Planet Fitness Visit = Facepalm

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

So as some know, my wife and I recently got new jobs 3 hours away from our old ones and have moved in with my grandmother while we look for a house. As such, I need to find a new gym, which is a shame, because the old one was awesome.

The closest "gym" is Planet Fitness. Even though we both have seen the commercials, my wife convinced me to go check it out with her just to make sure it didn't have the equipment I wanted.

We walk in and tell them we're new to the area and would like to take a look around. The girl is friendly and offers to take us for a tour. We happily accept. She begins walking then turns around and says word for word, "The first thing we like to tell everyone is that we like to keep a judgement free zone. We cater to normal people, not to bodybuilders or power lifters."

I almost choked. I was expecting something along those lines, but not something that straight up while she stared right at me. I really had to resist asking her how intentionally not having the equipment for power lifters and bodybuilders wasn't judgmental. The only reason I held back was to not embarrass my wife. They really need to change that slogan to be "This is a completely judgmental zone, just not against "normal people".

We continue the tour. There are MINIMUM 120 treadmills/ellipticals/hamster wheels. Not gonna knock them, I use them in the winter when it's too cold to run outside. Then I cringe. The weight section has no free barbells, but it does have 5 smith machines, one next to the other. The only free weights are dumbbells up to 60 lb. I knew at this point that there was no way I was going here, but politely let her finish the tour, heard her payment shpeel, and told her we'd think about it.

My wife is welcome to go back if she wants to, but there's no way I will be.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Let's all pause for a moment to appreciate her categorizing you as a badass looking body builder/power lifter.

They just got planet fitness here. The radio commercials are annoying so I always wondered what they were like on the inside.

[Loren Wade]

It needs more treadmills.

[Kewilson]

Equipment fail. I had a similar reaction when I took my parents to their first day at the gym in their hometown (I live 4 hours away); row after row after row of treadmills. The free weight section was a tiny corner of the sprawling complex. It had everything I needed, but my golly was it cramped. The squat rack was buried behind some other, moveable equipment, like no one ever used it.

And then I cried.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I'm having an issue finding a place with free weights less than 30 min away. I'm driving 1:20 to and from work every day, I don't have the time to drive that far to and from a gym. Maybe google maps just isn't showing the results and I need to use better keywords. Might have to go old fashioned to the yellow pages.

[Morrigainz]

I'm having an issue finding a place with free weights less than 30 min away. I'm driving 1:20 to and from work every day, I don't have the time to drive that far to and from a gym. Maybe google maps just isn't showing the results and I need to use better keywords. Might have to go old fashioned to the yellow pages.

What about a place near work?

[Librarian of Doom]

I'm having an issue finding a place with free weights less than 30 min away. I'm driving 1:20 to and from work every day, I don't have the time to drive that far to and from a gym. Maybe google maps just isn't showing the results and I need to use better keywords. Might have to go old fashioned to the yellow pages.

If you need research help, there are several librarians (aka research experts) on this forum, y'know

[engineman312]

i went to a Planet Fitness once. for a gym that says "no lunks" it had a whole lot of lunks.

build your own gym in your new home.

[Loren Wade]

Corey, if you're driving so long to work, why not find something along the way?

[Kim]

I've seen the commercials and I always cringe.

[mrRed]

You in north jersey now?

[morethanjustamom]

Home gym. Problem solved!

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Moved out of new jersey, back in Philly area. Will be moving to around Newark Delaware once we find a house.

We have a free gym at work that has a squat rack. The issue is I take 1 1/2 hours per workout and my wife takes 1/2 hour, and we share a car to and from work. She'd be waiting around for a hour for me, and since work is so far, it would mean no weights on weekends.

If you guys wanna help research, I live in zip code 19014 right now.

[Eurydice]

Oh, Planet Fatness.

Philly is a weirdly gym-free zone. There are a couple of LA Fitness places and a local chainlet or two, but that's about it. Speaking of Planet Fatness, though, your area code is only about ten miles from Iron Sport Gym in Glenolden, source of the infamous (and hilarious) r

I don't know what your wife is looking for, or whether you're looking for something with classes and whatnot, but maybe you could go there on weekends?

[Librarian of Doom]

My preliminary google-fu has netted the following results, which you may have already considered and discarded:

http://www.fitness19.com/equipfacil-freeweights.html

http://concordmallde.retrofitness.net/Web/us/en/locationdetail.dhtml

http://www.crozerkeystone.org/healthplex/

http://www.kirkwoodfitness.com/Kfc1024/facilities.htm

http://www.snapfitness.com/glenmillspa/home/redirectname/club-locator/redirectroute/corporate

http://www.ridleysportsclub.com/weights.aspx

And the previously mentioned http://www.ironsport.com/

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Yeah, we are talking about that video in chat. Iron gym is 25 min away and further with rush hour, but it may be the winner. Ridley Y is in the race as well as my wife would be more comfortable there. Thanks for the help guys!

[This is Seth]

Quick Google search says that you're 4 hours and 7 minutes away from my gym. That's not too bad, right?

[bigm141414]

Quick Google search says that you're 4 hours and 7 minutes away from my gym. That's not too bad, right?

That's a Sunday Texas drive....

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Quick Google search says that you're 4 hours and 7 minutes away from my gym. That's not too bad, right?

I'm gonna be about 6.5 hours closer one night next month. It'll be my first business trip with the office, I'll have to see if I can snag one of the cars one night.

[This is Seth]

Let me know, I'll try and make sure I'm free for some nerdy activities. Game night / giant tire flipping competition.

[Waldo]

.....you could always say to hell with it with the weights, get yourself a pullup bar or some rings, and join in the bodyweight fun. All the cool kids are doing it.

[leadchipmunk]

Game night / giant tire flipping competition.

Why have I never thought of that combination?

[WillVZ]

Well for 10 bucks a month I'm good with planet. I just stay in either the stretching area or the free weights. I'll use the occasional machine. Not a big fan of the smith machines. Besides they are always being used at mine. Just wish they had a tbar. I do miss that. But hey, for 10 bucks, you could do worse.

[ETFnerd]

Just wish they had a tbar.

why not just prop a barbell in the corner... that's how we always used to do that exercise...

[161803398874989]

.....you could always say to hell with it with the weights, get yourself a pullup bar or some rings, and join in the bodyweight fun. All the cool kids are doing it.

This!

Though all the really cool kids squat and deadlift alongside that. When their knees aren't injured.