Planet Fitness

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Jan 30, 2007
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Clovis, CA
Any of you guys go there ? Anything wrong with the place ?

Their membership fees are reasonable and they're open 24 hours.

Figured I'd ask just in case.
 
I've been to two. The one in my town here is in a mall, not open past 8, and is disgusting. I've been to one in Florida in its own building it was night and day. One in Florida was spotless not a drop of sweat anywhere
 
'Been in two and both were A+. Just like a restaurant...go visit...the nose knows. Any of the helpers will vary widely location to location.

I can tell you one thing: Years ago I hired a trainer on a 10 pack of sessions for "personal training". I never NEVER NEVER ever got so fit so fast in my life. It was amazing. I introduced my brother to the guy and it was cool but he lived too far away to go to my gym.

It's all about your effort and involvement.
 
I'm a member. Been one for about two years. I really like it. I'm a runner and there are many days when I'm not running outside. Rain, hotter than 80, colder than 40, I'm at PF running. So I've got the basic membership for $10/month. Our facility (Springfield OH) has many treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, lots of weights, and circuit machines. If you want to pay extra, you can tan, and some other stuff.

If it allows you to do what you want, I highly recommend it
 
My wife has a membership and goes to the one near us in Hilliard, OH and sometimes ones in other cities if shes on business travel and theres one close by.
She goes less in the summer as shes more active riding her bicycle. She is 5'8", a size 2 with six pack abs so it keeps her fit. I've gone with her a few times
but it's not my thing.
 
I guess it depends on the location. Their business model is to have it cheap and most people sign up with good intentions, go for a few months then stop coming as often. I used to be a member and during peak times, it'd get pretty busy for a treadmill so that there was a line for them. But I guess it depends on the gym on the lunk alarm, mine had one but it never went off although there were some lunks in there where it should have gone off, but no one complained and the staff wasn't around that much to watch people, they mostly just stayed at the front desk.
 
They get a lot of criticism for how they run their business. Specifically, there are stories of them offering pizza and cookies to members.

The fitness purist types see this as contradictory to a gym and rag on PF for it. Others say why not...it's not like they are forcing it onto members.

I've been a member before and they had everything I needed to work out. That being said, I have a strong aversion to national corporate gyms where your liability(risk) to the business is more important than your satisfaction as a member. My current gym is in a few states but is very much a "local operation".

But as with any exercise regimen, sticking with it long term will matter more than anything else. You could go to the worst or best gym if you only went for a month before losing the routine.
 
I go to the local one. I like it. No issues. Everyone is nice. All types of fitness levels.
10 bucks a month.
I used them on business and they only charged me the 5 bucks for not using your home gym a few times.
If you get the 20 dollars a month the away gyms are free.

Yep they offer Pizza one day a month and bagels one day a month. Everyone needs a cheat day.

If that makes them bad well then get me some pizza.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Kira

I can tell you one thing: Years ago I hired a trainer on a 10 pack of sessions for "personal training". I never NEVER NEVER ever got so fit so fast in my life. It was amazing. I introduced my brother to the guy and it was cool but he lived too far away to go to my gym.

It's all about your effort and involvement.


Yup. I did the same years ago (hire a trainer).
Sure I've been to the gym for YEARS before that, but my results were nothing short of astounding. Mind you, I had to pair that with the correct diet and eating intervals to get the full benefit.

To this day I still alternate b/t the training regimes. Others who frequent the same gym have mentioned that I don't have the winter vs. summer body most have, just simply fit all year long (nicest compliment I've received in a while).
 
It depends on how each one is run. Your experience may differ from another location. I was a member of a competitor to Planet Fitness-I couldn't get a treadmill-they were always full.

It came out that this club sold like 60,000 memberships-and most members used them. The club was WAY TOO CROWDED!
 
Its a great starter gym but that's about it.

Perfect for the one that never goes to the gym to start getting into the habit. But if you are looking to build strength, not the place.

I've been to about 5 locations, the lack of a proper bench press, squat machine or bar bells just kills one's ability to get fit. Yes i'm sure someone will argue that you they have equal machines but those exercises need to be freeweight to work other muscles.

If you want to just use the treadmill and the machines, this is the place. I use it from time to time but not my choice.
 
I went to one for about a dozen years and tried to move to one just a few miles away and ended up letting my membership lapse and joining a Y.
The price is right at PF, but I hate their "new" model of forcing you to give them your bank account #. I used a CC when I joined and they let me keep doing that when their policy changed, I would wait for their 1 year/$100 specials around Xmas and use that to re-up every year. When I wanted to change clubs, they said my only option was to go with the direct bank withdrawal and I told them to pound sand.
My old club is still within driving distance, but is in an area with dreadful traffic...at my old job, I could sneak in a back way and wasn't much more than a mile away. To get there from my new job, it's basically impossible to avoid the traffic...I did it for a few months, but it was just so stressful. Didn't want to be leaving work at funny hours and also wanted to keep evenings open for family stuff, so I just changed to a more expensive Y that I can walk to from my office and has some activities beyond just weights and aerobic machines (I have a treadmill at home so basically just lifted at PF). The equipment was actually nicer at the PF, but there are more free weight options at the Y.
 
Had a brain f*rt (global temporal amnesia) almost three years ago and have only missed one day of exercise since. I have free access to a wide variety of places since I'm a Silver Sneakers member through Medicare Advantage. I use Anytime Fitness to get access to gyms when on vacation, but much prefer Planet Fitness. PF is clean, staffed 24/7 and has satisfactory TV news channels on it's tread mills. Anytime Fitness, other than standardized color schemes and carpet, is all over the place when it comes to quality of facilities.

I do have a couple of decent Anytime Fitness facilities near me, but at least half the time, drive the extra miles to get to Planet Fitness. As a large gym, there's never any backup on access to equipment.

If you're a purist turned off by pizza and bagels, be warned that they have original and purple Tootsie rolls as well.

If I had to pay, there would be no contest. Planet Fitness at one third the cost would be my choice.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: steveh
Don't like it, the one in our town has no free weights and only has dumbbells up to 70LBS.


Ones by me have free weights but the dumbells stop at 70lbs. That one just screams keep away you dirty men.
 
agree that you should just go and try it. every gym will give you free days before joining to check things out.

their model is to be more of a clubhouse and inviting. the irony is that the cheaper it is, psychologically you dont go and you break the promises you make to yourself.

if the gym was more expensive, you end up using it more. the fact that you already paid a good amount pushes you as a commitment device.
 
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