Moving to USA, Planet Fitness Query! :O

Off Topic
1

-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.

2

[quote]ocarinaoftime wrote:
-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.
[/quote]

Set off the lunk alarm, make video.

→ be a hero

3

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]ocarinaoftime wrote:
-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.
[/quote]

Set off the lunk alarm, make video.

→ be a hero> HM[/quote]

Fixed

4

Once you move here just find a new fiancee that is a member of a real gym, problem solved.

5

[quote]ocarinaoftime wrote:
-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.
[/quote]

Don’t sweat it, dude. Once you start going, you’ll become gay enough to be fine with continuing on at PF. Don’t fight it. Embrace the gay.

6

PF is a punk gym. It’s okay if you want to do light lifting and mostly machine work. The PF gyms here don’t even have any free racks just smith machines, which rob you of strength building, so if the money is the factor and you don’t care about lifting like a puss then PF is right for you.

7

Wait…no power/squat racks???

EDIT: just saw you said the PF in your area. Fuck I hope the one I’m stuck with has a rack!

I’m going to email the PF my fiancee goes to and find out exactly what they have in terms of equipment :open_mouth:

8

All I want to say is nice user name.

9

PF is a chain, they are usually a package deal, like McDonalds- every one has the same stuff on the menu.

10

I know I’ve said this before, but I seriously just love your user name.

Remember Epona’s song? That has got to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.

IT’s like

ahhHHhhaah

wait no…

AhhAHaaahh

Oh and it’s not like ha-ha sounding. It’s like AHH not AHHHH like a scream, more like aaaaaaaaaa.

11

Actually no, I just listened to it again.

It’s like ooOOOooo

12

[quote]ocarinaoftime wrote:
-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.
[/quote]

I’ll give you a ray of light. In 2007, I moved to a place with a PF and had never really heard of them before. The owner guy I met was HUGE. Sure he was fat, but he had years and years under the bar. We talked about squats and deadlifts. I didn’t even notice/see the “lunk alarm.” I ended up at another gym, but at that time, I thought that PF was “just another gym” and I’m sure THAT THAT PF would have been fine.

And some darkness… There is a PF almost next door to where I live now. So I went in to check. No rack, no cage. I asked about deadlifts… the girl there didn’t know what they were, but was sure they weren’t allowed.

GL: “How often do you use that lunk thing?”
PF: “About 5 times”
GL: “Oh, well you all opened about a year ago, right? Five times in a year isn’t bad”
PF: “Ummmm… about 5 times every week…”

To their credit, they more-or-less told me I shouldn’t join.

So anyway, there ARE good PFs out there…but I’d suggest you set your expectations to using the public park for awhile for your serious workouts. Maybe it’s time to focus on pullups :wink:

13

Wife belongs to PF. She runs and does machines in the winter there. I refuse to go. Used to go to a Gold’s. Loved it, discovered kettlebells and bought them instead. Go to the gym in my office park. $25 a month, cuts down my commute time, drag my bells in there. Same thing as PF. No oly bar, no squat rack, only a Smith Machine. PF = Classic get what you pay for. In all honesty, if I could find a place in my house to put a real pullup/dip bar and a squat rack, I would never set foot in a gym again.

14

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:

[quote]ocarinaoftime wrote:
-Live in UK, moving to USA next month on fiancee visa.
-Fiancee a member of P.F and has an unlimited free guest pass.
-No space to get my own gym at home, no driver’s license and in a completely new country, stuck with P.F.
-long term plan: settle down, get a job, get transport (car, bicycle, horse, modified shopping cart), find a new (non P.F) gym.

Questions:
-what do the dumbbells go up to?
-Being honest, just how bad is the lunk alarm thing, I mean, does it really go off any time you just grunt?
-Anybody have any experiences with deadlifting successfully?
-Any tips on how to get through things if it’s really THAT bad? I’m nowhere near considered big at around 185lb and I’m not strong on any level so I think I may be okay for a little while…I think.
[/quote]

I’ll give you a ray of light. In 2007, I moved to a place with a PF and had never really heard of them before. The owner guy I met was HUGE. Sure he was fat, but he had years and years under the bar. We talked about squats and deadlifts. I didn’t even notice/see the “lunk alarm.” I ended up at another gym, but at that time, I thought that PF was “just another gym” and I’m sure THAT THAT PF would have been fine.

And some darkness… There is a PF almost next door to where I live now. So I went in to check. No rack, no cage. I asked about deadlifts… the girl there didn’t know what they were, but was sure they weren’t allowed.

GL: “How often do you use that lunk thing?”
PF: “About 5 times”
GL: “Oh, well you all opened about a year ago, right? Five times in a year isn’t bad”
PF: “Ummmm… about 5 times every week…”

To their credit, they more-or-less told me I shouldn’t join.

So anyway, there ARE good PFs out there…but I’d suggest you set your expectations to using the public park for awhile for your serious workouts. Maybe it’s time to focus on pullups :wink:

[/quote]

I’m not too worried about pullups or dips- my fiancee’s place has a climbing frame for her younger cousin, it’s really sturdy and I’ve used it for pullups and dips in the past. I guess I could also do inverted rows. I’ll be taking my grip toys and dipping belt, and buy a small amount of weights (200lb or so) for my grip work at home as it doesn’t take up much space, so I can use said plates for added resistance on dips/chins.

My only issue was lower body work- squats, deads, GM’s & barbell hip thrusts and the like. There’s no room at home and I’d need a squat rack anyway. I’m really hoping the PF she goes to has a squat rack. I’m not too worried about the lunk alarm if it sounds during deads or anything.

There is another gym that’s close by (Brick Bodies). I checked online and they have squat racks and the like so it’s much better. If pull comes to shove I’ll take an extra grand with me when I go, buy a bicycle so I can travel there and sign up with them. It’ll mean more travelling around and having to go to PF AND Brick Bodies (I’ve promised I’d go with her and support her whilst she goes…I guess I can take a foam roller and get that stuff done there).

Either way, fingers crossed that PF has a rack! Emailed them last night and awaiting a reply :slight_smile:

15

I have an actual ocarina of time and I can play a bunch of zelda songs on it, like sariah song and the title theme. Infortunately it broke when I moved. I’ll glue the piece together someday.

16

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
I have an actual ocarina of time and I can play a bunch of zelda songs on it, like sariah song and the title theme. Infortunately it broke when I moved. I’ll glue the piece together someday.[/quote]

OH YES! I saw that on like uhh thinkgeek.com I think?? Very cool.

17

She wants you to support her? Best way to do that is convince her that she can get better workouts at a real gym and not a place where fatasses go so their friends and family will pat their backs for trying.

I mean, why is she a member of a GYM that uses free pizza and candy as a way to get people into the door? Poor fat people and their weak egos need their own gym where they can hide from people not like them and your fiance WANTS to workout with that? Working out at Planet Fitness is like sitting in a cardboard box with your ipod and claiming you went to the movies.

You may want to look into bodyweight workouts. There’s plenty of articles here on that topic.

If you have to, you can use the smith machines to do squats, deads, bench press, etc. until you get a job and can go to a real gym. Although not ideal, it’s better than nothing and just temporary.

I’ve managed to do a lot at home with just a weight set (no bench, rack, etc.) and rubber mats to protect the floor, it doesn’t need to take up a lot of space.

edit: +1 on the name. Considered by many to be the best game of all time.