My mother heard me talking about starting my new program as ive gone 12 weeks on a broken one due to college schedule/inability to find someone who will squat with me. She suggested that I look into the new gym in town. Its called planet fitness. I looked at the flyer that said its open 24 hours, and its cheap, so I thought Id look into it. Boy did I have one hell of a time going there to check it out.
IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFO…
I get a lot of looks from people because of some of the things I do. For instance, went to Charleston and found this snooty bar with no big screen tv’s, pool tables, dart boards, loud music, regular brands of beer, people relaxing after work/kickin back, etc…and found it was filled with a bunch of pretentious people trying to one up eachother with stories of their college days at ivy league schools while sipping various cocktails. I found it absoultety one of the most entertaining places Ive ever been in, and the culture shock was awesome. We had a blast. The song Fancy by Drake was the only thing that we could think of and the night was filled with “oh you fancy huh” jokes.
Now, Im a simple guy raised in what has been described as the “armpit of america.” (northeastern ohio/western pennsylvania. No it doesnt bother me what people think about it. Its good enough for me.) I hate disrespect, but by the same token, I hate etiquette. I think people need to just be respectful and at the same time chill out. That being said, Ive heard it all. Ive been called wierd, told I have poor social graces, etc. I have never gotten dirtier looks from people than when I walked into the place and just about died laughing upon reading the posted sign that read…
Gym rules:
No jeans, workboots, sandals.
No do-rags, skull caps, bandanas.
No gallon water jugs.
No gym bags on gym floor.
No cursing.
No children under the age of 14.
No picture cell phones.
No grunting or screaming.
No weight or dumbell dropping.
No Deadlifting or T-bar rows.
The very next words out of my mouth were…“Where’s your squat rack?”
The guy remained silent. I had one of the hardest from the gut laughs I have ever had. At this point, I got some more dirty looks from a guy on one of those awkward inner thigh machines.
Is this place serious? It sits literally a mile from one of the most hardcore gyms (the cool thing is that Mark Henry lifted there when on the road with the WWE) in the area, and about 2 miles from one of the most advanced up to date gyms available. What gives? Is this like some type of unisex curves? I just dont get it.
And no, Im not saying its bad, its just not for me. I genuinely dont understand the rules though. Its silly to me haha.
-Zep
