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Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews
May 2, 2008 on 7:47 pm | By Matt | In Gym & Health Club Reviews |The Planet Fitness Health Club Chain Promises a Less Intimidating Gym Experience, But Do They Deliver? And At What Cost?
Gym/Health Club: Planet Fitness
Location Reviewed: Northville, MI
Hours: Varies by location; many locations 24 hours
Ratings (1-4 Scale: 1= poor, 2= fair, 3= good, 4= excellent)
Cleanliness: 3
Weight Training Equipment: 2
Cardio Equipment: 3
Fitness Knowledge of Staff: 1
Amenities: 1
Overall Facility: 3
Price/Value: 3
Overall Rating: 2.2
Planet Fitness Review
First, let’s be honest: gyms and health clubs can be intimidating places, especially for a beginner. If you are overweight, out of shape and trying to live a more active and healthy lifestyle, being surrounded by really in-shape people can either be an inspiration or incredibly demotivating.
And because everyone’s goals are different, most gyms will attractive a diverse group of people, from hardcore bodybuilders, to power lifters to soccer moms and teenagers. This of course varies tremendously from gym-to-gym, but in general, gyms are a microcosms of the rest of society. And like the rest of society, we have to live with each other and get along. Period.
Gyms can also be a magnet for all kinds of stupid and annoying behavior, from high school kids loitering around the bench press and flexing in the mirror, to middle-aged “bodybuilders” in striped clown pants grunting loudly with weights that don’t really warrant that level of exertion, to rude patrons who needlessly bang weights around or leave their equipment strewn across the floor behind them after each exercise like a Tsunami of sweat, testosterone and ripped Gold’s Gym shirts.
So when Planet Fitness says it wants to change that and make gyms a little less intimidating for average people, the fitness populist in me says “it’s about time.”
Before we go any further, however, a quick disclosure.
I’m currently a member of the Northville, Michigan, Planet Fitness. The Northville location used to be an excellent premium, full-service gym called “The Water Wheel Health Club.”
Two years ago, the owner converted it to a Planet Fitness. I stayed on primarily for the location and convenience. This is not the first gym I’ve belonged to (I’ve been a Powerhouse member in the past and have spent a fair amount of time in other gyms over the years), so I have a pretty good feel for how different gyms stack up against each other.
While my review discusses some specific qualities of the Northville Planet Fitness location, it still is part of the overall Planet Fitness chain, and is subject to the same corporate policies as other locations. So the general experience is probably consistent with other Planet Fitness centers, with some exceptions that I discuss below.
The Planet Fitness Philosophy: Judgment Free Exercise
Planet Fitness, based in Dover, New Hampshire, is one of the fastest growing fitness chains in the country, with new locations sprouting up every day. In 2006, Planet Fitness acquired Joe Gold’s (of Gold’s Gym fame) World Gym franchise, which certainly jumpstarted their recent expansion. To date they operate around 260 Planet Fitness locations in 23 states.
So here’s the concept of Planet Fitness: Create an inexpensive, clean, low-frills fitness center that caters to beginning exercisers by creating a “judgment-free” gym. Emphasize machines over free weights, and enforce a code-of-conduct among members that discourages some of the more intimidating behavior you might find in a more hardcore gym.
So far, so good.
What To Expect at a Planet Fitness Center
Here’s what you should expect to find at the typical Planet Fitness gym:
- No squat racks
- No dumbbells over 70 lbs (in some gym locations this may go up to 80 lbs)
- Limited barbells (often only two to three bench presses)
- Prohibition on use of chalk for heavy lifts like deadlifts
- Preference for machines over free-weights
- Higher ratio of cardio machines versus weight and resistance training equipment
- No group exercise rooms
- A dress code that prohibits certain articles of clothing like bandanas, skull caps, jeans, boots, do rags
- No cell phone usage on the floor
- Ban on grunting, swearing and “psyching-up” rituals
- Ban on excessive noise (like banging dumbbells or dropping weights)
- A Giant Purple “Lunk Alarm” light in each major area of the gym that the staff will activate when someone breaks the code-of-conduct.
In theory, many of their policies make sense.
The cell phone usage policy is one that I wish more gyms would embrace, since there is nothing more obnoxious than listening to someone blather on about their colonoscopy at the treadmill next to you or pace around the free weight room on their Nextel talking to their girlfriend.
Also, discouraging excessively loud grunting and dropping of weights is also something more gyms should consider emulating. It’s rarely necessary to do either one of these activities to work out effectively (although, just to be fair, there is some evidence to support that grunting does assist in exerting more force during certain lifts.)
The dress code is a bit silly, since if someone wants to dress like a pirate and wear a do-rag, it’s not really your gym’s job to play the role of fashion police, as ridiculous as you may look. Your lack of dates will probably help you learn that faster than a Planet Fitness staffer or an alarm on the wall.
What About The Planet Fitness Lunk Alarm?
It’s this controversial “Lunk Alarm” that has gotten the gym most of it’s attention, both favorable and not-so-favorable.
Planet Fitness defines a “lunk” as anyone who engages in disruptive or obnoxious behavior in the gym (dropping weights, swearing, grunting, etc.) or someone who “judges.”
The “judges” part is interesting, because clearly Planet Fitness itself pre-judges its customers on how much weight they can lift or how serious they are about their training. The heavier you go, their theory seems to suggest, the more likely you are to be a “lunk.” The correlation is thin, at best. But it works for their marketing and it makes things much more black and white for the gym staff.
It’s also arguable that the term “lunk” in Planet Fitness’ eyes is really a code-name for “bodybuilder” — a clientele they clearly do not cater to, even if those bodybuilders are polite in the gym (which, believe it or not, they often are.) Indeed, the gym deliberately limits its free-weight equipment to deter bodybuilders from joining the fitness center.
The Planet Fitness ”Lunk Alarm” is applied as a form of social pressure to essentially embarrass anyone who exhibits these behaviors, either intentionally or accidentally (which does happen some times.)
It’s a high-pressure, highly-public form of humiliation that’s intended to enforce the gym’s code of behavior. Whether you approve of the Lunk Alarm, or think it’s an obnoxious, heavy-handed tactic of social control, will really will depend how far you think gyms should go to publicly-enforce codes-of-conduct among their members. There are probably more subtle ways to weed out impolite behaviors in the gym (like maybe just taking someone aside and suggesting that they take it down a notch), but this level of subtlety doesn’t have as much mass marketing appeal as a big purple light.
To Grunt or Not To Grunt?
The Lunk Alarm and the Planet Fitness practice of revoking memberships of people who violate the gym’s code of behavior hasn’t come without it’s share of controversy. In 2006, the New York Times picked up on the story of Albert Argibay, a bodybuilder and corrections officer, who had his membership yanked for grunting during a particularly heavy set of squats. 
Management called the police, he was escorted from the gym, and he filed suit against Planet Fitness for defamation. Whether Argibay’s suit has merit is unclear, but the New York Times article does do a nice job of exploring some of the issues raised by Planet Fitness’ desire to micro-manage their members behavior so closely
Use of the “Lunk Alarm” also seems to vary based on the particular Planet Fitness location and whoever may be on staff at that time.
Some Planet Fitness locations and operators are less zealous in their use of the “Lunk Alarm” — and some locations have never used them. However, the “Lunk Alarm” is ever-present at any Planet Fitness franchise, looming over the gym like a great big purple reminder that if you stray to far from the Planet Fitness “philosophy”, you’ll be instantly called-out … and maybe kicked-out.
