Tuesday, January 25, 2011

More reasons to boycott Planet Fitness


Not everyone cares about Austrian Prejudice, so I have come up with some more reasons to Boycott planet fitness. 
1.  The lunk alarm-  Apparently, planet fitness has an alarm that goes off is someone is slamming weights (reasonable), lifting a whole lot of weight (safety issues, maybe) or is grunting(?).  What, it is a gym right?  The lunk alarm is apparently a way for them to get rid of the body building/weightlifting crowd.  I guess this is in an effort to keep roids out of the gym.  What I hear is that you are not allowed to push yourself.  I am not a bodybuilder, but when I work out, I grunt or moan.  At least I am breathing right.  It is a dumb rule and I am sure that people will tone down their workout so the don’t get the alarm blared at them.  Every Planet fitness I have been to has about a billion people on the treadmill all with iPods stuck in their ears and an almost empty weight room.  Now I know why. 
2.  Free Pizza-  Yeah, they give out free pizza once a month.  But wait, it isn’t just free pizza, it is all you can eat free Pizza.  Most people at the gym are running away from pizza and foods like that.  The people are there to either lose or maintain current weight.   Pizza is there enemy, and all you can eat free pizza is their arch nemesis.  Wait there is more.  Free bagels once a week.  Sure it is nice to get a breakfast on the go, but bagels are evil because you almost have to put that free crème cheese on them.  I think these days cater to the marathon crowd.  I know when I ran marathons, I didn’t care what I ate, because it was all going into the furnace.  I could eat 4k calories a day and not gain a pound.  I would have literally ate these days up.
Really for 10 bucks a month it is worth it just for all you can eat pizza!
3.  Judgment free Zone-  So you aren’t allowed to be judgmental at Planet Fitness.  I guess that means no correcting peoples form so they don’t injure themselves.  But aren’t they being judgmental.  Hey, you, big guy with the muscles.  We don’t want your kind here.  Hey stop grunting, you are making this guy curling 3 pound weights feel bad.  Planet Fitness is in the business of judging others, it seems. 
So, it looks like Planet Fitness is all about cardio to me.  There is no grunting in cardio and runners like it quiet so they can hear their iPods.  Runners are usually sticks because they burn muscle as well as fat, so PF gets rid of the intimidating muscle guys.  Free pizza and bagels.  Yep, runners are all over that.  Why not just call it planet treadmill. 
Who loses here?  Obviously the weightlifters lose out on a $10 dollar per month gym membership.  New people lose out too, though.  Say a person wants to get into shape but doesn’t want to run 40 miles a week to do it.  They also don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a home gym.  $10 a month sounds like a great deal.  The decide to join so they can start working out.  They get there and there are no gym rats there to help them with their form so they get the most benefit for the least risk.  They lose mentors.  In the spring and summer when the runners hop off the dreadmill and hit the street there aren’t going to be many people in the place at all.  New person tries to lift some appropriate wait but finds himself straining at the 8th rep and wants to grunt, so he stops right when he is getting the most benefit. 
Planet Fitness is just planet cardio
They go from no judgment to judgment. How is not their planet, yours equal judgment free?

18 comments:

Lil Pee said...

didn't realize that this was happening...bummer.

Powdered Toast Man said...

I go to planet fitness about twice a week and I have never heard the lunk alarm go off. I have never eaten the pizza or bagels either. They have the pizza there so you gain fat and have to keep coming back to burn it off.

The dumb people will always be dumb.

dolorah said...

Ok, well; that was different.

I'd go to a gym for free pizza and no grunting.

I'm a fat chick though, and not interested in "grunting" in front of a crowd.

I own a much neglected eliptical machine that sits in my bedroom and sees no action. *sighs*

......dhole

Budd said...

I make noise just from stretching, let alone working out.

As most people, besides runners, are going to the gym to run from bad eating habits and towards a healthier lifestyle, the pizza sends a mixed message.

Kimberly said...

The grunting is definitely weird as a rule.

And the pizza, what are they thinking - I think Powdered Toast Man is onto something...

ellaella said...

Now I finally understand the commercials. Anyway, I love the Planet Fitness concept. The reason I have a hard time going to the gym is the judgment. Everyone is walking around trying to look and seem impressive. I don't like feeling as though I need to dress up to go to the gym and I felt intimidated for not already being in shape. A person shouldn't feel like they have to lose weight BEFORE they can go to the gym! And I'm not sure if you're joking about the mentors thing, but I never felt like I could ask anyone how to use the machines I didn't understand. Free, unlimited, one-on-one training surely would be all the mentoring anyone could ask for.

The only point with which we agree, and the reason I could not join PF, is the lunk alarm. The idea of shaming someone you don't want in your gym by sounding a big alarm for everyone to look at them and laugh smacks of hypocrisy. How is that a judgment-free zone? On the PF website they link to a news article that compares them to the Average Joes' gym on the movie Dodgeball. I'm pretty sure the alarm would be in the other gym! (and probably the tanning beds too!)

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sheone said...

I guess this is in an effort to keep roids out of the gym. What I hear is that you are not allowed to push yourself. I am not a bodybuilder, but when I work out, I grunt or moan. At least I am breathing right. Mike

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