Best gym to join? Ymca or planet fitness

aliciaxcore1
aliciaxcore1 Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking to join a gym. I want to focus on cardio as well as strength training. I don't know which will be better to join though. Any advice? Thanks

Replies

  • melissafeagins
    melissafeagins Posts: 1,421 Member
    edited April 2019
    MikePTY wrote: »
    A YMCA will have more available in the way of free weights and benches for weight training.

    This. And my YMCA has really nice pools and a great group exercise schedule.
    That said, I have never been to Planet Fitness. One just opened in my town, but I haven't visited it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,810 Member
    Planet Fitness typically will be cheaper.

    I belong to the Y (more offered, feel happy with it as an all-round community-building resource).
  • debraah66
    debraah66 Posts: 62 Member
    I have a similar dilemma but most likely I will go with the Y because I want to be able to exercise in the pool. Theres no pool at Planet Fitness.
  • bodyofartsandmuscle
    bodyofartsandmuscle Posts: 63 Member
    I’m at planet fitness and I enjoy it, it’s affordable as well. Don’t know much about YMCA tho but planet fitness has all the machines I need to make goal and I’m trying to get fit.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Scout both, see which one fits your goal and feels more comfortable. If one is closer, take that into account because you're more likely to go if it's more convenient. There is no absolute best, there is "best fit for you".
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    If your strength training plan includes lifting heavy forget Planet Fitness, they have an aversion to barbells, squat racks etc. PF is inexpensive and a good value for someone looking for mostly cardio and a strength routine based on machines & dumbbells.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    aliciaxcore1 wrote: »
    I am looking to join a gym. I want to focus on cardio as well as strength training. I don't know which will be better to join though. Any advice? Thanks

    If you are new to lifting and want to save money, then Planet Fitness.

    If you are an experienced lifter, want a wider range of strength training equipment, have a bigger budget or qualify for a scholarship, and/or hate the color purple, then the YMCA.

    Also, all the YMCAs to which I have belonged have had a pool, so that may be a plus.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    I enjoyed the YMCA for the indoor and outdoor pools. I did not like the weight room, it was super small. My boyfriend liked PF, but he switched to Crunch with me and he likes Crunch better than PF overall, but thinks PF has better tanning. Not sure if you have Crunch gyms where you live. I do think its cool that the YMCA offers low membership costs to low-income families.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    One other thing to add, take tours of each place and see where you feel most comfortable! I know Crunch gives free 7 day passes so you could also do that at each place if they let you, or pay for a day pass to the YMCA and see how you like it.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    YMCA does a lot for the community, so if it fits in your budget go with them. The ones near me had a great area for lifting, had the machines, and had plenty for cardio. However, if Planet Fitness is what you need for your budget, do it. I had to leave the Y b/c when I turned 30, my rate increased. I'm now at a local gym which has everything that I need, cardio, weight room, weight machines, etc. Check locally as well to see if there are gyms within your area that are within your budget and give you what you need.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    YMCA does a lot for the community, so if it fits in your budget go with them. The ones near me had a great area for lifting, had the machines, and had plenty for cardio. However, if Planet Fitness is what you need for your budget, do it. I had to leave the Y b/c when I turned 30, my rate increased. I'm now at a local gym which has everything that I need, cardio, weight room, weight machines, etc. Check locally as well to see if there are gyms within your area that are within your budget and give you what you need.

    I was going to say the same thing. If your budget can allow it (and the Y does a sliding scale), hands down the YMCA for humanitarian reasons. I would gladly pay a bit more to support my local Y if I had one close. I love the YMCA's support for communities and for serving the underprivileged.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    Scout both, see which one fits your goal and feels more comfortable. If one is closer, take that into account because you're more likely to go if it's more convenient. There is no absolute best, there is "best fit for you".

    This! Check if you can get a one week free trial at each and see which one meets your needs the best. Consider availability of equipment, availability of staff/trainers (if that's important to you), hours of operation (including stat holidays), price (if that's important to you), etc.

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