For some people, even those of us who find some of the idea of less grunting and posturing a good thing — the Lunk Alarm seems a bit over-the-top. It clearly has been a great marketing gimmick for the Planet Fitness franchise, and even the negative publicity it has garnered for them seems to help them further position their gym as a place for “regular people.”
What To Expect From a Planet Fitness Facility
Despite the lack of amenities that more upscale gyms and health clubs offer, the Planet Fitness facilities themselves are generally clean and well-maintained.
Because this is a relatively new chain, most of the equipment will be new or only a few years old. If you are looking for things like towel service or little perks in the locker room, like private lockers, this isn’t the gym for you. Some locations have even removed the omnipresent bathroom scale in the locker rooms, ostensibly to discourage people from not only judging each other — but apparently even judging themselves.
Most locations also offer tanning beds for those of you who want a little fake and bake with your workout. Customers can pay for use of the tanning beds by session, or if they upgrade to the Planet Fitness Black Card, they get free, unlimited tanning including in their monthly membership. This seems to be a particularly popular membership perk among high-school girls, who appear to be joining Planet Fitness in droves (at least at my location) more for the cheap tanning, than to stay in shape.
The chain also recently added coin-operated “massage-chairs” like you find in the mall to many of their locations. Again, with the Planet Fitness Black Card upgrade you get free use of the massage chairs to help you work out those kinks that you acquired from your Judgment Free workout. It also helps with digesting the free pizza and bagels they serve you once a month.
Be forewarned also that if you have an aversion to the color combination of purple and yellow, you’ll pass on Planet Fitness purely on the aesthetics. The chain has ensured that the colors permeate the entire gym, from the custom paint jobs on their resistance machines to the walls, carpet and floors. I personally don’t have a problem with it, but some people may find it kind of garish and distracting.
What To Expect from the Equipment at Planet Fitness
Again, because most of the Planet Fitness locations have opened in the past 2-3 years, the equipment itself is typically new and in good shape. The franchise has some fairly strict rules around what types of equipment their locations can and can’t offer (more on that in a second), but the operators are given some leeway when it comes to other equipment that they provide, especially cable machines.
For example, at the Northville, Michigan Planet Fitness that I based this review on, they feature a dozen expensive, high-quality FreeMotion Fitness strength machines which are very effective at emulating a free-weight workout on a cable machine.
In terms of variety, you’ll find most of the standard basic pulley-and-lever resistance machines, as well as a smattering of other cable machines, including the standard cable-stack stations. You typically won’t find multiple-installations of the same machine, nor some of the variations on machines that you might find in a Golds Gym, Powerhouse Gym or Life Time Fitness. This may vary from location-to-location, however.
Be aware, also, that the franchise purposely limits the amount of weight available on these machines. Again, the point here is to discourage heavy lifters (aka, “lunks”, apparently) from joining the gym. Advanced trainees may find themselves quickly hitting the maximum weights on a lot of these machines, which means if you want to continue progressing, you’ll either have to figure out a way to put additional stress on your muscles through slower-reps, more reps or higher set volume, or switch gyms.
Planet Fitness also offers a light-weight 30 minute circuit workout.
This consists of a series of stations with lever-and-pulley machines for each major muscle group. A green light tells you to start performing the exercise, and a red light tells you when to stop and switch machines. This is actually not a bad approach for beginners, and it takes some of the guesswork out of ordering exercises and choosing rep and set ranges. So while it’s not for me, or other more experienced members, it is a nice feature for people who are just getting started.
What About Free Weights?
If an extensive variety of free weight equipment is what you crave, you’re probably not going to love Planet Fitness.
They generally limit the number of available bench presses to three (less, in some locations), ban squat racks at the corporate level for all franchise locations, and limit dumbbells to 70-80 lbs. You won’t find traditional chin-up bars or T-Row Bars, either (although they may have a assisted pull-up station which is an acceptable substitute.)
They also seem to deliberately limit the amount of plates available for barbells and the Smith Machine to discourage heavy lifting. At the Northville location, you’re prohibited from using barbells for standard exercises like deadlifts, bent over rows, cleans or standing military presses. This seems to be a standard practice across all Planet Fitness locations. The size of the weight room at my gym is also limited, which is a bit ironic, because based on how crowded it usually is, it’s apparent that there is a demand among clients for more free-weight options.
For a beginning or intermediate lifter — and most women — the lack of weights above 80 lbs probably won’t be an issue. However, if you are serious about your training, it’s likely you’ll eventually max out on their weight selection. You can always switch to barbell moves, where it’s possible to pile on more weight, but in terms of dumbbells, you’ll be dead-in-the-water.
That Missing Squat Rack?
The lack of squat racks should be a concern to anyone who is trying to get a well-rounded workout.
Squats are fantastic compound exercises that almost everyone should incorporate into their workout, regardless of their experience level. They prohibit squat racks because they believe it encourages “lunks”, but it really does a disservice to their clients. Planet Fitness seems to believe that a Smith Machine is an acceptable replacement for a squat rack, but Smiths are among the most dangerous machines when it comes to encouraging injury, since they have a tendency to force you into unnatural planes of motion and place unnecessary stress on connective tissue.
Again, because there is some variation in equipment from location-to-location, you’ll want to take a tour of the facility before signing up to see if it will meet your needs. You’ll also want to consider where you expect to be in terms of strength eight months from joining, since you may find yourself outgrowing their equipment or weights.
Cardio Machines
If pounding away on a treadmill or elliptical machine is your cup-of-tea, you’ll generally be happy with Planet Fitness.
The chain tends to have a fairly wide-variety (and large number) of cardio equipment, including elliptical trainers, treadmills, stair-steppers, and recumbent bikes.
In terms of entertainment, most locations have a series of big-screen TVs that you can plug into and share with other exercisers. At the Northville location, they also have some cardio units with their own built-in entertainment centers, which can come in handy if you aren’t interested in watching another episode of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” with the rest of the hamsters in the cardio room.
Aerobics and Specialized Classes
Planet Fitness does not offer aerobics or specialized group classes like pilates, kick-boxing, Body Pump, or yoga. So if this is important to you, you’ll need to find another gym, or supplement your Planet Fitness membership with walk-in classes offered by other gyms, the YMCA, or a local community rec center.
Gym Staff and Personal Trainers
Some Planet Fitness locations may have independent personal trainers available if you need one, but they are not included in the membership package, and they typically don’t keep trainers on staff, even for hire.
Also, don’t expect to get much of an orientation from the staff showing you how to use the equipment. When you join Planet Fitness, you are pretty much on your own in terms of figuring out what to do. The staff is primarily there to scan people in, sign up new members, give prospective gym members tours of the facility, schedule tanning bed appointments, walk around to make sure people aren’t grunting, and depending on the location, activate the Lunk Alarm.
This isn’t as much of an issue for people who are already experienced at weight training, but for beginners, it’s critical.
Also, it’s important to know that their staff is not necessarily trained or certified in the fitness field. Since they are primarily hiring people to check clients in, the staff doesn’t have to have any fitness expertise or experience to work at Planet Fitness. In other words, they are just as likely to work at Wendy’s, as they are at Planet Fitness. Remember, this is McExercise, not the fitness equivalent of dinner at Spagos.
I personally have some issues with the lack of basic instruction on use of gym equipment at Planet Fitness, especially since they deliberately try to appeal to “average people” with little or no exercise experience.
There is a legitimate concern about safety and whether Planet Fitness, for all of it’s talk of empowering people to improve their health at their own pace, really has “average Joe’s” best health interests in mind. Clearly their emphasis on keeping costs down is behind their lack of trained staff, but it’s questionable whether they are really doing their novice clients any favors by skimping in this area. At every gym, you see people performing exercises incorrectly or with ineffective (and often dangerous) form, but this seems to be even more prevalent among the Planet Fitness clientele at my gym.
