I've been to three gyms right now, and I just feel stuck because I can't find the right one. I've been to Anytime Fitness, YMCA, and now I'm trying out Planet Fitness. I'll list the pros and cons of each.
Anytime Fitness
Pros:
Very friendly staff, friendly atmosphere
Very good equipment (treadmills, bikes, exercise programs, free weights, stretch rooms, etc)
Almost never crowded
Unisex bathrooms as well as male and female changing rooms
Showers are behind locked doors for one person to use at a time
Open 24/7
Cons:
Very expensive
YMCA
Pros:
Staff is friendly, family-oriented atmosphere
Good equipment, lots of exercise programs
Family/Unisex bathrooms
Showers are behind a locked door for one person to use at a time
Cons:
Occasionally crowded, especially at peak hours
Can be expensive
Only open during certain hours
Planet Fitness
Pros:
Staff seems friendly
Tons of aerobic equipment, never crowded
Open 24/7
Extremely cheap ($10 a month)
Cons:
Limited amount of free weight equipment (nothing over 80 pounds!? huh?)
Only men's and women's locker rooms, no unisex rooms
The showers are only protected by a thin sheet of shower liner and you have to hop out of the shower across the room to the changing stall, little to none bathroom privacy!
The atmosphere reeks of high school gym class
Their moto is "don't judge others," but their large board calling people "lunks" who grunt or make noises while exercising or judge is quite contradictory to their own moto! Not to mention they have so many rules, which any grown adult doesn't really need (dress code, no talking on cell phone, don't make noises, etc etc)
I'm tempted to cancel my contract with Planet Fitness because even though it is only $10 a month, it just doesn't seem worth it. But I'm a college student and I need to find a place where I can work out without being judged for which bathroom I use! Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking of looking at my college gym, but I don't know what their bathrooms are like and they have limited hours as well.
I'm looking for:
Relatively cheap (college student on a budget!)
Good equipment (at a minimum, treadmill, stationary bikes, weight training equipment, free weights)
Open 24/7 preferred, but I'll consider other options if they fit my busy college/work schedule
Unisex bathrooms!!! And private showers!!!
I use my college gym. It isn't the best gym in the world, but it is decent, relatively quite if I go in the morning (or really any time before 5, since staff and faculty also use it) and has good weight machines and free weights. Do you have to pay for a gym or student rec fee in your tution? Since I am a full time student, it is required that I pay for it. Check and see, because if you already have to pay the fee, it couldn't hurt to check it out.
My gym doesn't have unisex or gender neutral bathrooms, but I haven't had a problem at all. I went into the men's locker room today, and one old guy looked at me a little funny, but that was it. There were stalls for changing, so I may just start using them when I pass a little better. Depending on how friendly your uni is, they probably won't care. I live in a pretty conservative place (despite the news, I promise not all Alaskans are insane) but the campus is really liberal and laid back. You can always call if you are nervous. I did, and the staff was very helpful and told me to let them know if I ever had any problems with locker room stuff.
I went to a planet fitness on a friend's account (she has the one where you're allowed unlimited guests). I wasn't bothered, and there was no cell phone policy but I kind of wish there was because when I wanted to use this one piece of equipment there was a woman sitting on it for like an hour on her phone. I decided to just walk away and not make a deal of it. So I went on a nearby machine. A guy went up to her and said excuse me a few times and she ignored him. Then he asked her when she was going to be done and she said 15 minutes. She just sat there texting the whole time. I can understand using a cellphone while on a bike (if you're going to use it while using a machine, but that's about it.
It's the only gym I've been to so far.
I've heard good things about LA Fitness. Idk if that's a national chain or not.
With local parks and rec gyms you often have a ruleset and staff who are predisposed to inclusivity and making things work, so it can be worthwhile to just ask questions.
I understand that every gym facility is going to have rules, but the "lunk alarm" that Planet Fitness enforces is very offensive, not to mention demeaning to a certain demographic (I don't care who you are, publicly humiliating someone is the worst way to enforce rules); that and the unsuitable bathroom situation was what broke the straw on the camel's back. I'm cancelling today (I've heard horror stories online about cancelling with Planet Fitness, wish me luck...) and going to try out my college gym next. My college seriously needs to extend gym hours because with the kind of hours they have right now, I can't see any student using it daily, our University has intense class schedules both morning and night. (Last I remember, which was maybe last year, they were only open 10 AM-6 PM? During class time!)
I've just started going to Anytime Fitness because it's so close to my house. No it isn't cheap but it comes free with aerobic classes which are hardcore and well done. I like the unisex bathroom situation even though I doubt I'll use the shower as it's so close to my house. But you never know and it's good to have it as a option.
I wish they had more then one set of weights. I'm often waiting for people to be done with the set of 25 lbs dumbbells before I get a chance. Still it's never that crowded so not so long of a wait.
Before I was there I was at Fitness 19 which I do NOT recommend. While they have a good range of equipment for cheap, they are the opposite of trans friendly, have no shower and always overcrowded.
I really do miss using Anytime Fitness... The only reason I had to leave was because I was on my parents' family plan, and they decided it was too much money for them (they rarely ever used it, but I used it at least 4 times a week). At one point I signed up by myself, but I had to beg to get on a low student rate of $35 per month. Then several months in, my parents told me they wanted me to leave Anytime Fitness to join them at YMCA because it was cheaper... only to find a couple months later my parents didn't use the YMCA either and terminated the family plan. >:( I'll be happy to go back to Anytime Fitness (wonderful programs), but I'm afraid they might jack up the prices on me from returning after cancelling my membership with them.
I use my school's gym, but I'm forced to use the women's locker room and bathrooms. At first, Planet Fitness sounded okay, but I hate their weight limits and the ban on chalk and deadlifting. I use deadlifts as a means of conditioning myself, so it annoyed me to no end. I support the "be respectful to women" rule they have in place, though. I think respect needs to be encouraged. I'm at the gym to lift and strengthen myself, not get laid. If you need to get laid, go to a bar or club or something.
Quote from: Zerro on April 04, 2012, 09:36:22 AM
I think respect needs to be encouraged. I'm at the gym to lift and strengthen myself, not get laid. If you need to get laid, go to a bar or club or something.
This is another reason why I left Planet Fitness. Felt like a meat bar for teenagers, not to mention the blatant bodybuilder discrimination, I didn't feel welcome at all. I go to the gym to lift weights, not socialize. I cancelled today, I didn't get much hassle but the person who I first talked with passed me on to another person. If I get billed for this month, I'm gonna be pissed after all I was only signed up for less than a week, under a no commitment contract.