Visited a Planet Fitness, and here's my email to them.

[malcom young]

I wonder what happens if you're in the bathroom pushing out a giant redwood of a turd and you happen to grunt a little. Do they bust in the stall and kick you out? Hmmm, that's worth finding out.

I do all of my tree cutting before I leave the house.

 

[joshbarnett]

sounds like discrimination to me...also, why are they allowed to have women only facilities???

 

[pumpt73]

Thats all good but you can bet that letter gets discarded without even being read. They could care less about a bodybuilder and all there hypocritical practices. What they do care about are all the lard asses that sign a contract just to make them feel like they are doing something good and dont come back for 6 months. That $10 still goes right in there pocket regardless.
All the things you stated in your letter i said face to face to the owner of my planet fitness and all i got in response was " well if you dont like it, go somewhere else and lift" . Its not like i have a choice around here so i bit my lip and moved on.
Good luck with that.

Oh absolutely bro. You know that. Ya know, the more I've tried other gyms around my area, I still can't leave "home" and that's my Powerhouse. They don't mind me grunting a little, sweating, etc. They cater to the fitness crowd, but don't mind the big boys when they come in. Have everything you need to get the job done. I just had to check this Planet Fitness thing out for myself.

 

[JJ-INSANE1]

Oh absolutely bro. You know that. Ya know, the more I've tried other gyms around my area, I still can't leave "home" and that's my Powerhouse. They don't mind me grunting a little, sweating, etc. They cater to the fitness crowd, but don't mind the big boys when they come in. Have everything you need to get the job done. I just had to check this Planet Fitness thing out for myself.

Dont think your alone. I have many friends from my home town (30 miles away) that came to the Planet fitness i go to just to see if i was bullshitting about the "lunk alarm".
I honestly do not understand how they do not consider what they do as NOT being discrimination towards bodybuilders and "healthy" people.
I mean, a woman can wear a tank tops and there belly button showing (not that im complaining about that) but a dude cant wear a tank top... just shirts that you BUY with the sleeves out. You cant actually cut the sleeves out your self, they have to be bought that way.
A woman can wear a hat, a bandana... ect but a dude cant wear a bandana or a skull cap/toboggan. WTF is up with that?
If i had another gym to go to i would go lift there and just use the planet shit hole for there tanning only.
Oh, also... someone who knows there shit cant "personal train" anyone if they want... you have to hire one of there 18 year old slackards to personal train. If they catch you training someone they will kick you out.
Also, in the contract it says they can kick you out for no reason. If the owner doesnt like you... bye bye and get this... NO refund if you paid in full.
FUUUCK man.
Ok.. blood pressure is going up again. Gotta go.

 

[Magnum]

How many of you guys have actually been kicked out of planet shitneess? A lot of guys on here complain about this place but how many of you are willing to actually do something to try and change the situation. I'll give you an example of something that just happened to me.

Long story short, I got my bank statement in the mail one day and it was overdrawn. This was an account that I did not use much and I had forgot that I had one bill that was coming out of it I think for around $15 a month. There had charge me $7 a day overdraft and after like 2 weeks is was I think $10. I later found out that the banks made a total of $17 billion last year in these made up over draft fees alone. Needles to say I was very pissed about this especially since you do not find out about it till your next statement that I now owed them a few hundred $!!!!

I called my bank and talked to the manager and nicely asked him to take the fees off which of course I knew he wouldn't so I told him that I was going to take him to small claims court. I knew that I was not going to win, but I also knew that they would have to hire a lawyer and the bank manager would have to also be there and miss at least a half day of work. So who is winning here really. The manger asked if he could call me back later that day to see what he could do. He later called me back and very nicely told me that they would wave the fees, but also told me that if it ever happened again that I would have to pay. I nicely thanked him and said that it wouldn't and the next day closed my account.

Next time that someone gets kicked out of planet whatever take them to small claims. I guarentee that if enough people start doing this they will have no choice, but to start treating you guys a little better.

 

[Thewhite9t]

I love how one of their sales pitches to women is "You won't have to worry about big muscular lunks coming up and hitting on you."