The Planet Fitness Gym Clientele
Obviously, the clientele at any given Planet Fitness gym will vary based on the location and how aggressively they enforce their “No Lunks” policy.
In general, expect to find a lot of casual exercisers, quite a few people with little experience in the gym, a ton of teenagers (since the $10 a month membership fee and tanning is appealing to this group), and a smattering of people who are serious about their fitness training.
The lack of certain basic free weight equipment will naturally limit the number of powerlifters, serious bodybuilders and even more experienced fitness buffs (male and female) that join the gym. It is possible for an advanced trainee to get a pretty good basic workout with the equipment available at Planet Fitness, but again, you have to get creative, especially without the squat rack and weights that exceed 80 lbs.
At the Planet Fitness that I belong to, the management is reasonable and does a generally good job at running a good shop. I’ve never seen them use the Lunk Alarm, and they take a more one-on-one, individual approach to enforcing the gym’s code of conduct with people who may occasionally slip up. I appreciate this, since I don’t think gyms need a bunch of wanna-be fitness Torquemadas running amok in the weight room. I do know that some people have had their memberships revoked for repeated violations, but this is probably the exception, versus the rule. I hated it when they removed the squat rack, but I adapted (although I wish it were still there.)
Complaints About Planet Fitness
My two biggest gripes have less to do with the equipment and more to do with a desire to see the chain do more about discouraging certain behaviors not from “lunks” but from their “Average Joe” clients.
The first complaint is that Planet Fitness could do more to educate their new members on basic gym ettiquete.
It’s not unusual at my location to see people leisurely camping out on equipment and benches (I’ve even repeatedly seen a guy reading the newspaper between his sets on the pec deck), hovering around your bench waiting for you to finish, not re-racking weights, or jumping in on a piece of equipment between your sets without even asking if you are done or if they can work in.
While this behavior isn’t unique to Planet Fitness, it’s ironic that the chain focuses all of it’s attention on gross violations like grunting from “lunks,” but doesn’t hold its other members accountable to the far more common violations of simple gym etiquette.
My second gripe concerns the proliferation of teenagers at my location — especially in the already congested free-weight room.
I fundamentally have no issue with teens wanting to workout and weight train (and actually think it’s great), but there seems to be a lot of loitering going on, and very little weight lifting among this group. And because Black Card Memberships allow you to bring in a free guest, I suspect there is a lot of doubling-up going on among ’bros who bring their buddies in gratis.
With limited space in the free weight room, and limited equipment like bench presses, the teens have a tendency to not only overcrowd the free-weight room while they watch their buddies pump iron, but they also round-robin on the benches which can tie up the equipment for better than 30 minutes without a chance for anyone to work in.
Again, these experiences may be unique to my particular Planet Fitness location, but it’s a product primarily of their drive to sign-up new members without providing any coaching on how to behave in the gym — which, of course, runs counter to their whole marketing pitch about creating a more respectful environment.
Perks: Free Pizza, Bagels and Candy?
In addition to the free tanning and Shiatsu massage chairs that come with a the Black Card upgrade, Planet Fitness offers three other perks to all of their members: free pizza once a month, free bagels once a month and the ever-present jar of purple Tootsie Rolls at the front desk.
Yes. I’m not joking.
When you join Planet Fitness to get in shape, once a month they reward you for those 300 calories you just burned on the treadmill with a nice 500 calorie slice of greasy, cheap pizza from a local pizzeria. Or how about a giant, high-glycemic carb bagel to set you on your way to great summer abs? And when you’re done working out each day, grab a couple of purple Toostie Rolls loaded with high fructose corn syrup.
This whole thing would be laughable if it wasn’t so absurd. I can understand providing some kind of “treat” to your customers every once in a while, but outside of serving fried chicken or corn dogs, I can’t think of two more unhealthy foods to offer. A better approach would be to provide some type of healthy snack for their members, that helped them get an idea that eating better can taste good as well. Why not wraps, high-fiber protein bars, or even a healthy version of pizza?
How Much Does a Planet Fitness Membership Cost?
Setting aside some of the limitations of the gym, there is no doubt that Planet Fitness offers one of the lowest monthly membership costs in the industry.
The basic package is $10 per month, with a one-time $59 start-up fee. The membership also is month-to-month, so if you move or decide to switch gyms, you’re not locked into paying-off 12-month contract. The worst that would happen is you if you left is that are out your $59 start-up fee. The basic membership is exactly that — you get use of the Planet Fitness facility (but not the massage chairs or tanning beds) for yourself. And of course, you get that free slice of pizza and bagel.
For the basic membership, you’re looking at about $180 dollars a year. This is a great value for someone who is new to the gym, because it allows you to get started with minimum financial commitment.
The Planet Fitness Black Card option is $19.99 and doesn’t have a start-up fee. However, it DOES require a 12 month minimum term, so if you need to cancel your membership, you’re going to have to ante up the balance.
The Planet Fitness Black Card
The PF Black Card (the $19.99 upgrade with the 12 year contract) does comes with a few perks:
- Free reciprocal use of all Planet Fitness Franchise Locations
- Unlimited use of the Planet Fitness massage chairs
- Unlimited Planet Fitness guest privileges (so you can bring a spouse or friend along with you for free)
- Unlimited tanning
- 1/2 price cooler drinks
- A Planet Fitness T-Shirt
The biggest value to the PF Black Card membership is the guest privileges, since it’s nice to be able to bring someone along for free without the high charges usually associated with day passes at other gyms. Also, if you happen to travel a lot to cities with Planet Fitness locations, the ability to workout for free is nice. Finally, setting aside the health concerns of regular tanning, the free tanning alone makes the upgrade worth it, since a typical tanning package from a tanning salon would cost you around $20 a month itself.
With the PF Black Card upgrade, your total cost of membership for a year would be $240 dollars.
Additional Planet Fitness Black Card Perks
In terms of the other perks, the 1/2 price cooler drinks isn’t that impressive, because their selection has been deliberately limited so as not to appeal to bodybuilders, serious fitness devotees or powerlifters. You won’t find protein drinks, but instead a pretty weak selection of Gatorade, bottled water and Vitamin Waters.
The massage chair is okay. I sat in it once when they first got them to try it out, and have never used it since. At my location they don’t seem to be used very often (except by the staff), so this just feels like another Planet Fitness franchise gimmick to make you feel like you are getting something more with your membership. Looks good on a marketing flyer, though.
Finally, the Planet Fitness T-Shirt isn’t anything to write home about — it’s your basic Beefy-T with a big “Planet Fitness” logo on the front (with the PF “Thumbs Up!”) and some marketing blather on the back about how being a black card members has it’s perks. Basically free marketing for Planet Fitness, provided anyone would actually want to wear this monstrosity of a T-Shirt. I cut mine up for cotton rags to wash windows with. I’m sure there are plenty of other, more creative uses for this.
Be aware that Planet Fitness loves to run their regular membership package and the PF Black Card upgrades as “limited time specials.”
I’ve seen the same specials being run “for a limited time only” with an actual date for when the promotion ends, only to see that deadline continuously extended in perpetuity. So if the staff tells you this promotion is about to end and you need to make a decision now on your membership, there’s a good chance that the exact same promotion will be running two months later should you return.
Should I Join Planet Fitness?
Like any decision you make, whether Planet Fitness is the right fit for you, will depend a lot on your experience in the gym, your health and fitness goals and your budget. If you are just starting out and are concerned about investing in a gym membership that you may rarely use, then Planet Fitness makes a lot of sense.
