Buyer Beware!
Written: Aug 02 '06 (Updated Aug 06 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean Facility. Cheap in price.
Cons: Cheap quality. Lightweight machines. Staff not knowledgeable or polite. Nothing beyond the absolute minimums.
The Bottom Line: Avoid this gym unless you only want cardio and lightweight weight machines. The weight stacks on many machines are insufficient for men, and the staff is unhelpful.
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| ocampi901's Full Review: Planet Fitness |
Recommended test: Go to the planetfitness web site. Try to find the email address for the corporate offices. (They don't list one.) When you find the email form, send them a message - something generic like, "I have a problem with the XXX gym." See if you get a response. If you don't, draw your own conclusion about what's important to the management of the gym.
I was a member of planetfitness for about 3 weeks. I initially joined to lose weight, improve my cardio fitness and improve strength. Planetfitness advertises as being a "judgment free zone". I learned right away that this is both true and untrue. I consider it true that the staff has little judgment (or perhaps, poor judgment), but it's not true that they won't stereo-type you and respond categorically.
When I inquired about machines with more weight, they told me, "we don't cater to body-builders". (More accurately, I don't think they support anyone of more than moderate strength.) The staff was ignorant about machine operation, and finally referred me to their "trainer" for information on getting a higher resistance workout.
I don't know what mail-order mill their trainer ordered his "certification" from, but after a few minutes discussion on the inadequacy of the machine weight stacks, he flat told me that no one made a back press machine with more than 200 pounds loading. This was a surprise to me, since I'd just spent 4 of the previous 7 months working out at 300 pounds on a machine at another gym. (PF uses the cheapest line of machines. The next line up includes a 300 pound machine.) Not only was the trainer adamant in his ignorance (always a bad sign), he called me a liar, insisting I'd never worked out on a 300 pound machine. When I returned with pictures of a 300-pound back press machine from a nearby gym, he claimed I'd doctored the photos. That's when I began to look at the entire staff in a different light.
The manager on duty was wholly ineffective. The general manager was just as bad. The other bodies on staff were little more than dead weight and could have been replaced by crash test dummies. When I wrote to corporate, I didn't even get a response.
In my opinion, these people don't know about fitness, don't care about the customer and can't be bothered to do anything helpful. There's a reason their prices are low: Low-end machines, low-end staff, nothing beyond the basics.
If you want results, remember, "No judgment" means, "No motivation" and that equals "no progress". I can't begin to count the number of women I saw working out with minimal weights. If they were trying to get in shape, they were failing miserably because no one could/would tell them how to get the results they wanted. (No judgment.) And the person who was supposed to be able to tell them what to do (the trainer) had such a limited horizon, he couldn't even imagine a standard workout machine.
If all you want is cardio and light weights (women only - the machines aren't really designed to provide an intense workout (men and female athletes will likely find the machines quite limiting), or you just want to look like you're working out (without breaking a sweat) and you can tolerate the staff (which basically stands at the desk and does nothing), then maybe this is the gym for you. As a guy wanting to make real progress, Planetfitness is Planetlimpness.
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Update:
Per Patty's request: Here's an update:
The review covers specifics of a single gym AND the general corporate response to members' concerns. I've written to corporate twice and not even received a reply. Though the regional manager was made aware of the problem, she never even bothered to call me.
If you try to look up the address or phone number for the corporate headquarters, you'll find both very well hidden (a pretty good sign they don't want to talk to you!) I don't expect anyone to just take my word for it, which is why I suggest you try to contact them yourself. Go to their web site. Try to find out how to contact the headquarters. Google for contact info. Look up the name of the guy who started the chain. (You can get his HOME phone, but not the corporate phone!?)
After you give up, pick ANY of the branch gyms listed. Contact them. Ask for contact information for the headquarters. They wouldn't give it to me. My bet is, they won't give it to you either.
In short, the people at the corporate headquarters DO NOT WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
The machines this branch used are "Body Masters" Basix machines - again, a factor I believe is universal to PF locations (since the staff told me that all Plantfitness gyms have to use the same equipment.) http://www.body-masters.com/bmsi/product.html
Basix Series
Perfect for vertical market facilities as well as women's only centers and
light commerical use, Basix provides the user with light starting weights,
virtually no adjustments, and a simple, efficient learing curve.