The problems with that statement are-
1) the big guys are serious and come to work out. The out of shape guys are the ones that come to the gym just for girls.
2) The big guys are 10x more likely to already have a girlfriend, because they look good.

LOL

 

[pumpt73]

I was booted from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, MI one. I wanted to try it out and I was up that way during the week. Now, I dress no frills in the gym. I wear gym pants and a tank/cutoff/extra tee under my training tee. I always have. Rarely do I ever take my top shirt off. But I wanted to go in and train hard like I always do.

I usually have my iPod turned up to where ANY background noise is cancelled out. So, I climb under 450lb squat, and I usually talk to myself under my breath. I've seen Ronnie Coleman and Branch Warren's training DVD's too many times. So lightly under my breath I said "yeah budday, lightweight", then grunted as I unracked. Nothing loud, just "HUMPH". An uppity female walks over to the counter while Im squatting and returns with the "Assisstant Manager". An all of 20 year old kid who couldn't tell you what a deadlift was if it was stamped on his forehead.

"Excuse me sir, but did you say something offensive to another member and also grunt???" I said "yeah, under my breath I said yeah budday, lightweight, and then gave a little grunt before I unracked the bar." "Well then sir, you will need to exit the gym, grunting and talking the way you were talking are not permitted on these premesis. You can now leave."

Planet fitness is a complete joke.

 

[JJ-INSANE1]

How many of you guys have actually been kicked out of planet shitneess? A lot of guys on here complain about this place but how many of you are willing to actually do something to try and change the situation. I'll give you an example of something that just happened to me.

Long story short, I got my bank statement in the mail one day and it was overdrawn. This was an account that I did not use much and I had forgot that I had one bill that was coming out of it I think for around $15 a month. There had charge me $7 a day overdraft and after like 2 weeks is was I think $10. I later found out that the banks made a total of $17 billion last year in these made up over draft fees alone. Needles to say I was very pissed about this especially since you do not find out about it till your next statement that I now owed them a few hundred $!!!!

I called my bank and talked to the manager and nicely asked him to take the fees off which of course I knew he wouldn't so I told him that I was going to take him to small claims court. I knew that I was not going to win, but I also knew that they would have to hire a lawyer and the bank manager would have to also be there and miss at least a half day of work. So who is winning here really. The manger asked if he could call me back later that day to see what he could do. He later called me back and very nicely told me that they would wave the fees, but also told me that if it ever happened again that I would have to pay. I nicely thanked him and said that it wouldn't and the next day closed my account.

Next time that someone gets kicked out of planet whatever take them to small claims. I guarentee that if enough people start doing this they will have no choice, but to start treating you guys a little better.

Man in theory your right... but in Planet Fitness reality your not even close.
In the contract on the back in small print it says they can kick you out for no reason other then they want to (not worded that way but same thing basically).
Yes, i was kicked out. The very day they switched from Golds to Planet Fitness. Someone told the owner i was a steroid dealer so when i walked in he asked me if i was "so and so" and i said yes. He said my old contract at Golds didnt transfer over to the Planet Fitness gym. I said fine, i would just pay up. (I never actually paid at Golds, i got comped out by Rick Flair for 5 years).... so this wasnt really a surprise. I paid up and went on to work out. The owner then came back over to me while i was training and told me i could leave because i used offensive language. Ha ha Bullshit!
I hadnt said anything rude or explicit. At this point i was sweating anadrol and i was becoming over bearingly pissed. So, i went into his office and shut the door... i told him he was judging me from what others had told him. He didnt give me a fair chance. I swear to God i told him that if i had to leave i was taking $200.00 worth of computers and windows out on the way. Fuck him and the police. He changed his attitude before my very eyes.
After getting the "just dont do it in my gym" speech about drug dealing and slamming weights.... ect. i was allowed to stay. Two weeks later the New years day incident went down (in my earlier post) ... and as of now im still there. I will admit Planet Fitness does bring a lot of hot chicks in. Thing is, there all trained to like the lard asses and nerds other then the jacked up bodybuilder. Fuckem all.