Also, if you find yourself feeling intimidated by other gyms you may have visited that are filled with hardbodies and chiseled abs, Planet Fitness might be exactly the environment you need to start getting in-shape, at your own pace, without the attitude and additional pressure to fit in.
However, if you are a beginner and are hoping that the gym staff will give you extra guidance on how to structure your workouts, use the equipment and develop a healthy diet to support your fat-loss and exercise regimen, it will be difficult to find that level of support from your typical Planet Fitness location. Remember, you get what you pay for, and at Planet Fitness, that’s typically a clean gym, a bunch of cardio machines, some basic weight training equipment and not much else.
For experienced trainees or more serious bodybuilders or power lifters, Planet Fitness will probably drive you up the wall.
Buyer Beware: Not A Gym For Everyone
If you are looking for a hardcore gym, don’t let the cheap price entice you in. You’ll be singled out fairly quickly as a “lunk” — especially if you subscribe to the “grunting helps you lift more weight” camp — regardless of how polite you otherwise try to be.
Setting aside whether this is fair or not, Planet Fitness clearly doesn’t want you there, and they’ll remind you of this every chance they get with their goofy “Judgment Free Zone” slogans and purple alarm. Save yourself the mental grief and just head back to Powerhouse, which has a better selection of equipment, anyway. You’re not going to change Planet Fitness, no matter how much the rebel in you tries.
Making The Most of Planet Fitness If You Decide To Join
That’s not to say that you can’t be serious about fitness and weight training and still take advantage of the low-cost and basic equipment that Planet Fitness offers.
Personally, I’m a back-to-basics guy, and aside from not having a squat rack, I’ve managed to continue to progress fairly well even with some of the equipment constraints Planet Fitness has placed on me. Even without the squat rack, there are plenty of ways to adapt your workout to continue making progress.
In some ways, I kind of like the challenge that comes with having to work under less than ideal equipment conditions. Kind of like the soldiers in Iraq who make barbells out of broom sticks and sand-filled water containers. I admire that ingenuity.
For example, performing walking lunges with 70 lbs dumbbells would challenge even the heaviest of squatters. Sometimes I think we’ve grown spoiled with all of the fancy Plate-Loaded machines and working with limited resources forces us to change things up more often — and that’s always a good thing.
A Niche Product That Some People Will Love
I also suspect that women (even females who take their weight-training very seriously) will generally find Planet Fitness a pleasant place to workout. It doesn’t have the same “meat-market” feel of a Crunch or LifeTime Fitness, and the weight room will likely be more inviting to a woman than the one at Golds. And because women aren’t typically going to max out over 80 lbs, the dumbbell weight restrictions are less of limiting factor than for men.
Bottom line is to know what you are getting into … and not getting at all.
You have to admire the marketing chops of Planet Fitness, since they clearly understand that if you don’t stand for something … you’ll stand for nothing at all.
Regardless of your feelings for their heavy-handed tactics, there is no doubt that they are appealing directly to an underserved market segment that will likely respond favorably to their pitch. And with more big fitness chains fighting for market share, their angle will probably work. Just understand this before you fall in love with their $19.99 price tag …. it does come with lots of strings.
Planet Fitness Update (9/12/2008)
After publishing this review of Planet Fitness, the manager (Dan) of the Planet Fitness that I belong to pointed out a few things that I wanted to pass along.
Since my goal here was to provide a fair and accurate assessment of what to expect at Planet Fitness, there are a few valid points that deserve some additional attention. Rather than going back and changing the original review, I’m going to deal with them here. I’ll let you make your own conclusions.
First, in terms of the age of equipment at Planet Fitness (and I have seen a fair amount of complaints from other members at Planet Fitness locations around the condition and age of equipment), I’ve been told that all Planet Fitness locations are required to update their equipment every five years. Take-away here is that if you are considering joining Planet Fitness, you should check with the management before joining to see when their last update was.
In terms of the apparent deluge of teenagers loitering around at my particular Planet Fitness location, management tells me that Planet Fitness Black Card member guests must be at least 18 years of age to use the gym, and they are required to sign a document stating so. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to use the equipment.
Practically speaking, this hasn’t really resolved the issue I have with the groups of near-teens dominating the little equipment available as they do whatever it is they are doing — but this is really has to do with not having enough available equipment to accommodate the new members they are recruiting. Add some more equipment, and I really don’t care how long you sit on the bench press between sets or how many of your buddies are cycling in.
Planet Fitness Cooler Drink Discount for Black Carb Members
Management points out that the half-off cooler drinks for Planet Fitness Black Card members are a great deal if you take advantage of it. If you drink 10 drinks a month, you basically gain back the difference between the Black Card membership and the normal membership cost in savings. I’ll buy that, but my complaint about the cooler drinks has less to do with the discount (which I actually think is good) and has more to do with the drinks that they offer. Selection is limited to Gatorade and recently — energy drinks like Rock Star. There’s not a single drink available in the cooler that provides protein, so they aren’t particularly useful post-workout. I rarely use this benefit for that reason. Add some protein drinks like Isopure in the cooler and I’ll change my mind on this. Also, what’s the deal with the Rock Star energy drinks? They are basically nutritionally-empty. I could think of a dozen drinks that would be healthier for your members.
The Infamous Planet Fitness Bagel and Pizza Nights
The management of my local Planet Fitness says that the free pizza and bagel nights are a “member appreciation” perk that is intended to show that “we are all human and pizza and bagels are okay in moderation.” Okay, I get this. People can have cheat meals and still hit their fitness goals. I don’t eat clean 24/7 and readily admit that. That said, I still maintain that one of the responsibilities of a gym or health club is to encourage people to understand that there are healthy options out there besides bagels and pizza. People have plenty of opportunity to eat crappy food all day long outside of the gym, they don’t need a “Planet Fitness” member appreciation pizza nosh to give them permission to eat junk food. They are probably doing it already. So let’s not pile it on more. If there is one place that you should not be greeted by fast food, I’d argue it should be a gym or health club. I’m still not convinced on this one guys.
Why In The World Does It Seem Planet Fitness Corporate Doesn’t Want You To Contact Them?
Since originally posting this review, I’ve had a number of questions from people about various Planet Fitness policies.
My local Planet Fitness has been great about clarifying things when they can, but sometimes, there are questions that are best answered directly from Planet Fitness corporate. For instance, there was a complaint from a South African about their local Planet Fitness posted in the comments on this review. I suspected that this was a gym not associated with the Planet Fitness franchise in the U.S. — but there was no way to confirm with Planet Fitness themselves because they do not (as far as I can tell) provide any method on their website of contacting corporate directly. Perhaps I missed it … and if I did, please correct me here. This is unfortunate, because if the reader’s comments had nothing to do with Planet Fitness US, I wanted to make sure this was clear.
I’m going to give Planet Fitness the benefit of the doubt here and chalk this up to an oversight. But based on some of the negative feedback (along with plenty of positive, to be fair), one has to wonder why any company would not provide a direct, and immediate method for its customers to provide feedback online to them? I would hate to think this is to avoid having to deal with negative feedback. Several times I have asked Planet Fitness CEO Mike Grondahl to respond to certain questions from readers here, and I haven’t heard back from him (despite knowing for a fact that he is aware of this review, since he has commented here once already.)
If you’re going to run a business, you’re going to take the bad with the good. I’ve found in my career that most people are reasonable when it comes to issues they have with companies, so why does Planet Fitness.com make it so damn hard to contact them? I just don’t get it. Maybe Mike Grondahl can provide a reasonable answer. We just need to hear it. So what is it Mike?
