# PlanetFitness has a 'philosophy' that is ignorant and potentially dangerous
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [May 10, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456 "2012-05-10T01:28:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/41 "2012-05-10T05:24:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> Many others were kicked out that day, too. If you were to see me fully clothed, you’d NEVER think I was a bodybuilder or “meathead”. I don’t lift extraordinarily heavy weights, I don’t holler when I’m lifting and I never slam the weights down when I’m done.
How often do you use the gym?
Want to run a profitable gym? Here’s how it’s done. First, try to attract people who don’t like going to the gym: physician referrals are great for this. They sign up out guilt, keep their membership for 6-24 months and go maybe 2 or 3 times. Ever. Sort of like Netflix.
Second, discourage people from using free weights. Avoid the liability problem. Far better are the machines, though they don’t strengthen the body as well.
It sounds to me that you are exactly the sort of people they don’t want Ambi. They aren’t in the gym business. They are in the gym _membership_ business.
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/42 "2012-05-10T05:50:08Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> It was meant as an indictment of PF as an ignorant, potentially dangerous place for _anyone_ to use if they want to get in the best shape of their lives.
I work out. A lot. I’m in very good shape. I don’t see anything in the rules above that’s either potentially dangerous or in conflict with getting into good shape.
For starters, not grunting does not mean you’re not putting full effort in. It just means you’re not grunting. The two aren’t linked.
Secondly, if you’re exercising to failure with weights above your head and no spotter, then you’re an idiot. Most gyms I know would have a quiet word about that, just to avoid a lawsuit when you eventually self lobotomize.
Dropping weights as well. No, it’s not required. Even when you’ve hit failure point in a set you don’t have to release the weights. When you’re doing bench do you drop the bar on your chest after the last press? I’ve never seen anyone doing a barbell press suddenly having to drop it, but for some reason with dumbbells then it’s crash time.
Shit, even free pizza once a month isn’t in conflict. The whole idea of healthy living is everything in moderation. You eat pizza once a month, no problem. If you have a tendency to order out every week, you’re going to do that anyway.
So, let me repeat the same questions asked by others above. If you’ve been following the rules, not had any altercations, or anything else…why do you think you got canned?
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/43 "2012-05-10T05:52:30Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> It sounds to me that you are exactly the sort of people they don’t want Ambi. They aren’t in the gym business. They are in the gym _membership_ business.
Tell me a gym chain that aren’t?
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/44 "2012-05-10T05:53:51Z")
So once again people read a story that ordinarily would create outrage. But, because of the person who said it, once again, people are attacking him. Once again, supposed liberals are saying shit about how money is somehow more important than doing what’s right. They’re actually defending the corporation for discriminating against someone because it makes more sense monetarily.
As for the claim about an article: sure. A place that told him they banned him for dropping weights would report they banned him for something else. That’s not lawsuit material waiting to happen. I could believe you found something about an incident, but the idea that the article makes claims on why he was banned? Yeah, sure.
---
### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/45 "2012-05-10T05:59:32Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#):
>
> I work out. A lot. I’m in very good shape. I don’t see anything in the rules above that’s either potentially dangerous or in conflict with getting into good shape.
>
> For starters, not grunting does not mean you’re not putting full effort in. It just means you’re not grunting. The two aren’t linked.
>
> Secondly, if you’re exercising to failure with weights above your head and no spotter, then you’re an idiot. Most gyms I know would have a quiet word about that, just to avoid a lawsuit when you eventually self lobotomize.
>
> Dropping weights as well. No, it’s not required. Even when you’ve hit failure point in a set you don’t have to release the weights. When you’re doing bench do you drop the bar on your chest after the last press? I’ve never seen anyone doing a barbell press suddenly having to drop it, but for some reason with dumbbells then it’s crash time.
Once again, the familiar conflating of prior posts rears it’s head. I never _equated_ grunting to “putting full effort in”; what I said was that there are times when a modest grunt can be what is needed to propel a person past a sticking point. And I _absolutely_ never said _anyone_ was exercising to failure with weights above their head; with or _without_ a spotter; this is just a mish-mash collection of a few of my points mixed together. I used the example of exercising to failure to highlight the absurdity of expecting a person to be able to always set the weights back down in a controlled manner.
_In a completely seperate_ topic, I discussed the stupidity of the Lunk Alarm and I used the example of a person engaged in a heavy, overhead lift when the alarm gets unexpected sounded and the potential danger that can result. And there is a big difference between letting dumbbells go hurling down to the ground totally recklessly and letting go of them a few inches above the ground.
