Do you belong to a gym?

[disneysteve]

Well, at least it's only one Friday a month. One Tuesday morning a month they have bagels, too.

A gym serving pizza and bagels and we wonder why we have an obesity problem in this country.

[BuckyBadger]

A gym serving pizza and bagels and we wonder why we have an obesity problem in this country.

Well, luckily they don't tie you down and force feed it to you.

[riverwed070707]

Well, luckily they don't tie you down and force feed it to you.

Sure but why not teach people about how good healthy food can be instead of promoting the "you earned the right to eat this crap food because you worked out" mentality. I'd take fresh cut fruit over pizza any day.

[BuckyBadger]

Sure but why not teach people about how good healthy food can be instead of promoting the "you earned the right to eat this crap food because you worked out" mentality. I'd take fresh cut fruit over pizza any day.

Because they're not a charity. They're a business. And as a business they figured out that more people will join if they provide these sorts of treats and social gatherings.

Look - I have nothing vested in Planet Fitness. I don't even go there any more. But if giving out pizza once a week to people keeps them in business so that people can go there and work out and NOT eat pizza for $10/month, I'm not going to complain.

[corn18]

I'm going to open up an establishment where I provide a secure, insured place to store your money. For that privilege, I will pay you a modest interest rate. And on Fridays, I will give away free credit cards, car loans, home loans, home equity loans, personal loans, boat loans, RV loans, motorcycle loans or just give you money for no reason whatsoever. All for just a modest fee. That way you will feel good about saving so much money because now you have so much more money to spend. And I won't cater to those richy richer types. I'm here for the common man. All are welcome.

[Permanent Temp]

Yes I do belong to a gym. I have not gone in a year. I will be going back soon. My subscription is less than 30 a month. I hooked on to a special and I joined a gym with a pool as I had joined gyms without them and didn't go.

I liked the gym near my old job way better than this one which is like 3 minutes from my house. I like to go late at night. A year ago I started working 2 jobs and found it impossible to make time to go. I haven't lost any weight since then and the other day I realized I have seriously underutilized my membership. My only option is to utilize it as I do not want to get rid of it and lose that low rate. I plan on going back tonight. Have had my gym bag packed for a while but had some health stuff I had to take care of before I could go back.

I was motivated when I joined and kept up with it until my job situation go insane so apparently not motivated enough. I still have two jobs but I realized I can't put my health on hold just because I am trying to make all these financial goals happen. I'm in a good place financially now maybe I just needed to develop that before taking on something else. Either way it's you who has to be motivated the gym is just a tool to help you its not a muse and will not wake you up and lure you in a 5am to get your daily work out because you have a 20 hour day ahead of you and that's the only time you can work out. It will not stop you from having seconds or eating McDonalds or whatever your vice is. You decide you want to do it and whether a gym will help you reach your goals. Whatever they may be.

[bjl584]

I am a member of a gym. I go 5 days a week for an hour or so at a time. Motivation has never been an issue for me. It's something that I enjoy doing.

As far as Planet Fitness goes, they have a successful business model, but they are not a gym. Not in the true sense anyway. If you want to get in shape, and I mean really in shape. Sweat, blood, and tears, crawl to your car at the end of your workout kind of in shape, then don't go to Planet Fitness. Find a gym that caters to your wants and desires. Find a place where you can go all out, yell, scream, drop weights, lift hard and heavy. If that's what you're into. You certainly won't find that at a Planet Fitness.

[kyoko]

I belong to the gym. We used to be a members of the private gym that was about $160 a month and I thought that was not worth it. My husband loved it there because he made a lot of friends and lost about 40lb in 3 months. He believes because the gym had a weight loss competition and he had a few staffs with whom he held accountable.

But due to my opposition of the high membership due, we switched to 24hours. That cut down 1/2 of the membership due. We both like spinning, and I mostly go to the group exercise. Found some favorite instructors and friends (not a lot because it is a big gym) that makes me stick to this routine. To me, it's worth it, otherwise I won't do exercise as much. And I feel great after working out...

