Sunday, February 23, 2020

Planet Fitness - Perfect Gym? (Monday Musings 76)

If I ever do become a Twitch Partner (the likelihood is 0%) and you're more able to get
sponsorships, I would chose Planet Fitness as my first sponsor, given that my stream channel is focused on gaming, but also health issues. We streamers and gamers are notoriously known for poor self-care, so I'd love to promote Planet Fitness.

But is Planet Fitness the gym for you? The first thing to look for in a gym is proximity. If there's another fitness center that's within one mile of your work/home, and the Planet Fitness is further away, the better option is the closer one, in terms of achieving compliance.

I used to go to another gym that was 5 miles away, and I barely went, but my local Planet Fitness is less than 1 mile away, and I've been consistent in attending.

If you have young children, Planet Fitness does not offer babysitting so unless you're able to have someone to attend your children, Planet Fitness won't be a good option. I would chose a gym that has babysitting.

If you're a hardcore body builder and are entering competitions, Planet Fitness is not a good gym for you. I believe the dumb bells go up to 60 pounds, and there are no barbell and squat racks, only the dreadful Smith machines. However, if you're the average person, not aiming to be in competitions, Planet Fitness has more than adequate equipment. I like how they have the Step Mill, which is rotating staircases.

If Planet Fitness is close to you, you do not need babysitting for your children, and you're not looking to achieve a competitive ready physique, Planet Fitness is the perfect gym.

For one, it's open 24/7, meaning that there's no excuse to not go to the gym, improving compliance. I believe that's Planet Fitness's biggest selling point. Planet Fitness is a very clean and organized facility, and I found the staff and fellow members to be polite, courteous and friendly.

Planet Fitness is affordable, and during the summer, there's an offer where initiation fee was either waived, or $10 (I don't recall which). Monthly membership is $10 for basic which gives you access to all equipment, including the many classes. $20 is the Black Rewards membership which gives you access to all Planet Fitness locations, guest pass for one (unlimited), and the awesome bed and chair water massage.

Even though I don't travel a lot, or have a consistent friend to go with me to the gym, I nevertheless splurged on the $20 membership because of the massage!


I appreciate the amenities, including built in lockers, so no more fumbling around for your lock, which I hate! If you forget the combination that you inputted, staff will open the locker.

In terms of equipment, I only ever use the Step Mill, but they have plenty of machines and exercise circuits for weight lifting. I use Your Body is Your Barbell system instead, as I'm looking to improve functional strength rather than aesthetics.

The other nice feature of Planet Fitness is that in your account, it lists upcoming classes (some you can sign up for in advance electronically), and also which days you attended the gym so you can see your consistency and/or insurance purposes.

Lastly, Planet Fitness has that much touted 1st Monday Pizza and 2nd Tuesday Morning Bagel, but I never went to one, so I can't comment on the pizza or bagel, but it's a nice touch.

All in all, Planet Fitness is affordable, convenient and accessible, improving exercise compliance. I find it's a perfect gym for most people's needs, and certainly for me!

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