---
### Author:  [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/46 "2012-05-10T06:00:45Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> Not only disabled people can use arm-bikes; if they were to furnish their gym with one it would get more than enough use.
I guess this is possible, but honestly I have trouble imagining it. If people really were excited about this machine, why on earth wouldn’t the gym want to buy it? I just don’t understand this argument - they could make lots of good money off disabled people (and other people who want an arm bike) if they bought the right equipment, but they won’t because…why? They just don’t want disabled people in there? They’re in the business of making money - if it really was profitable to by these machines and cater to the disabled market, someone would be doing it already.
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> Get some perspective. What do you think it feels like to wheel into a gym as a paraplegic and try to fit in and exercise? I didn’t come out this way; I had to do it myself. Get over yourself.
See, here you’re giving away your actual, smug little feelings. You really hate when other people even look at you sideways, but you can judge all you want, right? Believe it or not, it can be very intimidating for some people to go to a gym, particularly if they are not in great shape when they start off. I am not actually familiar with Planet Fitness (as far as I know, they don’t exist in Canada), but clearly they are catering to that crowd. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe some people aren’t _going_ to the gym with intention of getting into tip-top physical condition, they’re going to drop a few pounds and just generally stay healthy? Has it ever occurred to you that the type of gym you might enjoy would be incredibly uncomfortable for them? You were a bad fit for this place, and apparently they realized that long before you did.
---
### Author:  [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/47 "2012-05-10T06:04:32Z")
I didn’t think I was attacking him, and I don’t have any issue with him (except that he fights the grey). I actually do believe that if they were not accommodating him, he would have had a case. I am not defending PF (I am actually pretty indifferent towards them) but I do know that businesses don’t like troublemakers and rabblerousers and Ambivalid is both. He doesn’t stay quiet and doesn’t back down (similar to how he is here) and is stubborn as hell. The fact that he repeated a behavior at a similar place he was kicked out of portrays him as difficult. I dig rabble rousing, but it comes with a price.
Actually, he was banned for swearing and yelling after blocking another member in, by his car, in the parking lot.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/48 "2012-05-10T06:05:56Z")
> [@Meyer6](#):
>
> I guess this is possible, but honestly I have trouble imagining it. If people really were excited about this machine, why on earth wouldn’t the gym want to buy it? I just don’t understand this argument - they could make lots of good money off disabled people (and other people who want an arm bike) if they bought the right equipment, but they won’t because…why? They just don’t want disabled people in there? They’re in the business of making money - if it really was profitable to by these machines and cater to the disabled market, someone would be doing it already.
>
> See, here you’re giving away your actual, smug little feelings. You really hate when other people even look at you sideways, but you can judge all you want, right? Believe it or not, it can be very intimidating for some people to go to a gym, particularly if they are not in great shape when they start off. I am not actually familiar with Planet Fitness (as far as I know, they don’t exist in Canada), but clearly they are catering to that crowd. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe some people aren’t _going_ to the gym with intention of getting into tip-top physical condition, they’re going to drop a few pounds and just generally stay healthy? Has it ever occurred to you that the type of gym you might enjoy would be incredibly uncomfortable for them? You were a bad fit for this place, and apparently they realized that long before you did.
SMH. Ok. I was a bad fit. I agree. Can we move on from this please and discuss the OP? And WHY WOULDN"T I understand how intimidating gyms can be? Do you think I was always in tip top shape in a wheelchair? HELL NO. I had to start somewhere. And of course I know not everyone goes to the gym with the same goals. MY POINT is that PF puts it into their philosophy, basically, that theirs isn’t a gym to go to when you want to get into the best shape of your life. Even for those who have never been to a gym in their lives, this seems like a strange message to be sending them.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/49 "2012-05-10T06:26:35Z")
> [@Dr.Love](#):
>
> Ambivalid, you might enjoy this [Daily Show piece on Planet Fitness](http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-14-2011/the-plight-of-muscled-americans). The workout shirt in the video is from Iron Sport Gym, which made [this response commercial to PF](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYGi40IZm3c). The look at 0:25 makes me laugh.
Jesus. I don’t think i had ever even heard of Planet Fitness before this thread, but the woman in the clip is fucking creepy. I’m no “lunkhead,” and i’m generally pretty quiet when i work out, but there’s no way i’d join a gym with those sorts of policies.
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#):
>
> I work out. A lot. I’m in very good shape. I don’t see anything in the rules above that’s either potentially dangerous or in conflict with getting into good shape.
>
> For starters, not grunting does not mean you’re not putting full effort in. It just means you’re not grunting. The two aren’t linked.
