If you’re planning to lose some extra weight or tone your body, you most likely want to go to a gym where you gain access to various amenities without having to break the bank. Better yet, perhaps you’re looking for a nice, clean gym where you can concentrate all your time and energy into sweating it out.
One gym that comes to mind is Planet Fitness, a budget-friendly gym that has been satisfying countless members. Before you head over to the nearest location and sign up for a membership, though, you need to ask yourself if this is really the gym for you. Fortunately, our Planet Fitness review will help you answer that question.
What Is Planet Fitness?
Michael Grondahl founded Planet Fitness in 1992 when he acquired another gym that was struggling financially. From there, he used a business model that ensured costs were low by significantly decreasing the prices so that the gym could be a worthy competitor against other well-known gyms. Planet Fitness’s goal wasn’t to cater to experienced gym-goers—rather, the company prioritized first-time members or those who didn’t go to the gym as often.
In other words, Planet Fitness is ideal if you’re an average person who wants to exercise for health reasons or to get in shape. Being born from a struggling gym, Planet Fitness is now available in over 1000 locations with millions of members throughout the US.
The Positives
If Planet Fitness caught your eye, you’re most likely wondering if its features or what it offers as a gym are right for you. Here are several reasons why we like Planet Fitness:
Planet Fitness Memberships
This gym has two different memberships available, namely the $10 membership and the Black Card membership. The regular membership only offers limited access, but the Black Card membership, on the other hand, offers more than you’d expect. For only $22.99 a month, the Black Card membership grants you access to every possible perk offered by Planet Fitness. Plus, you can even receive discounts in specific stores.
For instance, you’ll get a 10% discount when you shop from Planet Fitness’s online store and a 20% discount when purchasing items from Reebok. Other discounts include:
- 15% off at 1800Flowers.com
- 12% off at Shoebacca.com
- $10 credit for Audible
- $80 off at BlueApron.com
- Up to 60% off hotel bookings through PF’s travel site
No Pressure Zone
No matter your fitness level, Planet Fitness makes it a point that you won’t feel judged whatsoever. Planet Fitness aims to eliminate “gymtimidation,” which causes pressure and stress while working out when you should be having a good time burning fats and calories. If you’ve experienced feeling like you’re not good enough or fit enough to go to the gym, then you should try out Planet Fitness.
Equipment
Of course, it’s completely natural that a fitness center would have gym equipment available to all the members. What we like about Planet Fitness, though, is that it always has enough equipment for everyone in the room, like varying weights, cardio machines, curl bars, and many others. Plus, the various equipment and machines are cleaned regularly.
Prices
As far as we can tell, Planet Fitness is among the most affordable gyms out there. As mentioned, you only need to fork over $10 a month for the classic membership. Not only that, contracts have a month-to-month basis, and you’re not obligated to keep being a member if or when you no longer want to. This is very much different from other fitness centers, which have contracts wherein you’re required to commit to the gym for around three to six months. Other gyms are expensive, too, with membership prices within $55 a month to $161 a month.
Cheap Extra Membership Fees
When it comes to extra membership fees, Planet Fitness only has a $1 enrollment fee for the Black Card members and a $20 to $29 enrollment fee for classic members. These fees come on top of the monthly membership payment, of course. But when you compare Planet Fitness’s pricing to other gyms, it stands out significantly. Other gyms have an enrollment or initiation fee between $50 to $100.
That being said, it’s worth noting that Planet Fitness has a $39 annual membership fee, which usually gets charged around October. While this may seem like a big amount, it’s definitely more affordable than other companies that charge $75 and above.
Available Locations
No matter where you live in the United States, you’re probably going to find a Planet Fitness branch. As mentioned, the gym has an established building in over 1000 locations throughout the 50 states, so you probably won’t have a difficult time trying to find a center near where you live.
The Negatives
Of course, you also have to consider the downsides because nothing is perfect. These aspects are what we don’t like about Planet Fitness—keep them in mind if you’re weighing the pros and cons of signing up for this gym.
Lunk Alarm
Like many gyms, Planet Fitness also has a lunk alarm, which turns off whenever you draw attention to yourself intentionally or unintentionally. So if you grunt too loudly when carrying something heavy, drops their weights, and the like, this activates the lunk alarm. The downside to this is that Planet Fitness supposedly has a no-judgment policy, and this lunk alarm somewhat goes against that.
Limited Workout Classes
While it’s great that Planet Fitness also offers workout classes to its members, these classes aren’t as diverse as those offered by other fitness centers. For instance, other gyms have classes for Zumba, yoga, cycling, and many more. Planet Fitness, on the other hand, only has classes that specifically focus on muscle workouts.
How to Cancel Your Planet Fitness Membership
If you ever decide to cancel your Planet Fitness membership, you have to do it in person at the nearest branch. If you don’t live anywhere near a Planet Fitness club, though, you can send them a letter informing them that you want to cancel your membership. Note that the company recommends you send a certified letter through USPS, as this is sufficient enough proof that you actually sent the letter and not someone else.
Conclusion
Our takeaway here is that Planet Fitness is a great and affordable gym that’s ideal for the average person who wants to stay fit and healthy. Keep in mind that there’s a reason why it’s affordable—Planet Fitness doesn’t have additional amenities like saunas, childcare, pools, etc. that other fitness centers have. Keep our pros and cons in mind if you’re looking for a good gym. If you don’t mind the negative aspects of Planet Fitness, then you should definitely check it out.