[rennigade]

Sure but why not teach people about how good healthy food can be instead of promoting the "you earned the right to eat this crap food because you worked out" mentality. I'd take fresh cut fruit over pizza any day.

Exactly. Its a place that promotes failure and an unhealthy lifestyle. Thats like an AA meeting serving alcohol. No...they dont have to drink it...but you know some of them will!

In all honesty you may as well do p90x. At least then when you're killing yourself to progress and do that last pull up and you grunt a little you wont have to worry about getting tossed because you magically become a "meat head" if you make some noise.

Planet fitness...grunting does not = meat head

[BuckyBadger]

I am a member of a gym. I go 5 days a week for an hour or so at a time. Motivation has never been an issue for me. It's something that I enjoy doing.

As far as Planet Fitness goes, they have a successful business model, but they are not a gym. Not in the true sense anyway. If you want to get in shape, and I mean really in shape. Sweat, blood, and tears, crawl to your car at the end of your workout kind of in shape, then don't go to Planet Fitness. Find a gym that caters to your wants and desires. Find a place where you can go all out, yell, scream, drop weights, lift hard and heavy. If that's what you're into. You certainly won't find that at a Planet Fitness.

I think this attitude is where Planet Fitness' model really shines.

There are a lot of people who have no desire to yell and scream and lift hard and heavy. There are people who aren't physically capable of doing that. And if gym culture says that if you're not crawling to your car then you're not doing it "right," then these people will never take the first step toward fitness. And the first step isn't lifting until you cry, it's jogging on a treadmill or spinning on an elliptical for 20 minutes, doing some crunches on a ball, and trying out the military press machine for a few minutes.

If the only ski hills were black diamonds, don't you think there would be fewer skiers? Planet Fitness is the bunny hill of gyms, and there is nothing wrong with that. Not everyone wants or needs to be a body builder. Most people would be well served with 45 minutes of activity 4 times a week and losing 15 pounds, and at $10 a month, it's hard to beat that at Planet Fitness.

(I agree that the ban on grunting is pretty silly, but I never saw it enforced like the recent case in the news at the one I went to. I think that is the exception rather than the rule.)

[rennigade]

I will add if you're looking for mostly treadmills and other cardio equipment...then the $10/month is a steal. I know running outside is free, but in an controlled environment theres less risk of messing up an ankle (no chance of stepping in pot hole or hitting loose gravel) and for women who run alone...its much safer!

[disneysteve]

I will add if you're looking for mostly treadmills and other cardio equipment...then the $10/month is a steal. I know running outside is free, but in an controlled environment theres less risk of messing up an ankle (no chance of stepping in pot hole or hitting loose gravel) and for women who run alone...its much safer!

Treadmill is also all-weather. It takes away all of the excuses - too cold, too hot, snowing, icy, raining. The treadmill is always there waiting for me.

Also, it is MUCH easier on my joints to run on the treadmill vs. running on the street. For my 49-year-old knees, that's important.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I used to belong to the ymca and it's ridiculously expensive at $71 a month. But I went daily because there is childcare and I love getting 1.5 hours to myself. But my youngest won't go to childcare so it's been moot for almost a year. God I loved it. Who won have ever thought exercising would be a luxury?

[Tabs]

I am lucky in that my work place has a free gym and it is a pretty nice one. Before that, I did most of my workouts at home to save money.

It's doable, but I also find that I am much more motivated at the gym, if nothing else because I am "trapped" there, and with others around, I feel like I can't cheat or slack off or I would get caught.

So, if I didn't have this free gym access already, chances are good that I would pay to join a gym, but that's just me.

[hamchan]

My husband is with 24 hr fitness. He lifts free weights, and with three people and two cats in 575 sq. feet, that is not something we have space for. I used to go until a got a severe injury lifting weights a few years ago. I couldn't work for six weeks. I am done. Won't do weight lifting anymore. I need my body to be 100% to work, and it's just too risky, plus the pain and medical expense. OMG. Even breathing was excruciating. I walk most places I go, and have a very physical job. I'm in pretty good shape. Don't need any additional excercise. My husband has a desk job though, and he needs to work out.