 

[Magnum]

Man in theory your right... but in Planet Fitness reality your not even close.
In the contract on the back in small print it says they can kick you out for no reason other then they want to (not worded that way but same thing basically).
Yes, i was kicked out. The very day they switched from Golds to Planet Fitness. Someone told the owner i was a steroid dealer so when i walked in he asked me if i was "so and so" and i said yes. He said my old contract at Golds didnt transfer over to the Planet Fitness gym. I said fine, i would just pay up. (I never actually paid at Golds, i got comped out by Rick Flair for 5 years).... so this wasnt really a surprise. I paid up and went on to work out. The owner then came back over to me while i was training and told me i could leave because i used offensive language. Ha ha Bullshit!
I hadnt said anything rude or explicit. At this point i was sweating anadrol and i was becoming over bearingly pissed. So, i went into his office and shut the door... i told him he was judging me from what others had told him. He didnt give me a fair chance. I swear to God i told him that if i had to leave i was taking $200.00 worth of computers and windows out on the way. Fuck him and the police. He changed his attitude before my very eyes.
After getting the "just dont do it in my gym" speech about drug dealing and slamming weights.... ect. i was allowed to stay. Two weeks later the New years day incident went down (in my earlier post) ... and as of now im still there. I will admit Planet Fitness does bring a lot of hot chicks in. Thing is, there all trained to like the lard asses and nerds other then the jacked up bodybuilder. Fuckem all.

You are totally missing my point. Take them to court. Also, if they are a corperation they need a lawyer to represent themselves and that is an easy grand it will cost them even if they win they lose. What is in their contract have zero to do with anything. Imagine if 50 people took them to court in one year. So what if they win. If you really feel that you have been wronged then let a judge decide.

Just in case it wasn't clear I mean small claims court. I think it costs around $40 to file. I got a major bank to give me back almost $400 and you don't see that happening everyday. It was either give me back the fictitious $400 or pay a lawyer a grand to defend them plus more than anything they did not want it getting out about what I was going to do cause then a lot of people would do it.

 

[BigMatt]

I GRUNT ALOT WHEN DOING TRICEP KICKBACK!

 

[marilyn]

I really cannot believe what I'm reading, but many of you have stated these as facts.....I just can't believe they get away with that!!!

And who are these idiots that complain about something so small?

i want to go to one now and scream and grunt,

I can just see the dweeb coming to Aeliop to tell him to leave because he made a grunt, or said something to offend someone....as he does that at our gym everyday

I met the owner of one near UCf when I briefly went into general real estate last year....I feel like slapping him now, lol...

 

[wings]

wtf?

why hasn't anyone sued these loosers yet? this is an obviouse case of not only discrimination agains bodybuilders and powerlifters, but also false advertisement. they say its a judgement free zone to get people to sign up, then they judge you based on how you train, call you a meathead or a lunk, and kick you out... that just aint right!

if all you guys got together in a class action lawsuit that might wake some people up.

maybe ill go to PF next back workout and see how many people i can freak out... or piss off...;devil-smi

 

[Beregond]

It would be interesting to know the whole story behind them and their policy. Obviously, America wasn't burning for a "judgement free" gym, so this must be some personal issue of the owner. Maybe he is that guy from the old Charles Atlas ads who got sanded kick in his face; lol!

What's sad is, they are creating a social division that never existed, in order to exploit it. It doesn't get much lower than that.

 

[Nate.184]

I checked one of these places out, and it was pathetic. Nice equipment, but I thought it was a judgement free zone, and here Im getting judged for being a bodybuilder. Here's the email I wrote them after i was asked to leave for grunting.


I recently checked a planet fitness out and I must say, Im unimpressed. While you have put together a nice gym, your "judgement free zone" contradicts itself. Why is it if Im training hard to get results and Im under say, a 450lb squat and I let out a grunt, your precious lunk alarm goes off??? I thought you had a judgement free zone, well it's quite apparent that you judge people who train hard to achieve desired results. You offer candy and pizza and have the word fitness in your title. Im sorry, but neither of these foods have anyplace in a fit and healthy lifestyle. I can assure you you will not recieve my business. That includes the money that I often spend on memberships, apparel, and drinks at the gym bar. I hate to inform you, but if it weren't for bodybuilders, you wouldn't have gyms the way you have them today.