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Tags: 30 Minute Workout, Albert Argibay, Beginners Gym, Cardio, Exercise, Fitness Center Reviews, FreeMotion Fitness, Gym, Gym & Health Club Reviews, Gym Membership, Gym Reviews, Health Club Reviews, Judgment Free Zone, Lunk, Lunk Alarm, Mike Grondahl, No Grunting, Northville MI Planet Fitness, Personal Trainers, PF Black Card, Planet Fitness, Tanning, Weight & Resistance Training
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Great post. I once asked a staff member if the alarm really works. Nope! Just a scare tactic. (At a location in New York City.)
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews from Answer Fitness®…
The Planet Fitness Health Club Chain Promises a Less Intimidating Gym Experience, But Do They Deliver? And At What Cost?…
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
[…] mbenz_fs wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTags: 30 Minute Workout, Albert Argibay, Beginners Gym, cardio, Exercise, Fitness Center Reviews, FreeMotion Fitness, gym, Gym & Health Club Reviews, Gym Membership, Gym Reviews, Health Club Reviews, Judgment Free Zone, Lunk, … […]
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 am
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June 10th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Wow I barely can believe anyone could know this much about PF…….. one thing you don’t know is “LUNK” came from the 3 stooges which my Dad called me most of the time while growing up.
Yes, the LUNK alarms do go off…. but they are meant for fun. If it is too hard on your ego then you take yourself a bit serious.
I think you are pretty fair in your review…. but man what do you do in your spare time ?
Mike Grondahl PF CEO
June 16th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Mike, thanks for stopping by. I’m actually quite impressed:
a.) that you are close enough to your business to think of Googling it (you’d be surprised at how many CEOs aren’t) and
b.) that you have the courage and foresight to start a friendly conversation here around my review and some of the points it raises.
At a business level, I have to admit that I admire what you’ve created with Planet Fitness, even if I have some criticisms of it. You definitely have defined a market niche, positioned yourself into it, and stuck to your guns.
In terms of my knowledge around PF … I’m a member, so I have first-hand experience with both the Northville location and a few others I’ve visited while travelling. So I guess you could say I’m highly-qualified to comment on the details of what it’s like to be a Planet Fitness member.
I also take some pride in being able to write balanced, well-researched articles. I’m not interested in ranting or doing a hatchet job on anyone, although I might make some smart ass comments every now and then for effect. I’m glad you think I treated PF fairly — that was my goal.
My main objective was to let people know what to expect with Planet Fitness. Nothing more, nothing less.
What do I do in my spare time?
Well, I spend about 90 minutes a night in your gym, about 60 minutes a night blogging about fitness and the rest of the time I’m checking my Blackberry as part of my “day” job.
Also, thanks for the background on the term “lunk” — I think I’ll add it to the main article.
One last question: Any thought of providing members with a basic orientation to PF that includes a primer on gym etiquette? And maybe better training on the equipment? And what about the suggestion to provide more healthy snacks and food to people in place of the pizza and bagels? Seems like a no-brainer to me and would silence one of the chief talking points of PF critics.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:19 am
They opened up a planet fitness down the street from me and everyone thinks its a joke! i work out at my gym and hope they will go out of buisness. This article was so helpful because people are always asking about planet fitness but i never know what to tell them! THAT GYM SHOULD NOT EVEN BE CONSIDERED A GYM! ITS FOR FAT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO STAY FAT AND EAT PIZZA!
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Very informative review. I was just on PF’s site thinking about joining. The monthly $10 fee got my attention although after the start-up fee & annual fee the 1st year cost comes out to about $16.58 @mth (a 60% increase from what’s advertised). Well after reading this review & few others I wouldn’t go near a PF. No jeans! No grunting! Scare tactic alarms! Employess (gestapos) patrolling the premises. PF sounds a bit too totalitarian for my liking. I’d prefer to pay more at another Gym/Health Club & retain my human rights.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I have always been intimidated by gyms, and I grunt when I work out, it is just natural for me. So I don’t think they are really taking away the intimidation factor.
When I think about why I am intimidated by gyms it comes back to a few things:
1) I am always thinking I am doing something wrong and other people are looking at me and laughing in their heads.
2) I always feel like people who are in better shape have more of a right to be using the equipment that I am using.
I think a general overview of gym etiquette would really help to solve each problem (I think this would even be a good post idea for Answer fitness).
I think another way a gym could do it is by raising the price of entry for everyone but adding a “roaming trainer” who is always looking to help those who may be using the equipment incorrectly. This would still cater to a specific sector of the market, and would effectively eliminate the “Lunks” who would not be willing to pay extra for this perk.
Overall, I would think that by instilling more rules the gym is a more intimidating place than a normal gym would be, but the mere fact that the CEO cares enough to comment makes me want to check it out.
July 1st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
The planet fitness I belong to is barely worth the $10/mo. Much of the equipment works poorly if at all and the audio for the treadmills either doesn’t work or only picks up 2-4 televisions. It’s OK for the money, but just barely.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Music system is very cheap and they play it too loud.
When certain mamagers are there it is louder.
there seems to be a need for a policy on that.
Personally I think no music would be the best and customers can bring there sound devices and listen to what they choose.
Sometimes the music is so loud you can’t listen to your own music on head phones.
If you ask the (inexperienced)workers to tuen it down they get scared and say. We can’t do that.
the management won’t allow it. I don’t believe them.
Plus the music that is played is awful with no beat.
Also how can you expect a room ful of people to want the same thing? I find that impossible.
I say…”Shut the music off” Who needs it?
July 9th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I just joined a planet fitness a couple weeks ago and absolutely love it! i am a female and never worked out much until now, but i love going to planet fitness. i dont feel like i am being watched by everyone, and im comfortable to work out. the staff does walk around but its not like they are hunting you down or watching you. like stated in the article, yes there are guys that are a lot of muscle, but there are also people of the complete opposite size! i would recommend it to anyone!
July 10th, 2008 at 7:13 am
My husband and I belong to PF in Stoughton,Ma. Can’t beat the price and it’s very clean. We love it. It’s busy but not over crowded. The staff is friendly but does not parade around patrolling the place. People of all ages,shapes and sizes seem to work out and respect each other. We have lockers and showers. No, the lumk alarm has never gone off. We have several popular personal trainers who do long or short term training. Sure, I would recommend a healthy snack option, like protein/fruit drinks or gum. I defintely think that it’s irresponsible to not provide some initial training on the equipment. That could also be done on the PF website which I was very suprised not to find. Although it’s not for everyone. I think its a great, affordable choice in a gym.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
My wife joined PF this week and I went along with her at the weekend. As a runner/cyclist, I was happy to see such a large array of cardio equipment.
The review seems fair to me. A few gimmicks to attract the average person in the door - certainly the tanning is what enticed my wife to sign up.
I have to thank Shelby for his/her comment - shows exactly why there is a need for Planet Fitness; so the rest of us can work out without being subjected to the likes of Shelby.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Thanks for stopping by Steve. I try not to censor comments — seems like it’s generally best to let people speak for themselves, and allow smart individuals to make their own conclusions.
Which is exactly what you did.
PF isn’t for everyone — and it’s not intended to be. The main thing is whether you found a place that you feel comfortable going to. It’s better than the alternative — which is being so demotivated that you never use your membership and your health doesn’t improve.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Thanks for the review, and I also enjoyed the comments. My sister and I are considering joining a PF in Greensboro NC and this page has helped me make up my mind (I’m going to join at the basic level). I’m disappointed to learn the staff are not into training or teaching members how to use the machines. Since I’m more experienced than my sister, I now know I’ll have to help her get acquainted with the equipment, if she also decides to join. A very useful site, Matt, thanks!