I presume by "vertical market" the manufacturer means some limited usage - like injury rehabilitation. What's clear is that these machines are NOT designed for general gym usage... something the staff does not tell you when you sign up.
Regarding the question about classes and so on, I've clearly failed to convey the full picture, so let me try again: You get some underpowered machines. You get a bunch of cardio machines. You get an unhelpful staff. You get a clean facility. You get criticized if you try to push your workout beyond the minimum. (They classify you as a "body-builder" and dismiss your conplaint - even when, as in this case, it's a complaint shared by other members.) They have a special alarm which they call the "lunk alarm" that flashes a light on the wall if anyone grunts while trying to lift a weight. In other words, if you give any audible sign of effort, they not only "judge" you, but they seek to publicly humiliate and embarrass you! Consequently, the atmosphere is less like a gym than a library - complete with Miss Purdy chastising you if you speak above a whisper.
Other things they don't have: Pool. Sauna. Steam room. Track. Child care. Cardio classes. Spinning classes. Heck, classes of any kind. Full free weights (they do have a limited set.) Full weight machines. Towel service. Basically, if I didn't list it as something they DO have, then odds are they DON'T have it!
Sure, it's cheap. And you get less than you pay for.
Personally, I suspect that the main reason for the chain's success to this point is that there are a lot of people who know they should be "working out", so to salve their consciences, they join a gym. But why join a real gym for $40 a month, when you can join one of these for $10? If you're not going to use the facility anyway, or you're never going to do more than pretend to work out, why pay more? I think that's another key to the whole philosophy of Planetfitness. Their "no judgment zone" is a subtle message that even though everyone can see you are doing nothing but posing, no one will draw any attention to that or push you to accomplish more. So it's the perfect facility for people who aren't serious about getting in shape, and don't want to be reminded of the fact they aren't serious!
Presumably, if it takes you a year to lose 2 pounds, it's alright - as long as you keep paying your dues. There are doubtless millions of Americans to whom this is a welcome message.
I think PF is sort of a scam. They create or foster a belief that other gyms are "intimidating".* Plastered on the wall of each branch is a promise that they won't "judge" you. So if you want a psychological salve, or you're a small person who knows what you want to achieve (and how to do it), or you just want to use the cardio machines, this might be an okay club for you. But if you need any help from the staff, or want to see real results, or need any of the many services PF doesn't provide, try a real gym.
For those of you who DO work out, here are stack limits on the machines PF uses at their gyms:
leg extension: 200 lbs
leg press: 300 lbs
tricep extension: 150 pounds
ab curl: 150 lbs
prone leg curl: 150 lbs
back extension: 200 lbs
shoulder press: 200 lbs
Some of these levels are laughable. For example, a more typical level for leg press is 500 to 750 lbs. But due to machine design, even the posted weights "seem" light. For example, I doubt I could do a single 200 lb free-weight shoulder press. On most machines, I might be able to do a few. But on the PF machine, I can do dozens. Since all of these machines are belt/cam arrangements, they have "progressive" resistance. So, a 200 lbs shoulder press might start out at 100 lbs, and only at full extension reach 200 lbs. Bottom line, you can't get the full benefit of the weight that is on the stack. That's not to say the design is inherently flawed. Just that the weight stack is insufficient for anyone who is more than moderately strong.
In similar vein, I don't think I can really lift 200 lbs with one leg. But I can do it on the leg extension machine. At 200 pounds on the back extension machine, I have done over 300 repetitions non-stop. The limiting factors were time/boredom/cardio - not muscle fatigue. On a bet, I could probably do 1000 repetitions non-stop - but I didn't go there to do endless repetitions. I don't wear a cape, and I don't leap tall buildings in a single bound. i was looking for a place where I could get results. Planetfitness wasn't up to the task. Draw your own conclusion.
* To all you folks who find massively muscled weight lifters scary - try this. Go up to them and talk to them. Think Lou Ferrigno or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Most are quite happy to share what they know - how to get the best results for the least time/effort, how to stay motivated. Who would you trust more? A person who has actually achieved results? The living, breathing proof that effort pays off? Or some PF flunkie who hasn't the first clue what he's talking about?
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Epinions.com ID:
ocampi901
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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