Planet Fitness just found a way to make money by over selling memberships. I’d bet the average Planet Fitness has 2 or 3 times more members per square foot than other gym. They aggressively market to people who are less likely to attend regularly ie: the unfit. And they purposely make it uncomfortable for a person who would be a regular member. Most gyms are have plenty of the average “make it when I can” type members. But there’s a level of encouragement at a decent gym, even if it’s just having the machines around for folks that would like to push it further. Planet Fitness DIScourages that next level.
I have never been to a PF and I cannot pass judgment. However, the way the critics here post make me never want to go to any gym ever.
Yeah-your average nonfit person who just needs to get moving already anticipates attitudes like this. You can boast all you want about how helpful and nonjudgmental everybody at your “regular” gym is but your posts are just reinforcing the stereotype that people there will be looking down on you if you are not lifting to the point of muscle exhaustion or just want to walk on a treadmill for a half hour.
It certainly doesn’t help to know that others consider your attempts to exercise “pathetic”. Now I applaud you for helping your friend and I assume that she has asked you to help her get into weightlifting but the truth is that doing 30-40 minutes on a treadmill 3x/week is enough to maintain a reasonable level of cardiac health and not everybody wants to lift weights (although I do think it helps in weight loss and overall fitness). But the above kind of attitudes along with the insinuation that you’re not doing an adequate workout if you’re not lifting weights to the point of muscle fatigue (which I agree is absolutely necessary if you want to significantly increase your strength) is exactly why PF exists. I’m happy for you that exercise produces endorphins for you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way for everybody.
I absolutely understand why PF exists and I don’t think their rules are all that bad. As to whether they provide decent facilities for exercise I can’t say. They may be terrible. But you have just reinforced why their marketing works.
Your assessment is exactly correct. It’s also a good seque into addressing some of the points that were raised earlier.
So why shouldn’t there be different types of gyms? The answer: Absolutely none. Nobody’s saying that it’s wrong to have gyms that cater specifically to average Joes… or even the below average, if they so desire. Quite the contrary; I specifically said,
“If Planet Fitness would simply market themselves as a fitness chain for the average Joe, there would be no problem. Instead, they spread falsehoods, encourage poor eating and fitness habits, and depict fit people in horrible, insulting ways. It’s a recipe for pure mediocrity, and it shows that they have no regard for their clients.”
and Green Bean said,
If they offered the same limited equipment without the negativity, manipulation, judgemental attitude, dishonesty, and anti-fitness policies, people wouldn’t be railing against the place. It would just be a cheap fitness center that’s not quite a real gym, and there’s really nothing wrong with that.
Please note that I am not a bodybuilder, and Green Bean specifically described herself as an overweight, middle-aged woman. We don’t believe that gyms should be specifically for bodybuilders, and neither do any of the other PF critics here. Rather, our point is that your typical gym is already designed to be family-friendly. Nor is there anything wrong with having a gym that’s not particularly hardcore. Rather, it is the methods used by Planet Fitness – the falsehoods they spread, for example – that are problematic.
Justin Bailey denied my claim that Planet Fitness forbids people from carrying gallon jugs of water. His response? “Everybody is carrying around water bottles.”
First, I think most of us understand the different between water bottles and gallon-sized jugs. More importantly though, Planet Fitness is abundantly clear on this policy. It appears prominently in its own signage. This policy makes no sense, but it’s a good way to drive away hardcore athletes – the kind of people who are likely to carry gallon jugs around.
“… and I can’t even remember the last time I heard the lunk alarm go off,” Justin said, as though this somehow proved that the lunk alarm is not in use. There could be any number of reasons why he failed to hear this alarm. It could be that the local management chooses not to use it, in violation of corporate policy. Or it could be that the members have been conditioned to go easy on their workouts so that they won’t trigger the alarm. The bottom line is that the lunk alarm is one of PF’s distinguishing characteristics, and their own commercials call attention to its usage.
And so forth, and so on. The bottom line is that Planet Fitness defenders fail to understand why PF is so objectionable. There is nothing wrong with making casual gymgoers feel comfortable, but the methods they employ are completely unjustifiable.
That’s just it, most all gyms have most all types of people. Retirees during the day, young, obese,
fit and bodybuilders. I can see where some obese people might be intimidated working out along side bodybuilders. That said, nearly every gym I’ve been a member of have had supportive employees AND members. Most are nice people who are saying, “right on!” to anyone who’s there working out.
Planet Fitness exploits this intimidation, claiming they’re not for bodybuilders, but for less fit folks to workout comfortably. But their true business model is really to over sell memberships to people who’ll rarely workout so they can sell TONS of memberships. These members won’t notice the machines that stay broke for 2 months, lack of varied machines…the one I worked out in had the AC broken for a month in summer.