July 16th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Here is a link to epinions’ currently 82 reviews regarding planet fitness. The overall rating of Planet Fitness is 2 out of 5 stars. ENJOY!
http://www0.epinions.com/Planet_Fitness/display_~reviews
July 17th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Patsy, thanks for the comments. I do want to make a correction to the original review based on some recent information I got from the operator of my Planet Fitness. Planet Fitness DOES offer an orientation for any member to the equipment and will go over the basic exercises. I wasn’t aware of this because I was an existing member of the previous health club before the transition to PF and didn’t really go through the whole members-benefits routine. So you should definitely ask whether they offer that kind of orientation at the Greensboro location and have your sister take advantage of it. Best of luck in hitting your fitness goals! - Matt
July 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Matt, great review man. My local gym just closed and I am going to check out a PF tonight (NYC location). I’m glad I was able to get a good idea of what to expect from your article. Will check back in once I go to see this place.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I have a question. I will like to ask you if the gym provide a daycare for kids & babies???
July 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Great Detailed Post! Gave me all the information that I needed
July 27th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Great DETAILED post. Let me know everything I needed.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:17 am
Anyone who works out with resistance equipment, male or female, rather they weigh 80 pounds or 300 pounds, rather they compete in bodybuilding contests or not, regardless of age, regardless of fitness level, is a bodybuilder. With that in mind, this is not an issue of bodybuilders versus non-bodybuilders, this is an issue of men versus women. Planet Fitness discriminates against men of all colors in general, and minority men in particular. They like to use the terms “Lunk” and “Do-Rag” to vilify men with muscles in general, and black men with or without muscles in particular, but the true definition of a bodybuilder is a person who works out with weights.
Based on the real definition of bodybuilding stated above, in order for Planet Fitness to not cater to bodybuilders, it would have to remove all of the weight resistance machines and all of the free weights. The only equipment that should be in their gym should be exercise bikes, stair-masters, and elliptical machines. Planet Fitness’ stating that it doesn’t cater to bodybuilders without the removal of all weight-bearing equipment is the equivalent of saying yes we have basketball courts but we don’t cater to basketball players. Yes we have tennis courts but we don’t cater to tennis players. Yes we have a golf course, but we don’t cater to golfers. Because they took away only the heaviest of equipment, the equipment most likely used by men, this is discrimination against men who weight train and not discrimination against women who weight train.
Every fifteen to twenty minutes, via Planet Fitness’ audio system, you’ll hear the following male-bashing commercial:
“Remember at Planet Fitness there’s no Lunks (Dumb Men), no Bodybuilders (Dumb Men with Muscles), no Critics”
Imagine the reception this female-bashing public service announcement would get:
“Remember at Planet Fitness there’s no Dumb Blondes, no Fat Chicks, no Critics”
Or better yet, how about this lifestyle-bashing one:
“Remember at Planet Fitness there’s no Jews, no Gay People, no Christians”
I don’t have a problem with a women’s only facility. I understand that some women don’t feel comfortable working out with men. I do however have a problem with a gym that says it’s a “Judgment Free Zone” and then judges and discriminates against men.
Listed below is a hyperlink to my experience with Planet Fitness and the discrimination I had to endure because of my gender and my race:
http://www99.epinions.com/content_425941962372
Gender is a federally protected classification. So if you are a man of any color and you were discriminated against because of your gender, please contact your state’s civil rights commission or your state’s Attorney General’s office. No man regardless of color or fitness level should ever have to go through what I went through.
July 29th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Michael, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the honest, well-thought out perspective on Planet Fitness and their club policies. I actually recently read your ePinions review, so I’m familiar with your issues with PF and I think you raise some interesting points. While I would agree with you in principle that anyone who works out with weights — male or female — is trying to add muscle or strength or both, I’m not sure I would go as far as to say the definition of a “bodybuilder” is someone who simply works out with weights. “Bodybuilder” has a very specific definition (and some very subjective connotations, as the Planet Fitness case shows.) A “bodybuilder” is typically a person who not just trains with resistance, but also trains with the goal of maximizing hypertrophy or size. Not everyone who lifts weights has that goal — you could be resistance training to improve sports performance or conditioning, to improve muscle endurance, to increase metabolism to lose body fat, increase core strength, etc. And depending how you resistance train, you may not actually put on much size at all. That’s the definition. Planet Fitness has taken it a step further and has added all kinds of “connotative” stuff to their definition of “bodybuilder”: amount of weight you use (over 70 lbs is the threshold in PFs mind apparently between bodybuilder and whatever everyone else who lifts under 70 lbs is); clothing (do-rags, stocking caps, work boots, whatever); choice of equipment (squat racks, T-Row bars, Olympic weight equipment, etc.); behavior (grunting, dropping weights, swearing); and food (whey drinks, gallon jugs of water and protein bars.) In other words, they have created a stereotype (a clownish one at that — right down to the caricature of the “Lunk” that’s plastered on the walls) in order to make their own “judgments” easier to execute on. As you point out, the problem with this stereotype is that you can be a perfect gentleman in the gym and be respectful and courteous with other members, but if you exhibit ANY of these traits (and they are pretty broad) you’re going to get swept up in the generalization. Let’s also be honest here: there are also plenty of people (yes, primarily men) who by choice decide to dress and act within this stereotype. All you have to do is go into a Powerhouse Gym to see a walking, talking example of this stereotype: ripped muscle shirt, unnecessarily loud grunting on moves or with weight that doesn’t really warrant it, slamming weights around, a constant stream of “fucks” coming out of their mouths; and yes, “do rags” and “skullcaps” — which certainly have a religious role for some people — but for a lot of these guys, are worn because they saw Jay Cutler in Muscular Development wearing one. The flip side is that their are also a lot (probably more) male bodybuilders who don’t exhibit any of these outward characteristics, aside from wanting to use a squat rack and lift more than 70 lbs. Frankly, I could care less about whether a person decides to wear a stocking cap, do-rag or skullcap. The problem with PF’s policy on this (and actually all of their policies) is that they’ve painted themselves into a corner with all of these stereotypes. If they are selectively applying the dress code — in other words, if you are black and they tell you have to remove the ski-cap, but if you’re white, you can leave it on — then I would agree that their is racial bias. Same thing for women - if a woman is allowed to wear a bandana, but not a man, then their is a gender issue. In terms of ethnic discrimination, I think you are going to have a harder time making a case that a unilateral ban on certain headgear as part of a club dress code discriminates against African-Americans and Latinos. My Chicano friends never wear bandanas. In fact, I would argue that’s a stereotype in itself, so the mere fact that you enforce a dress code in a commercial gym (provided it’s applied consistently regardless of race, gender or ethnicity) doesn’t necessarily qualify as discrimination. In terms of religious head wear (which you make a great point about), I would be very interested in knowing how Planet Fitness has handled or would handle this. Perhaps Mike Grondahl, the PF CEO, will chime in and explain (he’s posted here before.) Also, as I point out in my review, there is a great deal of inconsistency across individual Planet Fitness locations in terms of how aggressively they enforce certain policies. In your case, it sounds like the management is really on the PF Kool-Aid, and if I was in your gym, I would probably feel much the same way as you. At my gym, there is no “Big Brother” on the PA repeating the “No Lunk” and “Judgement Free” mantra every 15 minutes. I’ve only once been called out for rule breaking (I was performing preacher cable curls using a back extension bench for angle, which apparently you can’t do), but this came from a new employee and I’ve never heard anything from management since when I do this exercise. Will I continue with my PF membership? Honestly, I’m not sure. Location only goes so far, especially since there are other alternatives that aren’t much further. If there truly is wide-spread, corporate-encouraged gender and racial discrimination going on, then that would also be enough for me to cancel. I just don’t know if that’s the case yet (other than the specific instance you bring up, which may have more to do with the franchise owner than the entire chain.) At my location, they run a pretty good shop, and have made some recent changes that addressed some of the concerns I had around the weight room and space. They’ve also started to calling out some of the newbies who sit on the equipment picking zits on their face or reading the newspaper. I’ve never seen the lunk alarm go off and management seems to treat everyone respectfully and equally. But that’s just my location. If you feel you were truly discriminated again, then who am I to challenge that. Sounds like you found a better gym that is less oppressive than the PF you belonged to and allows you to feel more comfortable and welcome. In a free market, you get to vote with your dollars … sounds like you did exactly that. Again, thanks for stopping by. I wouldn’t have spent this much time on a reply if I didn’t think you raised some thought-provoking questions. Again, my goal here is to provide as many different perspectives on Planet Fitness as possible so people can make the right choice BEFORE they sign up. It’s important to know what you are getting into, so that you can find a gym that fits your style, goals and personality. I would be really interested in knowing what PF’s CEO makes of all of this. I hope you’ll visit again outside of the PF debate and find something useful here for your training. Best of luck with your training Michael!