Good day.

good for you man. that place is a joke

 

[sam1976]

What's sad is, they are creating a social division that never existed, in order to exploit it. It doesn't get much lower than that.

i hadn't really thought of that, but yea, i can see what you're saying.



i'm interested to see if they respond to the OP's email

 

[MightyJohn]

You guys are KILLING ME with this Planet Fitness stuff

I agree anyone who actually knows the business model behind them & is a serious exerciser wouldn't workout there....they don't want bodybuilders(they want nonexercisers to go a few times & forget about the $10 or 20 a month), why else would most of them only have db's to 60-70lbs....if You are a serious exerciser, spend a few more dollars & go to a healthclub that wants You(golds, world, la, powerhouse, bally, 24hr, tsi...etc.)

 

[pumpt73]

I agree anyone who actually knows the business model behind them & is a serious exerciser wouldn't workout there....they don't want bodybuilders(they want nonexercisers to go a few times & forget about the $10 or 20 a month), why else would most of them only have db's to 60-70lbs....if You are a serious exerciser, spend a few more dollars & go to a healthclub that wants You(golds, world, la, powerhouse, bally, 24hr, tsi...etc.)

Amen John. I only wanted to check the place out and see what it was really like. Actually, I got a great deal with my gym. Im out of Powerhouse in Monroe, Michigan and it's $25 a month. I can't beat it.

 

[MightyJohn]

$25 for Powerhouse, No You can't beat that

 

[maldorf]

i have trained very heavy in the past and never found the need to grunt, scream, or breath like a choo-choo train. if you must train at a place like that just don't grunt. i've always thought guys that have to make silly noises when they train are just trying to call attention to themselves so everyone will see the "big" weights they are using.

I really do think that is true to some extent. I was that way too until I started including some powerlifting type training doing sets of 3-4 reps in heavy lifts like the squat. I found that in order for me to give 100% I had to grunt while pushing up the bar in the squat. I am always very quiet, but pusing yourself to the limit like that with heavy weight felt like it required me to grunt on at least the last rep on the set. I could normally do a set of 10 reps with 455 on the squat without making a peep. Doing a set with 525 or so and I found myself grunting pretty damn loud on the last 2 reps. Try a super intense set like that with a super heavy weight for you and see if you can stop yourself from grunting.

 

[maldorf]

How many of you guys have actually been kicked out of planet shitneess? A lot of guys on here complain about this place but how many of you are willing to actually do something to try and change the situation. I'll give you an example of something that just happened to me.

Long story short, I got my bank statement in the mail one day and it was overdrawn. This was an account that I did not use much and I had forgot that I had one bill that was coming out of it I think for around $15 a month. There had charge me $7 a day overdraft and after like 2 weeks is was I think $10. I later found out that the banks made a total of $17 billion last year in these made up over draft fees alone. Needles to say I was very pissed about this especially since you do not find out about it till your next statement that I now owed them a few hundred $!!!!

I called my bank and talked to the manager and nicely asked him to take the fees off which of course I knew he wouldn't so I told him that I was going to take him to small claims court. I knew that I was not going to win, but I also knew that they would have to hire a lawyer and the bank manager would have to also be there and miss at least a half day of work. So who is winning here really. The manger asked if he could call me back later that day to see what he could do. He later called me back and very nicely told me that they would wave the fees, but also told me that if it ever happened again that I would have to pay. I nicely thanked him and said that it wouldn't and the next day closed my account.

Next time that someone gets kicked out of planet whatever take them to small claims. I guarentee that if enough people start doing this they will have no choice, but to start treating you guys a little better.

Great post for sure. I really do agree. Just the inconvenience of going to court and having legal rep is going to be more than enough to cause some change if its done on a large enough scale. Willing to bet though that the gym would win the suit, but how long could they afford to keep fighting this in the courts? I would like to see a copy of the agreement/gym membership form that people sign when the join the gym. I am sure that it has language in there that prohibits grunting and other behaiviors.