Jon Thorn
08-11-2007, 11:03 PM
I've trained at gyms where you would often have to wait in line at the squat rack for someone to finish their 60 pound barbell curls. I've also tried to do squats to the melodious sounds of Barry Manilow echoing through the gym. I put up with it all, until i finally got the chance to train at a real gym. The Warehouse Crew introduced me to a whole new atmosphere and actually turned me into a respectable athlete. Once, I even got to be humbled by the Sequim Crew and every time that memory comes up, respect dictates that I must add more weight to the bar.
Then, sadly, I had a trying few months were training was difficult and the strength took a dive. I ended up with a startup company in an entirely new area. Part of the company benefits was a free memberhsip at one of the local gyms. While I didn't relish the thought of spending time at some fitness center, there is a limited number of exercises you can do out of the back of your pickup on a hotel lawn. And that was my introduction to Planet Fitness.
http://www.planetfitness.com/fun.asp?s=1088#
http://www.planetfitness.com/sound/Pf2.mp3
When I first walked into Planet Fitness, I was first struck by the overabundance of purple decorations; a very appropriate choice. Then I realized, where are the weights? All I saw were treadmills. After navigating the forest of treadmills and noticing the seven fat people happily walking on them, I found the weight corner which had a large number of weight machines whose purpose I could not even have guessed at if they had not been decorated with helpful little colored pictures describing their appropriate use. The free weights consisted of two bench presses, one incline press, and dumbbells going all the way up to sixty pounds. Noticing a locked room holding a lot more weight equipment, I asked one of the employees if there was a squat rack hiding in there. I was politely informed that "Oh no. We don't cater to powerlifters or bodybuilders". Looking around at the clientele and the couple of dudes doing curls while standing a foot away from the wall mirrors, this was certainly obvious. But this was the gym that I had been given a free membership to, and there was a barbell and some weights that I could use for something, so I put up with it. I put up with all their exclamations of "Non-Judgemental Gym!" and "Don't be a LUNK!" with good graces and went about doing my own thing. I got a lot of strange looks, and it was really weird being the only one not facing the mirror because that meant I was staring back at the rows of faces walking on treadmills. Since I hadn't been lifting for a while, I was mostly doing very light weights and trying to teach myself Olympic lifting and all went as well as it could have. Planet Fitness and I tolerated each other.
On their website you might have noticed a "Lunk Alert". Sure enough, in their gym there was indeed a Lunk Alert on the wall. I couldnt believe it, but I figured it was a joke. Until they sounded it on me. I had swiped a bar off a bench and was warming up for deadlifts. While doing reps at a measly 350 lbs a very load alarm started sounding and flashing lights were going off. It wasn't a fire alarm and no one was running so I finished my set. The attendant (Ashley) walks up to me and says, "Sorry, but you need to set the weight down gently. I'm getting a lot of complaints" Complaints?! People were going so far as to COMPLAIN that I was clanking the plates together? What choice did I have? I added another pair of 45's.
Personally I think I responded to the whole situation in a very mature fashion. There are lots of things I would have like to have said ("Maybe if you had some CHALK in here my sweaty palms wouldn't be slipping!"), but I refrained and I'm sure Ashley doesn't want to get any flak for doing her job. After completing my workout I gave the whole situation a little bit of thought. I really can't find myself to be too forgiving to anyone who would request that the Lunk Alert be sounded on the only gym member who was actually sweating. But, you will be proud of me to know that I took the higher ground and even went so far as to follow another of their rules by wiping down every piece of equipment that I had touched.... with my workout shirt.
Then, sadly, I had a trying few months were training was difficult and the strength took a dive. I ended up with a startup company in an entirely new area. Part of the company benefits was a free memberhsip at one of the local gyms. While I didn't relish the thought of spending time at some fitness center, there is a limited number of exercises you can do out of the back of your pickup on a hotel lawn. And that was my introduction to Planet Fitness.
http://www.planetfitness.com/fun.asp?s=1088#
http://www.planetfitness.com/sound/Pf2.mp3
When I first walked into Planet Fitness, I was first struck by the overabundance of purple decorations; a very appropriate choice. Then I realized, where are the weights? All I saw were treadmills. After navigating the forest of treadmills and noticing the seven fat people happily walking on them, I found the weight corner which had a large number of weight machines whose purpose I could not even have guessed at if they had not been decorated with helpful little colored pictures describing their appropriate use. The free weights consisted of two bench presses, one incline press, and dumbbells going all the way up to sixty pounds. Noticing a locked room holding a lot more weight equipment, I asked one of the employees if there was a squat rack hiding in there. I was politely informed that "Oh no. We don't cater to powerlifters or bodybuilders". Looking around at the clientele and the couple of dudes doing curls while standing a foot away from the wall mirrors, this was certainly obvious. But this was the gym that I had been given a free membership to, and there was a barbell and some weights that I could use for something, so I put up with it. I put up with all their exclamations of "Non-Judgemental Gym!" and "Don't be a LUNK!" with good graces and went about doing my own thing. I got a lot of strange looks, and it was really weird being the only one not facing the mirror because that meant I was staring back at the rows of faces walking on treadmills. Since I hadn't been lifting for a while, I was mostly doing very light weights and trying to teach myself Olympic lifting and all went as well as it could have. Planet Fitness and I tolerated each other.
On their website you might have noticed a "Lunk Alert". Sure enough, in their gym there was indeed a Lunk Alert on the wall. I couldnt believe it, but I figured it was a joke. Until they sounded it on me. I had swiped a bar off a bench and was warming up for deadlifts. While doing reps at a measly 350 lbs a very load alarm started sounding and flashing lights were going off. It wasn't a fire alarm and no one was running so I finished my set. The attendant (Ashley) walks up to me and says, "Sorry, but you need to set the weight down gently. I'm getting a lot of complaints" Complaints?! People were going so far as to COMPLAIN that I was clanking the plates together? What choice did I have? I added another pair of 45's.
Personally I think I responded to the whole situation in a very mature fashion. There are lots of things I would have like to have said ("Maybe if you had some CHALK in here my sweaty palms wouldn't be slipping!"), but I refrained and I'm sure Ashley doesn't want to get any flak for doing her job. After completing my workout I gave the whole situation a little bit of thought. I really can't find myself to be too forgiving to anyone who would request that the Lunk Alert be sounded on the only gym member who was actually sweating. But, you will be proud of me to know that I took the higher ground and even went so far as to follow another of their rules by wiping down every piece of equipment that I had touched.... with my workout shirt.