Reasons People Don’t Consider Planet Fitness To Be A ‘Real Gym,’ And Why That’s OK

Hidden Cameras Found In Tanning Rooms At planet fitness

Reasons People Don’t Consider Planet Fitness To Be A ‘Real Gym,’ And Why That’s OK

Since reporting on the Planet Money podcast that detailed the ways in which Planet Fitness (and other low-cost gyms) manipulate its members into not going to the gym, I’ve received a lot of feedback about Planet Fitness. Much of it is along the lines of, “Screw you! It’s not Planet Fitness’ fault if you don’t go to the gym. It’s the members fault for not having the willpower to take advantage of the $10 a month membership fees.” But remember, Planet Fitness actually tailors itself to out-of-shape people it knows are unlikely to follow through on using its services. In fact, on the other side of the equation, I heard accounts from several people that Planet Fitness actually discourages gym-obsessed people from using their gym. After all, when their facilities have 6000 members and only accommodate 300 people at a time, frequent users of their gyms are actually bad business for them. So, I dug a little deeper (based, in part, on anecdotal evidence from readers and friends) and found a few ways in which Planet Fitness is actively trying not to be a “real” gym.

1. As a The Daily Show segment illustrated back in 2011, Planet Fitness may bill itself as a “Judgment Free Zone,” but in reality, it judges what they call “lunkheads.” In fact, “no grunting” policy and a “Lunk Alarm” that sounds whenever weight lifters make too much noise — or grunt — while lifting weights (which is not common, given the fact that Planet Fitness typically does not stock incredibly heavy weights).

2. There was a huge uproar last year after a Reddit user reported that his Planet Fitness removed the squat rack after another member complained that it was too intimidating. A few days before that, another Reddit user complained that his Planet Fitness removed the free weight benches and all dumbbells over 75 pounds for “insurance reasons.”

3. In March of this year, another Planet Fitness member was kicked out of the club because her “toned boy” intimidated others. According to Tiffany Austin, who was wearing a midriff on the treadmill, 15 minutes into her first workout, a staff member came up to her and said, “Excuse me we’ve had some complaints you’re intimidating people with your toned body. So can you put on a shirt?” In April, she contemplated bringing a suit against the gym.

Full Story Here: http://uproxx.com/webculture/2014/12/5-reasons-why-people-dont-consider-planet-fitness-to-be-a-real-gym/