July 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Matt,
Planet Fitness’ “No Do-Rag, No Bandanas, No Skullcap” policy says to me, thanks to the harassment I received while walking on a treadmill, “Please try your best to look more European and less African-American so we can feel comfortable around you because we truly aren’t a judgment free zone. We can’t handle the diversity you’re bringing to the table.” It’s the equivalent of saying could you please lighten your skin, straighten and dye your hair blonde, wear blue contact lenses, and get a nose job, i.e., could you please look less ethnic because our new target audience; overweight, insecure, passively racist, passively sexist against men, predominantly white women are afraid of you even though you’ve done nothing to them to warrant such fears.
Yes there are white guys who wear the above mentioned headgear, but let’s not forget the headgear is of African-American and Minority origin. So those white men who are celebrating African-American culture will also be harassed. And if Planet Fitness truly is a “Judgment Free Zone” the ethnicity of your clothing should not be a problem. We should all be judged on our behavior not on our physical exteriors.
I wasn’t wearing a do-rag. My ski-hat magically changed into a do-rag because it was on my African-American head. Once I was told that the combination of my male muscular body (I’m 5’10” and weight 180 lbs) and my do-rag (that was really a ski-hat) made the new target audience feel uncomfortable, once I realized I had just been racially profiled, after almost 20 years of excellent gym citizenship (it was Gold’s before it was Planet Fitness, same owner, different franchise), I couldn’t take anymore of the hostile atmosphere toward men of all colors in general and toward minority men in particular. I knew from that point, no matter how good of a gym client I was, I would have to deal with continued harassment until I either exploded in a fit of anger or until I quit. I chose to quit and find a gym (ironically filled with overweight middle-aged white women) that judges me on the content of my character and not on the ethnicity of my clothing, the color of my skin, or my gender.
Planet Fitness is just a reflection of the true American Culture we live in today. The next time you watch television, pay closer attention to the commercials. You’ll see that if the commercial has a man and a woman in it, the man is always dumb and the woman is always smart. Also, if the commercial is interracial, the white guy (yes, the white guy) is always stupid and the minority person is always smart.
Discrimination in all its many facets, whether it’s in a T.V. commercial or within the walls of Planet Fitness, has no place in modern day society.
July 29th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Michael, as you point out, the issues that you are most concerned about transcend the scope of this review, which is intended to let people know what to expect when they join Planet Fitness.
Like you, I have some reservations about how true Planet Fitness is to their “Judgment Free Zone” philosophy, and I would rather see the franchise deal on a case-by-case basis with badly BEHAVED members, versus trying to divide people by applying a stereotype to appearances — since, as you point out — appearances can be deceiving.
That said, private commercial businesses have a right to enforce certain codes of conduct — and that can include a dress code. Wouldn’t you agree that a restaurant has the right to require a jacket or turn people away for wearing blue jeans, if that’s the environment they are trying to cultivate AND provided that policy is clearly stated and applied equally regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or any other protected class?
Wouldn’t you also support a gym that limited cell phone usage to non-workout areas? Or prohibited spitting in the drinking fountains? Or enforced a policy that members should allow people to “work-in” on machines during rest periods? Or not workout in bare feet?
As long as the policies are applied universally, regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, I don’t see a problem with this. If you can prove otherwise, than we have a real issue.
In your case (which was similar to mine) the gym you belonged to changed their “format” and that format wasn’t what you had signed on to years ago. It sucked, because they switched the rules on us (I know this feeling first hand.) But that’s life. The rules change every day. We had the choice to accept them, or leave. I chose to accept them, because outside of losing some equipment, overall they had minimum impact on my training. If anything, it’s pushed me to change some of my workout routine, and I have better development than a year ago. But that’s me.
If I loved to work out in a stocking cap, I probably would have had a different opinion. Then again, I would have asked myself how much it really mattered to me. More than likely, I would have lost the stocking cap and moved on.
But we were the exception, not the rule. New members are clearly told what the “rules” are before signing — and it’s up to them to decide whether they want to play by them. If they don’t like it, they can join a gym that is a better fit with their style. This is the same option people have with restaurants that require jackets — if you hate jackets, you’re not going to go there. Period.
Planet Fitness posts their code of conduct everywhere — it’s pretty hard to mis-interpret or miss.
I agree with you that racism and discrimination exists and it’s widespread, but subtle. A few weeks ago an African-American colleague and I went to a club where they had a “no white T-shirt” rule. Problem was, there were white guys all over the place wearing white T-shirts, yet my colleague was asked to put on a jacket or change his shirt. That was clear discrimination because a policy was selectively enforced.
My understanding is that Planet Fitness has an across the board ban on headwear and tries to apply it equally. That’s not discrimination in my book, it’s enforcing a club-wide dress code. If you encountered otherwise, then you have a legitimate complaint. But if white guys are asked to remove their ski caps, than I don’t see any “selective” enforcement … or discrimination.
I can’t comment at all on what was said to you by management at your particular Planet Fitness location. I wasn’t there, and I’ll trust you on this — I have no reason not to. If the problem was that you were black and muscular and “intimidated” the other members, I will join your crusade. If the problem was that you refused to remove your “ski hat” in compliance with the no headgear policy (provided it was applied universally), you’re going to have to fight that battle on your own. I just don’t buy the argument that says that alone was racial discrimination.
I also have to politely disagree with you that headgear — especially bandanas — are of African-American or minority origin exclusively. People of all races have been covering their heads with cloth and bandanas for centuries — including Caucasians. No race owns head-garb. It’s pretty much universal. I would agree that Kufis, for example, are a unique expression of African-American culture, but I’ve rarely seen anyone working out in one. Indeed, I would argue (and I really don’t mean this with any disrespect) that if your cultural heritage is so tied in with your clothing (including head gear) then you’ve essentially bought-into the very evil that you’ve been railing against — placing too much emphasis on outward appearances. Just something to think about since we ALL can fall prey to it.
Just think about how powerful of a statement it would have made if you said, “Sure, I’ll remove my ski hat, I’m more than what you see on the outside. This doesn’t matter and you’re a fool to place so much power in it.”
Just something to consider.
