them.

    I think the bigger issue is if you want to power lift or work primarily with barbell compound movements or like me, Oly lift, it's basically a non starter...I could see doing a BB program at PF. Most of my BB friends primarily work with dumbbells and cables with high volume.

    You're def not going to be able to do Oly's. At any PF.

    Olympic lifting is basically the only thing that keeps me in the weight room...if it wasn't for Oly lifting, I'd probably never lift. I learned in high school when I was a track and field sprinter and jumper and it was my primary way of weight training for my sport.

    My trainer gives me a bunch of other stuff to do as well, but it's the Oly work that gets me in the door...otherwise I'd just rather be on my bike or the climbing gym or hitting the trails on a mountain bike.

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