I’m not a bodybuilder, but I am someone who works out about three days a week. And their policies made it uncomfortable for me. I won’t rejoin.
I am utterly amazed, and frankly fascinated, by the way you managed to read negativity into the quoted comments. It shows a remarkable bias on your part.
I will elaborate on each below. I did not think I needed to when I originally wrote them because I figured the message was obvious and that I was already getting into TLDR territory. But apparently I should have. (One of them was from Chiroptera, but I can explain what she was saying)
Quote: **“Maybe one day she’ll produce an endorphin or two and start to get it.” **
Explanation: Many people feel good after exercising - peaceful, happy, energized. This is because the body can produce endorphins during and after exertion. If one has not personally experienced this, however, they may not really believe/accept that exercise can produce such good feelings. Chiroptera’s friend has been avoiding physical exertion her whole life, so it is likely that she has not experienced this phenomenon. Her level of exertion at this juncture may be appropriate for her current fitness level, but it is probably not intense enough to produce endorphins. I was expressing the hope that she will one day get that endorphin rush and start to a. understand why exercise can be enjoyable, and b. enjoy it herself. (As a postscript via a PM from Chiroptera - Later in the day that she did her lat pulldowns, she texted Chiroptera with “I feel good” and asked if she was going to the gym again the next day. Whether her good feeling came from actual endorphins or a feeling of accomplishment, she IS starting to “get it.” I fail to see how that could be considered anything but wonderful.)
Quote: “It is difficult for me to get inside the head of someone who has spent their entire lives avoiding and being afraid of physical activity”
Explanation: Chiroptera was NOT being critical of her friend. Given that she personally enjoys exercise, she is struggling with finding ways to help her friend past a mental block that she has never experienced herself. There is nothing negative about that, and perhaps she was hoping for some advice that would help her help her friend. If you have any, I’ll bet she’d appreciate it.
Quote: “BTW - what does she do while she’s on the treadmill? Watch TV?”
Explanation: There was NO criticism of people who watch TV while exercising in that comment. The fact that you left off the next sentence demonstrates that you are trying to make the comment seem disdainful. That sentence was:
The obvious point was “Maybe music will inspire her to increase her intensity and make her enjoy her exercise time a little more.” Plenty of studies have demonstrated that music can be a great motivator.
For what it’s worth, plenty of gym rats watch TV while on cardio machines. The machines in my gym are fitted with video screens too. And there are ceiling mounted TVs with closed captioning and doohickeys on the machines so you can choose which one you want to hear the sound of. AND many of the machines have ledges to put your own tablet computer. Different things work for different people.
I couldn’t address the rest of psychobunny’s post above because this lovely hospital “courtesy computer” kicks you off after a half-hour.*
Attitudes like what?
- I hope your friend starts to enjoy herself at some point.
- I want to help my friend but I’m not sure how.
- Maybe she should try listening to music on the treadmill.
Why are these sentiments distasteful to you? I really don’t understand.
Please explain how the above sentiments show that we’re looking down on anybody? I don’t understand that either.
Where was anybody judging Chiroptera’s friend (or anybody else) to be “pathetic?” If I thought she was so “pathetic,” how would she have inspired me to a personal best?
I did my lat pulldowns in her honor yesterday. She took a giant step out of her comfort zone and did 3 sets of 10 at 10 lbs, so for MY third set of 10, I did 10 at 10x10 (100 lbs). The best I had pulled before was 90 lbs. That set was HARD, but I thought about her with every rep and I did it! (And I did have to grunt-quietly-to get through the last 4.)
So maybe it’s really you that thinks she’s pathetic. I think she’s she’s an inspiration.
First, Chiroptera’s friend can’t be looking “to maintain a reasonable level of cardiac health” because she is not IN a reasonable state of cardiac health. She’s in very poor cardiac health, and she is trying to improve it. She needs to do a lot more, and she’s doing it.
Besides, "30-40 minutes on a treadmill can be done at a huge range of intensities, so that figure is meaningless. That workout could be worthless or really hard, depending on the person’s fitness level and how hard they’re working. “30-40 minutes on a treadmill with your heart rate in the recommended zone” is NOT meaningless. It’s an important distinction.
Yes, but not for the reasons you think.
It works because Planet Fitness is selling fitness-related negativity to people who are negative about fitness.
It works because it appeals to people like you, who are predisposed to negative attitudes about fitness and people who enjoy exercise. You took neutral to positive statements and because of your biases, spun them into judgmental and negative comments. You jumped to the worst conclusions possible.
