I had never heard of it but have seen a few derogatory comments on this board…So they actually took over a local gym that went out of business and are offering $10/month with a $56 initiation…sounds too good to be true…
there were rumors that its all a scam because the old gym fell on hardships and had equipment repoed, etc. Word was that the lease at the building would be up at the end of March and this new gym is just taking sign up fees and will be out of town - this rumor seemed credible given the too good to be true pricing.
But now I learn that this is a credible franchise (has a website, many locations, etc)…so whats the scoop? They are in process of replacing equipment…Are they going to get rid of free weights? This was rumored too (due to no grunting policy I suppose)…Anyone go to this gym?
They discourage heavy lifting. They have a “lunk alarm” that will go off if the workers feel that you are being too loud. The one that I visited didn’t even have a power or squat rack. It’s a good gym for a dumbell workout, because there is usually some nice eye candy. Other than that, stay far, far away.
They brag about how much pizza they give away each month. The ones by me only have smith machines, no legit squat racks for the dedicated lifter to curl in ;). They watch you like a hawk so they can set off their lunk alarm and the commercials for the ones near me brag about having no dumbbells over 80 pounds. That right there should be enough of a red flag to stay far, far away.
They also mock serious bodybuilders in the commercials I’ve heard, calling them “obnoxious meatheads”.
Just watch the people who go in and out of a gym. It’s usually a good indicator of they type of people who work out there and what kind of physique you have the potential to achieve should you decide to join said gym. (provided you put in the required effort)
Okay…while I won’t be confused for a “serious bodybuilder” just yet, I do need a squat rack I think…on the other hand, this could be my once in a lifetime opportunity to be “biggest guy at the gym.”
Unless not training is the only other option I’d find somewhere else. I’ve admittedly never been in one, but eveything I’ve seen rubs me the wrong way.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
biglift88 wrote:
just join for the food
Is it pizza every week? If so, that’s $2.50 a dinner. Can’t beat that.[/quote]
I was a member of Planet Fitness about a year and a half ago. Pizza night is only every other Monday, and its only plain cheese.
In the one I used to go to, there were 3 Smith Machines, 2 Benches, 2 Incline Benches, and the rest were machines. And of course, there were hundreds and hundreds of treadmills and ellipticals. There were NO squat racks, NO place to deadlift (not allowed), and the stretching area is actually bigger than the free weight dumbell area.
But there were an amazing number of hot girls… and skinny guys.
The Planet Fitness (PF) in my neighborhood charges $10/month or $20/month. For the $20 month, you get to bring a friend/workout partner for free, plus other discounts that make it a slightly better deal than two $10 memberships. They have two squat cages, four flat benches, and two incline benches. There are plenty of plates to go around. They have plenty of dumbbells (up to 80 lbs) and benches to go with them. As far as the other crap, they have three Smith machines, cable station, cam based machines and a bazillion cardio machines. My girlfriend /workout partner rarely have to wait for the squat cages and never for a bench.
By the time we get there at night, the pizza is gone and there are as many meatheads as bunnies. Except for the dipshit with baggy pants, wifebeater, and hat on sideways, nobody seems to be paying much attention to the bunnies.
Not that the Gold’s in town is hardcore, but the attitude seems to be the same in both places. I cancelled my membership at Gold’s and joined PF because the monthly fees were half. The biggest difference betwen the two is the lockerroom at PF doesn’t have a sauna and there’s not a scale to be found anywhere. Big whoop. I have a scale at home.
As far as the lunk alarm, I’ve never heard it used. In fact, one night when we were leaving and they were closing, we asked them to turn it on. It took the person behind the counter awhile to figure out how.
Every franchise is different. I got lucky and the PF in my neighborhood is better than most. Bottom line, take a tour of yours. Check out the quantity and quality of equipment and decide for yourself whether it meets your needs. The $10/month is pretty standard across the chain.
[quote]TheSicilian wrote:
Just watch the people who go in and out of a gym. It’s usually a good indicator of they type of people who work out there and what kind of physique you have the potential to achieve should you decide to join said gym. (provided you put in the required effort)[/quote]
Well, yes and no. LA fitness [at least near my old house] has plenty of racks and benches, plenty of plates, and heavy dumbells. But a fairly pussified clientele, at least during the hours I went. Which usually translates to ready availability of all the equipment you need. But most Planet Fitnesses not only have a pussified group that ‘works out’ there but LACKS the equipment any serious lifter needs. Usually a bad gym to join.
Sounds good Loose Tool. Except for the dumbells. Heavy dumbell work is a big part of almost all my programs. I wonder if they’d let you bring your own heavier dumbells. They have that 80lb policy, but maybe it only applies to what they provide. Maybe worth asking.
It’s a total JOKE!!!
10/month is like paying juice to a loan shark!!
I was asked to leave because I was Deadlifting!!
They also “confiscated” my jump rope due to “insurance liability”.
If all I could do was flip a tire or planet “twitness”, I’ll take the tire any day!!
Problem is, I have a decent set up in my garage, but in South Texas it is getting to be the time of year when the garage is HOT even at 2am…so for $10 I figured might be worth a try…
So let me ask one final question…I understand it sounds like a goofy place, but is the $10/no contract thing legit? For that price I could pay the initiation and a couple months worth to give it a try and if I hate it, not have had any real loss (or just go in the summertime)…or is it some direct withdrawal that will take months to cancel when i decide to quit?
[quote]BJ* wrote:
Problem is, I have a decent set up in my garage, but in South Texas it is getting to be the time of year when the garage is HOT even at 2am…so for $10 I figured might be worth a try…
[/quote]
I can really relate to this because I live in Las Vegas and it’s very hot here several months out of the year. I have converted my entire garage into a gym. The cars are now parked outside and the lawn equipment is in the backyard due to no room for these non-essentials. Inside the gym it gets to 110 degrees at times and I decided one summer that I would go up the street and train at Gold’s since they were running a special 6 month membership price.
I told them early on that I did powerlifting and asked them if it would be okay if I did deadlifts, etc., and they said it wouldn’t be a problem. Heck, what equipment they didn’t have they let me bring mine up there and keep it in the storage room (power bar with good knurling, deadlift helper, etc.,). They had one squat rack that was in bad shape but there was an area where I could do deadlifts.
Once I started doing deadlifts they didn’t like it at all. The weight was being controlled on the downward movement. Each rep was paused at the bottom and my hands never came off the bar. The lunk alarm went off. They feared damage was being done to the floor underneath and wanted that training to cease. Other events took place so I just packed up my stuff and went home and didn’t go back.
That was several years ago and I have just trained at my home gym ever since. It’s just not worth the aggravation. I hate the heat, but I have learned how to prepare for it and take the necessary steps before training begins. I have a large fan in there, but it just blows hot air around. I could have A/C installed out there but I can’t justify the cost when I’m only out there for less than 2 hours every other day.