Thank you Planet Fitness...

24

Replies

  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member

    I honestly cannot think of any exercise as being intimidating. This sounds so bizarre.

    That's not the worst of it.

    http://www.cc.com/video-clips/yp51yc/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-plight-of-muscled-americans
  • Lobsterboxtops
    Lobsterboxtops Posts: 92 Member
    spartan_d wrote: »

    I honestly cannot think of any exercise as being intimidating. This sounds so bizarre.

    That's not the worst of it.

    http://www.cc.com/video-clips/yp51yc/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-plight-of-muscled-americans

    Oh dear

  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    Hmmm. Careful what you wish for. Your gym probably relies on new years resolutioners to stay in business.
  • GW4321
    GW4321 Posts: 523 Member
    I understand the criticism that Planet Fitness gets, but it's probably an overreaction by many. If you put in the effort, then you can get a good workout anywhere.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    My gym on January 2nd 😂

    0ds0avaebrct.jpg

    I can't say I blame everybody though. Planet Fitness type prices with full service gym quality. Love this place.

    ::shudders::

    An annual reminder (not that I need one) why I love my basement gym.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Bari_Tone wrote: »
    Planet Fitness (PF) has opened a second new gym in my town. As such, my full service gym at about 4 times the cost of PF ($11/month), has no holiday/New Year's crowds developing yet. I mean hardly any new faces at all! We'll see what next week brings, but both PF parking lots are already full.

    I hope Planet Fitness opens another gym so maybe my gym will start lowering prices.

    My gym is not by a PF (neither is my house, but I realized reading this thread that my standard for close is definitely a big city one, since I mean "short walk"), and it's also located in the downtown area, so has been much less crowded than usual this week and last. I am sure that will change as of Monday, however.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    My gym on January 2nd 😂

    0ds0avaebrct.jpg

    I can't say I blame everybody though. Planet Fitness type prices with full service gym quality. Love this place.

    Is that a Cruze Fitness?
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,816 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    My gym on January 2nd 😂

    0ds0avaebrct.jpg

    I can't say I blame everybody though. Planet Fitness type prices with full service gym quality. Love this place.

    Is that a Cruze Fitness?

    No it's called SmartFit. I don't believe they have them in the US but they are a big Latin American chain. They only opened in my country less than a year ago but they have been blowing it out of the water because they are great deal.
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
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  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    edited January 2020
    spartan_d wrote: »
    fqvfa760l4ay.jpg

    The no jeans and no sandals is common at the gyms I've been in. Fastners on jeans can rip pads and liability issues with sandals when a weight drops on a foot (to be honest though shoes typically worn in a gym won't help much with drops),

    The rest PF judgement.
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
    It's really
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    fqvfa760l4ay.jpg

    The no jeans and no sandals is common at the gyms I've been in. Fastners on jeans can rip pads and liability issues with sandals when a weight drops on a foot (to be honest though shoes typically worn in a gym won't help much with drops),

    The rest PF judgement.

    I certainly don't have an issue with the "no jeans, no sandals" rule. It's the "no bodybuilders" graphic that's kinda mean-spirited. Hence the arrow.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    edited January 2020
    MikePTY wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    My gym on January 2nd 😂

    0ds0avaebrct.jpg

    I can't say I blame everybody though. Planet Fitness type prices with full service gym quality. Love this place.

    Is that a Cruze Fitness?

    No it's called SmartFit. I don't believe they have them in the US but they are a big Latin American chain. They only opened in my country less than a year ago but they have been blowing it out of the water because they are great deal.

    It looks and sounds pretty similar to Cruze. I just started up with Cruze yesterday...I haven't been in a big corporate type gym in ages, so it was a bit of a shocker with the crowds.

    I've been going to a privately owned studio gym that specializes in personalized training and nutrition for the last 3-4 years. You can't just walk in off the street and be a member. Most people are there for the training, however there are a handful of us the "executive memberships" and access to the gym. Problem is that it's expensive for a studio with what would be considered to be a first class home gym setup...plus the training sessions on top of that. I'm still working with my trainer once per week but decided to test the waters elsewhere for my day to day gym.