- Mom had surgery yesterday. She’s fine, thanks. But since this hospital doesn’t have an open bed in a normal room yet (!), she’s still in the recovery area. Since I can’t sit with her there, I’m stuck here in the waiting room for the duration.
That appears to be how I would regard Planet Fitness (I have never seen one), and how they would regard me. I am hardly Mr. Universe material, but I have been lifting for thirty-plus years, and
[ul][li]I go to the gym 3x a week almost like clockwork[/li][li]I use free weights more than machines[/li][li]I especially need free weights for my bench press, and[/li][li]I need dumb bells that weigh more than 80 lbs.[/ul][/li]And in all the time I have been lifting, I have never heard anyone denigrate someone else for appearing in a gym while out of shape. And I have been in some fairly hard-core gyms.
It reminds me somewhat of adolescents worrying about whether their outfits are “cool” or not. Nobody is looking at you, nobody cares what you look like, and the serious lifters are too into their sets to bother you. If you want to ask a question or need a spot or aren’t sure how to use the equipment, go ahead and I will be glad to help. But apart from that, I am not likely to comment even in my head about how you look. You’re trying to improve yourself. That’s cool, so am I.
IME the serious lifters are the least likely to be judgmental about other people at the gym. We’re busy.
Regards,
Shodan
You and I are actually making the same point. From what you say, people at most gyms are helpful and supportive and apparently nobody cares what shape you are in. However, this culture is so denigrating to the unfit and the overweight that people have ingrained notions about how that will be treated especially by those who are fit and work out. While it’s certainly possible that these feelings are not true, they are deeply ingrained. There is a reason that chioptera’s friend was crying in the parking lot before going into the gym. PF is selling to people like her, not all of whom have supportive friends who are willing to work with them. It’s the same philosophy that made Curves so popular despite their questionable fitness routine.
Finally, although I understand how statements can be interpreted several ways, calling somebody’s treadmill workout “pathetic” without documenting what their heart rate is or whether they are working to target is insulting and derogatory. Maybe walking at 1.5 mph without any incline is enough to achieve a target heart rate in an obese person who has not exercised for years. It does not seem to me to be supportive or encouraging to use that term.
As we’ve been saying, psychobunny, there’s nothing wrong with having a gym that caters to people who are average or below average in their fitness levels. I personally applaud gyms that attempt to make such people feel welcome and alleviate their concerns. This is why you won’t hear me complaining about Curves, for example.
As we’ve emphasized repeatedly, the problem with Planet Fitness has to do with their methods – the deplorable tactics that they use to make the out-of-shape feel welcome.
If you go to Planet Fitness, and it allows you to get into better shape, more power to you (and to them). If it doesn’t, then go somewhere else. Like a regular gym, where you will notice what I said - we aren’t all training for Mr. Olympia, and what Planet Fitness told you about how judgmental we are isn’t true.
Do 3 sets of 8 with a weight that calls for moderate effort in the bench press, squat, lat pulldown, calf raise, and curl. Rest one minute between sets. End with a couple of sets of crunches, go and do 20 minutes of cardio of any kind you like. Then go home, and come back two days later and do it again. Repeat for six months.
You will be measurably, noticeably better feeling and looking.
Regards,
Shodan
I’m just saying, what Shodan outlines is almost exactly what I do at Planet Fitness…for only $10 a month. And if it’s what 90% of people at the gym do, I see no reason why they should not pick the cheapest option available. Planet fitness puts no obstacle in your way for a normal routine or even an above-average routine. There is nothing missing there that you would need in order to get in shape. I have no problem with other gyms in general, but if I’m not going to make use of their extended facilities, I see no reason to pay more to go there.
The vibe I was getting from posters in this thread is basically that planet fitness should not be considered good enough for people, and I see no reason why not. It offers everything the average gym-goer needs and more. And if they choose to create policies such as “no gallons of water” that makes it less likely for a serious bodybuilder to want to work there, that’s not offensive to me. Just like if a serious bodybuilding gym had a policy like “no weights under 100 lbs” to deter average folks, I wouldn’t find a problem there either. It’s just sound business practice if you’re focusing on a specific part of the market. It obviously works, too. And if someone can’t manage to keep themselves up with a workout routine, that’s hardly planet fitness’ fault.
And really, when you’ve got Green Bean in here saying “Does she lift weights? I mean real weights” in reference to a woman who broke down crying at the thought of going to the gym for the first time in her life…yeah, that does in fact sound like negative judgement to me no matter how much it’s sugar coated later.
Wha?
