Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is located in a nice new building with lots of shiny new equipment. Employees are very friendly. For a small extra monthly fee, there are water-powered massage chairs, beds, and recliners. The signage seems intended to encourage beginners. If there is a drawback, it is that the weight equipment is limited — not in quantity, but in design. There are no true bench press stations. Benches must be pulled under racks where the bars are mounted on cable-assisted vertical rods. In other words, the bars "weigh" less than a standard 45 lb. bar. There is no way to tell how much assistance is being given by the cables. Also, the machine doubles as a squat rack. Incline benches are mechanically attached to the seat end of the bench so that as the vertical incline increases there is a proportional pinching effect on, well, the crotch area. (See photo.) This probably bothers some patrons more than others. In summary, experienced weight lifters may prefer a gym where the equipment is more standardized.