    Cruze has quite a few amenities that are of interest to me. They have a great weight room, and unlike PF have power racks, squat racks, and dead lifting platforms. They also have a variety of classes, including spin...I love cycling and spin classes are what I used to do at previous gyms during the winter months when it's cold and dark. They also have lap pool, 2 infared saunas, 1 steam sauna, hottub, and massage chairs. It's pretty well spotless and you get all that for $22. Hopefully the crowds will die down in a couple months.

    They have another higher up membership level that also includes all of the yoga studio and barre classes as well as group trainer classes...which I haven't yet figured out how they are different from the bootcamp type classes you get with the $22.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    GW4321 wrote: »
    I understand the criticism that Planet Fitness gets, but it's probably an overreaction by many. If you put in the effort, then you can get a good workout anywhere.

    This.

    I've been a member of the local Planet Fitness for several years now. My experiences there have always been positive. The location I go to -> the equipment is new, the facility is clean and secure, and I've not had any issues with the staff or other people working out.

    I do see on these MFP Community Boards that Planet Fitness gets a certain amount of criticism (right or wrong). But Planet Fitness seems to be doing okay for themselves, and I think they're probably laughing all the way to the bank.

    I think the biggest criticism stems from the fact that if you can't do squats or deadlifts, etc and they don't even have the equipment to do it...yes, you can use a smith machine to mimic the movement, but it's not the same thing. I don't know how very traditional and fundamental movements to weight training could possibly be considered "lunk" behavior.

    I'm by no means a "gym rat"...bodybuilder...powerlifter, or anything like that. I lift primarily for maintaining my health as I age and some asemblance of a reasonable physique at 45. I squat, deadlift, bench press, clean, etc because these are traditional movements that have been at the foundation of weight lifting forever. These are things I learned as a teen when I ran track and wrestled...these movements are some kind of weird intimidating "lunk" behavior. I think that's largely where the criticism lies.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    spartan_d wrote: »
    GW4321 wrote: »
    I understand the criticism Planet Fitness gets, but it's probably an overreaction by many. If you put in the effort, then you can get a good workout anywhere.

    Most critics would agree that you CAN get a good workout there. Oh, sure, you'll see some who say that you won't make any gains there. I'd say that's hyperbole though, as most serious gym goers understand that you can make progress using just bodyweight exercises, and that you can even do so outdoors.

    The issues they have with PF tend to fall into the following categories:

    There are probably a few more, but hopefully you all get the idea.

    My son was working as a bartender while in school and would go to a PF for a quick workout when he finished at the bar. He said when he got there at 2AM the attendant was generally asleep and he did anything he wanted.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    GW4321 wrote: »
    I understand the criticism that Planet Fitness gets, but it's probably an overreaction by many. If you put in the effort, then you can get a good workout anywhere.

    I don't think anyone would argue that you can't get a good workout at PF. I just don't understand how if I use an olympic bar to do bench press or squat or deadlift or clean that somehow makes me a lunk when all of those lifts are traditional lifts and have been a fundamental and foundational aspect of weight lifting for ages. And how are these anymore intimidating than using dumbbells or mimicking those same lifts with a smith machine?

    They need to do something about that color scheme too. I had a membership for a short time to do winter cardio as there is a PF about 5 minutes from work...all of the purple and black machines and purple and black walls make it kind of dark and depressing in there IMO. I have never felt as depressed and unmotivated to workout as I ever did walking into PF.
  • Bari_Tone
    Bari_Tone Posts: 45 Member
    Well - it is "next week" and we do have some new faces and a pretty close to full parking lot (but no parking in the grass needed) at my full-service, premium priced gym; However, PF has so much traffic (at 5:00 PM) the parking lot is gridlock and the traffic spills back 3 or 4 cars onto the road.