I think you’re right. A key issue is breathing, and breathing properly.
But there are still times when i’m putting in a lot of effort to push out that last rep and i let out an involuntary grunt. It’s never very loud at all, and i don’t yell like an animal like some guys, but (if the video is any indication) it would still be enough to get me in trouble at Planet Fitness.
Hell, the woman in that video made clear that loud exhaling would be enough to active the Lunk Alarm. I think that’s ridiculous.
I have no time for the testosterone monsters who turn the gym into some sort of theater, grunting and yelling and crashing weights. I also agree that there’s no necessary correlation between grunting and effort. I still think, however, that banning all such noises completely, and kicking out people who utter the occasional mild grunt, is pretty fucked up.
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#):
>
> Dropping weights as well. No, it’s not required. Even when you’ve hit failure point in a set you don’t have to release the weights. When you’re doing bench do you drop the bar on your chest after the last press? I’ve never seen anyone doing a barbell press suddenly having to drop it, but for some reason with dumbbells then it’s crash time.
I do agree with this, completely.
I do dumbell presses (flat chest press; incline bench; straight up shoulder press; decline bench) and other dumbell exercises (bent-over rows; curls; shrugs; flys) to failure, and yet i never need to drop the weights from a height at the end of my set. Even if i’ve exhausted myself and can’t push out another rep, i can still lower the weights to the ground or to the rack in a controlled manner.
There was a guy who used to come to my gym periodically who would do military presses while standing in front of one of the mirrors, and at the end of his set he would basically drop the bar from chest height to the ground. It was completely unnecessary, and incredibly fucking annoying. Of course, when i asked him to take it easy, he got in my face.
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/50 "2012-05-10T06:34:56Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#):
>
> For starters, not grunting does not mean you’re not putting full effort in. It just means you’re no grunting. The two aren’t linked.
Watch the Daily Show link. Breathing too heavily is enough to set off the Lunk Alarm.
> [@](#):
>
> Dropping weights as well. No, it’s not required. Even when you’ve hit failure point in a set you don’t have to release the weights.
For some lifts releasing and dropping the weight is the safest way to miss a rep. [Example 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfIVgRQ-YKA), [Example 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFJJlQ3p0k)
---
### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/51 "2012-05-10T08:08:11Z")
Based on the info in this thread it appears to me that Planet Fitness wants to have their cake and eat it too, they want people’s money BUT they also create such a restrictive and nebulous set of rules that they can kick out anyone who actually wants to make use of the equipment. I wonder how often Ambivalid was in there using the equipment and if he got marked as a regular to be got rid of.
I’m reminded of the cellular ISPs that kick customers off willy nilly, they say your transfer limit is 4 gigs a month but if you go over 500MB they kick you off. They don’t want customers who use the service, they want customers who pay the monthly fee and come in for an hour every six months to use the exercise bike.
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/52 "2012-05-10T09:49:33Z")
> [@Dr.Love](#):
>
> Watch the Daily Show link. Breathing too heavily is enough to set off the Lunk Alarm.
> For some lifts releasing and dropping the weight is the safest way to miss a rep. [Example 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfIVgRQ-YKA), [Example 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFJJlQ3p0k)
I can’t watch the Daily Show link given, as it’s US viewers only. Have looked for a UK version but no luck.
With regards to the example of a 140KG snatch requiring a drop, you’re quite correct. But if that’s the exercises you’re going for, why the hell are you training in a gym with a stated aversion to hard core weight lifters? I’d be as well complaining that all the kids at my local fun pool make it impossible to swim lengths. Horses for courses. You want to press big numbers, good on you - go find a suitable gym.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/53 "2012-05-10T09:55:15Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Once again, supposed liberals are saying shit about how money is somehow more important than doing what’s right. They’re actually defending the corporation for discriminating against someone because it makes more sense monetarily.
It’s just the break the Romney campaign has been looking for!
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/54 "2012-05-10T10:04:34Z")
Compare and contrast:
[QUOTE=Ambivalid]
By telling members, “No grunting”, PF is basically telling their members to never work 100%
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Ambivalid]
I never _equated_ grunting to “putting full effort in”
[/QUOTE]
So, 100% isn’t full effort now?
and
[QUOTE=Ambivalid]
I _absolutely_ never said _anyone_ was exercising to failure with weights above their head; with or _without_ a spotter
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Ambivalid]
This person, who is concentrating on the lift and has over 100lbs of iron over their head, has that concentration totally broken by the alarm
[/QUOTE]
OK. So this will be a 100lb over head that requires full concentration, yet hasn’t gone to point of failure, and has a spotter who’s also somehow not paying attention. My mistake.
