Don’t think I want to join a gym, especially right now with all the New Year lemmings, but a Planet Fitness just opened right around the corner from me and I’m curious about it.
Putting my question here instead of GQ because I’m more looking for personal impressions and experiences of people who’ve had a membership there, or know someone who has.
My first knowledge of PF was from the series of “Lunk-Free Zone” commericals that started getting constant rotation-- the first one I remember featured a musclebound guy with an “Ahnold” accent repeating “I peek theengs ahp and I put them bahck dahwn”, being shown around by a PF employee who escorted him out the back door.
I figured the whole “Lunk-Free” thing had to be nothing but a sales pitch. But then I started hearing news reports: a guy getting kicked out for grunting too hard when working out; a woman (no Olympian, just a new mom working off birth weight) who either was warned or kicked out for looking a little too good in a tight-fitting leotard.
I understand the logic of creating an environment where ordinary, not in great shape people are comfortable working out to a point, but seems to defy logic that a fitness club would punish members for being too serious or successful. What happens when an out-of-shape shlub starts to show results and get in good shape-- do they have to “graduate” to a different gym?
I received a Planet Fitness membership for Christmas last year. I think I went maybe 5 times total.
It’s definitely a no-frills kind of place. They’ve got plenty of the basic equipment you’d find at any gym. The one I went to also had a separate room for free weights which was an overwhelmingly male zone (I never saw a female once in there). Mine also had a “stretching” area if you wanted to do yoga or such. It was a corner in the free weight room with a bunch of mirrors and mats. There were changing rooms/shower areas for both males and females. I never went in there.
What struck me different about was its no-frills, no hand-holding. Unlike other gyms I’ve been to, PF doesn’t have trainers available to help you – it’s presumed that you already know how to use the equipment, how many reps to do, how long to stay on, say, the treadmill, etc. There’s no way to officially chart your performance unless you take it upon yourself. Now, maybe there’s a separate membership where you get all that, but I don’t remember ever hearing/seeing such a thing. But it’s definitely not part of the basic $10/month membership.
Most of the people I saw there were young, although there were a few older people sprinkled here and there. Some of the guys using the free weight room seemed a bit menacing.
Overall, I didn’t feel comfortable, so I stopped going. Maybe I would’ve felt differently if I had sprung for a membership upgrade which would have let me go to any PF in the area :shrug:
But yeah, for a basic gym and for someone who already knows what they’re doing? You can’t beat the price.
I had tried to do a search for past Planet fitness threads before, but I got a server error the first time. I just tried again and I found these two interesting threads that I will post for the amusement and edification of others who may be interested in this topic:
I just joined the one around the corner from me and have been there a handful of times (so far).
I don’t have any experiences in gyms other than my gym in college, but it reminded me a lot of that. There were out of shape people, in shape people, and holyshitputdownaweight people all mingling together. Mine had a good 50/50 male and female ratio There are a shit-ton of cardio devices (take up the giant center of the room) and a free weights section in the back. Surrounding the square are also machines, and there are two designated abs section, a “30 min workout only” section, and a yoga section.
I did the upgarded membership so I can go to any PF and (the reason I got it) bring in a guest. Because of this I can do a buncha stuff that I haven’t tried yet: Tanning, Massage Chairs, Hydo-Massage, and some kind of “total fitness training” thing of some sort.
At the end of the day all I want to do is get into shape a big, trim down my stomach, get some definition in my body…all of which I can do there at only 20 bucks a month.
Last thing: It’s my workout day today, so if anyone wants me to check anything out let me know and I will
It might be dependent upon location, but nobody gives a shit about the whole “lunk” business at my Planet Fitness. There’s a bunch of guys who are buff in there (as well as everyone else across all ranges of fitness, age, and gender), occasionally dropping weights but not obnoxiously so, and nobody bats an eye. And the guys in there prove that you can get buff without having to scream either. Considering that there’s literally 3 other gyms within walking distance (Blink, Crunch, and UFC) and Planet Fitness still has a bunch of buff guys, the “lunk” thing is obviously not a problem. I’m not sure why people take jokes like, “they’ll throw you out if you break a sweat, hyuk hyuk” seriously. There’s no gym like that; the joke isn’t even founded on anything remotely realistic.
They do have policies in place such as, “don’t yell”, “don’t drop weights”, “don’t wear clothing with spaghetti straps”, “wear a shirt”, “wear proper shoes”, etc, but they’re more just reiterating common sense, courtesy, and something they can call a troublemaker out on to get them out the door faster, not that I’ve ever seen anyone act up or get talked to.
It’s literally just a plain gym with equipment, nothing special about it, it’s just due to the low price point they don’t offer a bunch of amenities like trainers walking around the floor. Fine by me, I’d rather take the low price.
My experience was much like this but not so much in a bad way. There was some staff you could ask “how do I do this” and a lot of help from other members. There were also some unofficial “clubs” who got together at set times for different exercise such as yoga and aerobics. Also ours tended more towards older people and people out of shape or not in the greatest shape - folks who could really benefit from a gym and not just add on to what they had. I actually made a couple friends there which never happened at any gym I went to before.
I liked it and if it was closer to where I live I would have stayed. Open one within say 15 miles of me and I’ll write the check tomorrow.
The one near me does set members up with free small-group sessions of going through the machines, showing you how to adjust and use them correctly, and figuring out good starting weights and reps. Like personal training, but with four or five people instead of one-on-one.
I don’t know how seriously they took the “lunk alarm.” In the few times I went, I never saw anyone appear to care what anyone else was doing.
