podcast first edit

Planet Fitness, the biggest gym chain in the U.S., has received mixed reviews due to its unique regulations and policies. While it offers basic equipment and machines for beginners, it falls short for more serious athletes. Some of their rules, such as discouraging intense workouts and disapproving of certain behaviors, contradict their claims of inclusivity and non-discrimination. Additionally, the lack of proper weightlifting equipment and limited variety of machines have caused controversy. Overall, while Planet Fitness may be an option for beginners, other gym chains are better suited for both intense lifters and beginners. The gym culture created by Planet Fitness is seen as detrimental to achieving fitness goals. Gym culture. Is that a term you're familiar with? Maybe a friend mentioned it to you once, or maybe you interact with it in your everyday life. The first ever gym was founded in 1848, and over time, certain rules and courtesies have become commonplace for over 205,000 gyms all over the world. These courtesies have ranged from wiping down your machine after using it to being respectful to everyone, no matter what their background is, how experienced they are, or how they look. Gym employees and directors are also expected to respect their customers, such as giving them a wide variety of machines and weights and encouraging them on their journey, no matter the effort they put in. Although these regulations are the norm for most gyms, there is one chain that is known for their difference in views of how the gym environment should look like. Planet Fitness. Does that name ring a bell? For gym goers, it's either a blessing or a curse. Although Planet Fitness is the biggest gym chain in the U.S., there are a fair share of complaints about its rules and regulations. From a long history of discrimination, to disapproving of intense workouts, to lack of equipment and weights, the franchise has had a long life of controversy, and in this podcast, we will be exploring the gym environment at its finest. Standard Gym Rules. Most gyms feature simple policies which include being courteous, minding your own business, being respectful, wiping down equipment, being safe, and putting your weights back. With some different rules, policies, and regulations, whether your gym focuses on bodybuilding, powerlifting, CrossFit, or anything in between. Planet Fitness, however, attempts to implement several regulations that do not conform with the standard of gym culture. Some of these rules are perfectly fine and are actually included in most gyms, such as wiping down your equipment after use, returning your weights, and respecting personal safety. However, not all of these rules and policies they implement are very good. For instance, they have a policy which states anyone who incidentally makes noise in the gym, drops weights, flexes or poses in mirrors, or critiques other members' form counts as a quote-unquote, and are forced to stop working out, and in some cases, forced out of the gym. These rules are very contradictory to their inclusivity and non-discrimination policies, because it's being non-inclusive of people such as powerlifters and bodybuilders, whose sole purpose of working out falls under the category of a lunk, and is therefore not tolerated at Planet Fitness. Their no-gym intimidation policy also goes against powerlifters and bodybuilders, because it is not enabling them to either lift heavy weights or look at their own physique in fear that it will create, quote, an intimidating environment for people who are just trying to have a comfortable workout. Another issue with Planet Fitness is the weights themselves, which have caused lots of controversy. Their dumbbells only go up to 70 pounds, which for anyone who is serious about lifting, isn't near enough, and they don't provide bench presses, squat racks, or deadlift platforms. Instead, they have Smith Machines, which you can only bench press on, and even then, it is set up in a way which is not optimal, and you cannot get the proper motion needed for your workout. Planet Fitness also does not offer a wide variety of machines, with most of them having triple or double the same machines, and the machines themselves are not high quality and are left in poor condition. Planet Fitness isn't 100% bad, though, even if we're making it out to be. For beginners, it has all the weights and machines you need to learn the basics and get started, up until you get slightly more serious, as well as providing excessive cardio machines for those who want to focus on running and cardiovascular fitness. At the very least, when first running out at the gym, Planet Fitness is definitely an option. Overall, although Planet Fitness has its positives, its unique regulations catered to casual lifters leaves a sour taste in the mouth of more serious athletes. The intention is there, but unfortunately, it missed the mark for many gym goers in the U.S. So should you go to Planet Fitness? Well, it's an option, but the multitude of other gym chains available are better not only for more intense lifters, but also for beginners. The gym culture created by Planet Fitness is, at the end of the day, detrimental to the whole purpose of the gym, which is either gaining muscle or losing weight, and that can't happen with things like the long-arm in place. Now you have the inside scoop on Planet Fitness, and thank you for listening.