Oh, and all the original quotes are from your OP, so please don’t tell me I’m conflating.
I note though you didn’t answer the key question here a number of people have raised. Why do you think they canned you?
---
### Author:  [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/55 "2012-05-10T10:05:32Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG]
Not really. They’re both all about how very abused and oppressed you are. There are always rules, and everyone has to follow them. Everyone thinks that they’re special, and by definition almost everyone is mistaken.
[/QUOTE]
> [@](#):
>
> Wrong. This thread ISN"T about me. This thread is about PlanetFitness and the ridiculous policies that are going to end up hurting someone and costing them in the long run. Please don’t try to twist this around
No, this thread is about how PF sucks so bad because they bounced you for absolutely nothing except for breaking their rules - but only just a little bit and only that once _right_?
Based on reading previous posts of yours I have to wonder how insistent/persistent/obnoxious you were about the cardio-equipment.
I find it difficult to believe that a chain like PF would be stupid enough to target a member of a visible minority so transparently and blatantly given that you live in the land of litigation.
I wonder if when you heard the “lunk alarm” (agreed that it is a stupid idea) just after you crashed weights, grunted or what have you you thought to yourself, “I guess some other asshole must be doing something wrong. Sure isn’t me.”
You seem to always be the completely innocent victim of malice and evil at the hands of… the world I guess. In my experience the more innocent someone tries to come off in cases like this the less innocent they are.
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### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/56 "2012-05-10T10:22:57Z")
The lunk alarm is stupid, AND ambivalid is a whining piece of shit!
---
### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/57 "2012-05-10T10:30:35Z")
> [@Meyer6](#):
>
> I guess this is possible, but honestly I have trouble imagining it. If people really were excited about this machine, why on earth wouldn’t the gym want to buy it? I just don’t understand this argument - they could make lots of good money off disabled people (and other people who want an arm bike) if they bought the right equipment, but they won’t because…why? They just don’t want disabled people in there? They’re in the business of making money - if it really was profitable to by these machines and cater to the disabled market, someone would be doing it already.
I don’t think we can totally discount the notion of discrimination against the disabled here. Even if the regular management of the PF gym in question was thrilled to have Jamie around, it could be this one guy is a complete dickhead and can’t stand the sight of disabled people. People don’t associate people in wheelchairs with gyms and athletics, and I’ve heard before comments that disabled people shouldn’t be in a gym “because they might get hurt”. Uh, yeah, right - I think our buddy here has some notion about what “getting hurt” is actually about, I mean, how do you think he wound up wheeling instead of walking?
Prejudiced people can be willing to forgo a surprising amount of money just so they don’t have to associate with “those people”, whether they’re disabled or black or something else. When it’s a measly $10 a month it makes it that much easier. There are still too many people who regard being disabled as a case of the cooties and contagious.
Or, yes, it could be **Ambivalid** being a total dickhead, but I think his main problem in these situations is that he’s an uppity gimp and doesn’t back down. It’s a trait that can be both admirable and irritating as hell.
I agree, though PF doesn’t seem to be a good fit here - they’re not catering to the person wanting to optimize their fitness and exercise, they’re aiming at the folks who are more casual in their approach and more modest in their goals.
---
### Author:  [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/58 "2012-05-10T10:47:11Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#):
>
> Tell me a gym chain that aren’t?
Most gyms are willing to provide services to the minority of customers who will use them regularly. PF just skims the most profitable customers from the market.
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### Author:  [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/59 "2012-05-10T10:58:00Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> Uh, yeah, right - I think our buddy here has some notion about what “getting hurt” is actually about, I mean, how do you think he wound up wheeling instead of walking?
No show without Punch, is it?
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planetfitness-has-a-philosophy-that-is-ignorant-and-potentially-dangerous/621456/60 "2012-05-10T11:00:13Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> I don’t think we can totally discount the notion of discrimination against the disabled here.
Considering all the links given above showing PF happily bounce people if they think they are being too loud/meathead/whatever, should it not require at least some evidence to suggest this is discrimination?
I mean, certain principles by Occam spring to mind here. We’ve got a guy who has already fallen out with one gym, and is rather militant in his dealings with others. He notes in his OP that he does grunt, and does drop weights. We’ve got a gym chain that blatantly aims for the casual market, and proudly states that they will ban people for behaviour they see as intimidating/whatever.
So, on that basis, tell me again why we have to think this could be down to discrimination?
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