As a fit-ish person, I found the fact that 80+% of the clientele worked out in jeans or jeans shorts and had BMIs solidly in the “morbidly obese” category off-putting. I’m not a gym rat or bodybuilder, but when nearly everyone in the gym is a “before” picture, I have to question the efficacy of the program. I’m not suggesting that people out of shape not work out, just that I’d feel more encouraged and like I was in the right place with a mix of people.
I have read that their business model relies on getting people to join and keep paying rather than actually go, so each location can have way more members than it could handle if people regularly entered the building, but I see that as a big plus for anyone who does use it, as they are getting a bargain.
I’m a current member and I go 3 or 4 times a week. Currently I only do cardio but I will probably expand to include weights at some point.
Each location might be a little different, but here is my experience: cardio equipment is kept very clean, usually while I am there I can see someone assigned to go around detailing the machines that aren’t currently being used (weight equipment I don’t know about cleanliness). Staff is friendly but not intrusive. A very mixed clientele: lots of both men and women, and the ages tend to skew either young or old, probably because it is inexpensive. That is, I don’t see a lot of prosperous middle-aged people. I use the locker room and shower - they are not luxurious but mostly adequate (the one I used to go to had a tiny locker room but very nice showers; the one I go to now has a very large locker room but the showers are a little more primitive).
The thing about the Lunk Alarm and No Judgement (not sure why they use Brit spelling, maybe it’s a Canadian company?) is to discourage intimidation by gym rats of noobs or other insecure people. The rules against loud grunting and against dropping free weights may discourage serious lifters (I used to see that quite a bit at the Bally Fitness where I used to go), I don’t know. There are also rules about attire such as no do-rags, which are supposed to have the same rationale. I can’t speak to the issue of the one woman’s outfit that you mention, I think that’s the sort of thing where you had to be there to decide if it was a good decision or not.
I don’t find their rules a problem, and I don’t miss the presence of those who do.
eta: they also have massage chairs and tanning booths, which are nice if you like that sort of thing.
I go with my friend sometimes and I think it’s totally fine. If you are comfortable with basic equipment, or you just want to do some cardio, it’s clean and well-lit and perfectly serviceable, especially for that price.
I’ve never seen anything happen with the lunk alarm, but I think most lunks wouldn’t find the right equipment at a Planet Fitness anyway.
BTW, I never once heard a lunk alarm nor one mentioned. The menacing-looking-to-me guys in the free weight room were probably the closest “lunks” there but they mostly kept to themselves.
My location definitely had more younger, fitter people, although there were definitely out-of-shape people sprinkled here and there. The latter tended to be there during the day; the former in the early morning and evening.
I’m not quite a ‘Tobias Fünke never-nude’ but starting in middle school I was never overly comfortable in locker rooms. But I had no problem with the ones at PF. They are completely modern and spotlessly clean. They feature several full shower stalls if you want to go right to work from there. Bring a small padlock for a locker. The lockers remain unassigned but there were always plenty of them.
They do offer weekly, free classes about general fitness goals and will sit down one-on-one with you (once) to help you plan whatever it is you want to get out of your membership. I never experienced anything bad or intimidating at all at PF, and I’m easily intimidated about physical activities.
This. It’s a basic, no frills service. The staff are friendly but stay out of your way.
Btw, the basic “black card” membership lets you bring one guest for no charge on every visit. And free use of the electric massage chairs/tables. It’s a great deal.
My wife finds the purple-and-yellow color scheme to be off putting.
It’s definitely not a “pretty” place and the clientele is very mixed.
There is in one section a self-guided machine-based routine with a timer and buzzer indicating when to rotate.
I’m a little embarassed to be posting here, given that one of the threads referenced by the OP was started by me and I was leery and dismissive of PF.
Fast forward a couple of years. PF is the most, no, the only, gym that is directly on my way to work and close. And it is $10 a month. And a good friend joined at the beginning of January when they were doing $1.00 join-up fees.
So, I joined PF. I have gone, like a lemming, every day for the last 15 days. While I still roll my eyes and want to slap an employee stupid every time I see the “judgement free zone” and “no lunks” message, I haven’t seen evidence of this. Nor have I heard the stupid “lunk alert” alarm; I don’t know what it sounds like. And they have free basic classes five days a week.
I see people wearing jeans and hajib and baggy sweats and a lot of very fit younger people, many clearly extremely fit people and a lot of very schlubby fat and skinny and old people. I know it’s only been two weeks, but I have belonged to high end gyms before and I have to say, this, so far, is fine. I work up a sweat and lift whatever weight limits I’m able, there is almost always unlimited access to weights and machines.
For ten bucks a month, so far I am cool with this.
My understanding is that’s the business model of every gym in America; get people to sign up (and perhaps agree to automatic payments) but to eventually stop going.
Been a member for a couple of years now. I like PF a lot. The only problem (if it can be so called) is that membership is so cheap, I don’t feel financially guilty when I don’t go.
I’ve actually been considering pitting the place for actually working against people’s fitness goals.
People who pay and don’t show up provide an important revenue stream for gyms, but I wouldn’t say it constitutes their business model. Rather, it’s one component of their business plan.
Except for Planet Fitness. Their business model really does seem to be to get people to pay and not come.
You didn’t join because you’re insecure and ignorant about fitness. You’re not buying into their manipulative bullshit. You made a considered to join because it works for you, and that’s nothing to be embarrassed about.They’re the ones who should be embarrassed about the way they do business.