Maybe if the tables were turned, I’d feel differently. I’m open to that. If Planet Fitness told me tomorrow I couldn’t wear Under Armor because it’s too “lunkish,” I’d probably leave. If I was in a predominately African-American gym and I was told that my “whiteness” made the new members “uncomfortable”, I’d probably be as pissed as you. I’m not so obtuse or wrapped in my “whiteness” to not be able to — for a moment at least — imagine the sense of injustice you must have felt … or I would feel, in a parallel situation.
I do think, however, that I would do what you did: Which is to find a place I feel comfortable and accepted in and reward that place with my dollars. In the end, that can change things little by little.
In the end, I don’t think this is a corporate policy and I haven’t seen any of this kind of behavior in my Northville, MI location. But I do appreciate the warning, and it’s something I will watch to see if it’s more widespread. If it is, I will bring it to light.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Move gyms. Too many policies.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Matt,
I never refused to take off the cap, I was actually given permission from the owner of the gym to leave the cap on for the remainder of my workout. I was never in violation of their no do-rag policy because I wasn’t wearing a do-rag. I don’t prefer to workout in a stocking cap, I normally wear a baseball cap, but that particular day I forgot my cap, it was Novemeber, it was cold, I’m bald, you do the math.
One of the employees of the gym, a female, wore her ski cap while on duty on more than one occassion and no one seemed to have a problem with it.
If the restaurant that you’re talking about advertised itself as a Judgment Free Zone and then turned around and discriminated against people wearing jeans, then they would be just as hypocritical as Planet Fitness.
Since this really is an issue of male versus female, if Planet Fitness had done what Urban Active does, set aside a portion of the gym for females only, this wouldn’t be an issue.
Planet Fitness’ no big men policy with their threats of public humiliation to the men remaining, reminds my of the honor killings extremist Muslim Men inflict on their women. Let’s kill a few women who have the nerve to live their lives based on their own rules, which in turn will scare the hell out of the rest of the women so they will be submissive.
In my particular case, one of the women who complained about me is now at my new gym and she apologized to me because she was an eyewitness to the harassment I had to endure.
I also have a direct quote from a Lawyer who has had dealings with Mike Grondal in the past and his direct quote is,
“I always believed that their ‘No Do-Rag’ policy was inherently discriminatory against blacks based on my conversations with Planet Fitness CEO Mike Grondahl.”
I’m not grasping at straws here Matt, there truly is an undercurrent of discrimination toward men in general and toward minority men in particular. I’ve observed it and I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen many good men, predominantly white men, some with muscles some without, be treated like crap at the expense of making insecure women feel more comfortable in the Judgment Free Zone.
This is why I’m encouraging any man who was discriminated against to file a complaint with their state’s Attorney General’s office.
Matt, if and when you’re treated like crap because you’re a man working out in a gym that’s set up to make insecure women feel superior, drop me a line, we’ll talk.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Michael, thanks for the additional detail. It was helpful. I think you’ve made your case. Now I’ll let the readers sift through all of this and come to their own conclusions. I appreciate the honesty and civility during our discussion. You raised a lot of thought-provoking, challenging questions and issues — many of which go far beyond Planet Fitness. I’m not sure that I agree entirely on some of the parallels that you draw, but I do respect the intelligence behind those connections and understand the larger point you’re trying to make — which I fundamentally share. I wish you the best of luck and hope you’ll stop by again to join in on discussions around fitness and training that don’t have to do with your unfortunate experiences with Planet Fitness. Maybe even write a review of the gym that you are currently at … it sounds like you are very happy with it and I’m sure my readers would be interested in hearing more. Regards — Matt
July 30th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Michael
Man, you hit on the nose with the stupid white guys with black people in commercials analogy. What the hell is up with that anyway? I’m a white guy who grew up in predominately black Detroit and (obviously) I’ve had hundreds of black friends and I want to smash my TV when I see stuff like that. It drives me crazy and it is so obviously targeted to people who have NEVER lived with people who don’t look like themselves (unfortunately the majority of America).
Anyway, I think you did the right thing by leaving Planet Fitness and frankly, the Planet Fitness policies are so fucking stupid they deserve to go out of business. I mean, what the hell type of gym doesn’t want body builders?
Your analogy about Muslim terrorists is a little over the top, but I think you’ve made your points well. I’m not a body builder (unless you consider eating a huge variety of foods body building), but I think any gym that would ask anyone to remove a ski cap because some lady who probably won’t even be there in six months is uncomfortable is a gym not worth supporting.
If they want to be the “anti-gym” let them be so. They’ll probably be out of business anyway in a few years anyway. Who cares?
Gyms are for people who want to work out. Get sweaty. Grunt. Wear whatever the hell they want. Get big. Get strong. Get less fat. Whatever. Unless you are coming over to some fat white lady and telling her she better get her sloppy white ass off the machine cause you want to use it, nobody should give a damn what you do when you work out.
You know, this makes me want to take my soft ass to gym and grunt. I think I will. Thanks for the inspiration.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:39 am
Um … Clayda … I’m speechless for once. Note to readers: I do not endorse the views of people who may choose to comment on Answer Fitness. However, I will defend their right to do it — as potentially offensive as it may be. I’m trying to figure out if this is satire or how you really feel. As always, I’ll let the court of public opinion decide. Clearly you won’t be joining Planet Fitness anytime soon.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am
hmmmm …. lots of strong opinions in here. i’ve had a planet fitness membership for about two years. it’s not my first gym. i would say that matt’s comments about the planet fitness atmosphere being different from location to location is probably right. i’ve seen plenty of in-shape men in my gym and i don’t think i’ve ever heard the lunk alarm go off. it’s a pleasant place to work out and is a little less “meat market” than what i found at lifetime fitness. im would consider myself to be in really good shape. i lift weights and am not a cardio bunny. people seem to get along fine with each other at my planet fitness. i would like a squat rack also but i just do a lot of dumbbell lunges instead. its all good. pizza and bagels do bother me though.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
You can read about my experience here.
http://eastfallschurchplanetfitness.wordpress.com/
August 11th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Sueng, sorry for missing your comment. No, Planet Fitness does not offer daycare for members.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I am a member of Planet Fitness in raymond,NHband am very pleased with the chain. I feel that you get good return for your money. My gym does have staff which will go over machines and basic excercises with you on jioning or any other time you desire.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Planet Fitness has to be the biggest joke of a gym there is.. You want to talk about the rules. The location in Stamford has no air conditioning at all. Some days its more than a hundred degrees in there. And the staff there actually had the balls to tell a guy that he couldn’t wear his muscle shirt when he was dripping sweat.. The staff has been saying since April that the AC will be fixed next week, here it is Sept and its still not… Not to mention about 10 different machines here have been broken the entire summer and the bathrooms are disgusting.
September 15th, 2008 at 5:45 am
I’ve had a Plant Fitness membership for just over a year and have basically been happy with it. I wouldn’t call myself a novice in the gym (yes, I lift a lot of weights) … I’ve been working out regularly since college and have belonged to both Lifetime Fitness and Crunch. In comparison to those two gyms, Planet Fitness is pretty basic. But I never found myself using half of the extras at Lifetime nor many of the classes at Crunch — so the additional expense for things I don’t use didn’t make sense for me anymore. My Planet Fitness has always been clean and the equipment is more than enough for me to get a good workout. I can see, however, how some men might be annoyed with the lack of free weight equipment and even for me, there are sometimes when I have to wait to get on benches and certain equipment whichh really wasn’t a problem at Lifetime or Crunch. The other thing I like is that Planet Fitness has less of a meatmarket feel to it, especially compared to Crunch, where I was continuously getting hit on. Overall, this is a decent gym with a low-key atmosphere. I’ve never seen the “Lunk Alarm” used.
September