Real weights as in free weights as in “heavy things that you pick up, either directly or with a cable on a pulley” as opposed to resistance bands or resistance machines like Bowflex or Nautilus-type machines that use cams to vary the resistance at different points in the exercise or weight machines that force you into a single plane of motion. What did you think I meant?
Next time, try asking for a clarification instead of jumping to a conclusion.
P.S. She may have been crying in a parking lot a few weeks ago, but she’s lifting real weights now. Sorry if you find that gymtimidating.
If it works, don’t fix it.
What people are objecting to is that Planet Fitness’ policies (no heavy dumb bells, no grunting under load, no free weight benching, no deadlifting, no chalk or rosin) are not put in place to avoid intimidating other members. People who train heavy tend very much to be people who train often. Planet Fitness doesn’t want people to sign up at $10 a month and then train five days a week - they want people to sign up at $10 a month, show up once or twice, then not show up but continue to pay $10 a month so as to pretend to themselves that they are going to work out and get in shape.
If you are one of the exceptions, good for you, and I wish you the best. It’s like getting a credit card and paying off the balance in full every month - most people don’t do it that way, and therefore credit companies continue in business. But just like Visa would love to find a way to convince me to make only the minimum payment, Planet Fitness would love to figure out how to keep you paying but not working out. Thats their business model.
Regards,
Shodan
I just don’t see that much wrong with their business model and I don’t find their tactics “deplorable”. They don’t promise to be a hardcore gym; they only promise that you can get a low-level, low stress workout and what people are saying is that they deliver. There are people arguing that this is not an adequate workout in their opinion. Those people are not PF’s target market and are free to go elsewhere. You may disagree with their business model but it’s not shady to offer a low monthly price and aim it at low-utilizers. It is a business model and no worse than what the credit card companies do, as Shodan points out.
Some questions:
What’s supposed to be the problem with wearing jeans while exercising?
Why the hell does anyone need to have an entire gallon of water on hand? Are the water fountains too far away to get to when a water bottle goes dry?
As someone who is utterly indifferent to physical fitness, why should I be excited about PF’s $10/month fees? Personally, I’d prefer to not spend $50 every month by not belonging to Gold’s Gym (or one of that – crowd) than a piddly-ass ten bucks that not joining Planet Fitness would save me.
Question for the serious gym rats -
Assuming you have a house with a basement, why are you in a gym at all? You could get yourself a pretty decent weight set up for under $1500. For membership at a serious gym you are spending, what $50 to 60 a month? $600 plus a year? Under three years you have paid it off, four if you also want a really good set of dumbbells and a dip station. Saved time in transit, open whenever you have time, no wait for the equipment … Instead you pay $600 plus year after year.
What’s the attraction of being there rather than at home?
The rivets on jeans can seriously damage the upholstery of the gym equipment. That’s where the rules against it originated. Now it’s taken on a life of its own because people assume that there’s some fitness related reason for it.
It may not be just water. It wouldn’t be all that unusual for someone to mix in branched chain amino acids or caffeine or some other form of supplement.
Yes indeed and it’s a cool thing to see.
Green Bean has (via PM) been supportive and not at all denigrating - my fat friend would not ever have joined a Golds-type gym but she got past her parking lot freak-out and is forging ahead; and she is much more comfortable seeing all the other schlubby and un-fit people there.
I’m not overweight and am actually fairly fit, but I am a small-ish, almost 57-year-old woman and I can’t see myself ever needing to lift at or beyond the weight limits at PF. My only practical complaint so far is the free weight section is very small so walking lunges are out.
I’m not a “serious gym rat” but over the last 14 years I’ve belonged to, now three, gyms. As long as I am paying dues, I go at least 5x per week.
On a practical level: My house is seriously small. As in tiny. 750 square feet. No basement. I don’t know why you would “even assume” a basement. Most people don’t have one. A single treadmill would fuck up the [del]feng shui[/del] the usability of my limited available space.
Also, while I really enjoy going on hikes or walking my dogs regularly, I live in a region with pretty inhospitable winters. Plus I work, and on winter work days it is dark when I leave, and dark when I get home. Dark is fine, but not safe where I live. I live a few blocks from one of the most dangerous cities in the nation.
So in short: not everyone has a large house with space. Not everyone has a basement. Not everyone lives in a safe and friendly neighborhood,or in a spacious house. Your mileage clearly differs.
“Home” exercising is not an option for a lot of people.
Regardless of what may or may not be mixed in with it, no one except maybe a competitive bodybuilder who is on a pre-contest regimen needs a damn gallon jug of water. Guy at gym carrying gallon jug typically = douchebag.