What’s Behind the Explosion in Planet Fitness’s Popularity?
IN 2017, NO one batted an eye fixed after I instructed them I’d signed up for Planet Fitness. I used to be in grad faculty, nonetheless residing like a damaged school pupil. PF did not have all the bells and whistles, nevertheless it was low-cost and open 24 hours a day. I may go in the center of lunch or at 2 am after lab. Plus, free pizza each first Monday of the month.
Nine years later, I nonetheless go to Planet Fitness despite the fact that I’ve lengthy since graduated faculty. In truth, I’ve even splurged on the Black Card tier (an additional $10 a month). My buddy Mario jokingly calls me a broke bitch every time I say I’m headed to Planet Fitness.
But this is the factor: I by no means requested for a wellness spa life-style heart with a hair salon, therapeutic massage appointments, or sauna. I do not want overpriced juices or blood assessments. Yo positively need not shell out $300+ each month. And I’m not alone.
On social media, individuals used to clown on PF—however I’ve seen a definite shift in how they discuss the ‘purple palace.’ A rising variety of movies have the same message: “Maturing is realizing Planet Fitness is a good gym,” says the textual content on one video. “Say what you want but Planet Fitness is stepping it up. This is a fucking amazing gym to have,” states one other.
It exhibits in the numbers. Planet Fitness ended 2025 with a rise in membership to 20.8 million members, up from 19.7 million the 12 months earlier than. The franchise opened 181 new places in the final 12 months, too. Two of these are close to me. I’ve been placing my Black Card to good use.
So… what is going on on? I made a decision to search out out.
The Price Is (Still) Right
I STARTED BY asking some guys at my native Planet Fitness in Westbury, New York. Price was the most typical reply, adopted by location. David, 42, says it is near the place he lives and less expensive than different gyms. Luis, 19, says that for the value, it covers all the pieces he must get in a very good exercise. “I work all over the States and with the Black Card I can get to a lot of Planet Fitnesses,” says Michael, 35.
As fitness center costs go up, it looks as if mid-budget fitness center choices have all however vanished. (Planet Fitness did elevate its costs, going from $10 to $15 for a primary membership, in my case $21.99 to $24.99 for the Black Card, however it still isn’t breaking the financial institution). There are fewer inexpensive choices, interval.
But value is not the solely factor that is modified. People on-line level out improved machine choice and the way PF has remodeled into a spot the place you will get respectable exercise in any respect expertise ranges—whereas avoiding the “performative” health influencers that crowd different, costlier, industrial gyms. “Planet Fitness played the long game. Planet Fitness saw this coming,” says one commenter. “Now it’s like I’m getting tired of the standard commercial gym influencer stuff and Planet Fitness might not be that bad.”
What’s company obtained to say about it?
“Our focus has been on meeting people where they are and creating a space where anyone can feel comfortable getting started or staying consistent,” mentioned Brian Povinelli, PF’s chief advertising and marketing officer, in an e mail to me. “We are always working to evolve our member experience to best reflect changing consumer needs.”
I’m all for it. The purple and yellow house I stepped into almost a decade in the past isn’t the identical Planet Fitness I see at this time.
PF Bulked Up
WHEN I JOINED PF, a very good two-thirds of the flooring was once full of cardio machines. It was a loud, sweaty impediment course you needed to stroll via to succeed in a dumbbell or a Smith machine. Nowadays, my native PF has in the reduction of on cardio and decreased the variety of treadmills and ellipticals.
In line with a altering fitness center tradition, they’ve shuffled the house to broaden muscle-building equipment and free weights. They’ve additionally added new energy machines: hack squat machines, incline presses, and glute drive machines, to call a number of. You may signal out equipment like barbell pads and resistance bands at the entrance desk.
While I have never personally seen one, individuals on-line have talked about seeing present squat racks at their native Planet Fitness, not the fixed-track Smith machines. “This is by far one of the best gyms I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” he mentioned one user who mentions that he was as soon as “one of those guys that said Planet Fitness is fucking trash.” Steve, 55, instructed me he was an LA Fitness member till a month and a half in the past. “Every piece of equipment was broken and it was more money for fewer amenities. Planet Fitness gave me everything I needed. Plus I used the massage and tanning beds.”
They Merked the Lunk Alarm
BACK IN THE day, Planet Fitness was huge on branding itself as a “Judgment-Free Zone,” positioning the fitness center as unintimidating for the informal newbie. The “Lunk Alarm” was a reminder of that vow: Every Planet Fitness location had a blue siren jutting out from the wall above the free weights or Smith machines that may—allegedly—go off if somebody was ego lifting—aka grunting or disrupting the house by throwing weights round. (These would not routinely go off, they needed to be manually turned on by an worker, I later learned online.)
Instead of deterring showoffs, the Lunk Alarm could have ostracized a very good chunk of the fitness center neighborhood: experienced lifters. I keep in mind feedback on-line completely savaging the Lunk Alarm, lifters purposely making an attempt to set it off out of spiteand nonetheless others saying they felt focused. Below the alarm was an indication defining “lunk”—“Ricky is slamming his weights, wearing a bodybuilding tank top, and drinking out of a gallon water jug…What a lunk!” Pretty judgmental for a judgment-free zone.
You know what? I by no means truly heard the lunk alarm go off. There by no means actually have been any heavy weights to throw round (max dumbbell weight is 75 kilos). Years in the past, I keep in mind as soon as throwing weights on the flooring, and instantly making ready myself for the sirens. Nothing. It was purported to discourage “gym bro” habits, nevertheless it additionally appeared like a continuing reminder to not go too hardcore in your exercises.
When the lunk alarms have been eliminated round two years in the past, I began to note an uptick in tremendous muscular guys in the fitness center and extra individuals pumping iron in a approach that wasn’t even allowed earlier than.
They Evolved the Casual, Beginner Gym
INITIALLY, IT SEEMED like Planet Fitness was positioning itself for individuals who weren’t in upending their complete life-style. There have been Pizza Mondays and Bagel Tuesdays. There was a bucket of Tootsie Rolls you can swipe at the entrance desk. It appeared like the thought was to assist members reward themselves for figuring out. The message implied {that a} small deal with would not undo weeks of train.
It was a pleasant gesture—and I positively participated—nevertheless it additionally made Planet Fitness look unserious. I’d argue that it form of implied that should you needed to take your exercises critically, finally you’d want to enroll someplace else. I noticed that it performed out in actual time.
As my pals locked in on exercising, the ones who began with me finally moved on to Life Time and LA Fitness. Although PF discontinued free pizzas and bagels throughout the pandemic, these free perks by no means got here again (however the Tootsie Rolls stay). Recently, a few of my pals have come crawling again.
One choice I personally recognize is that PF lastly removed the specific 30-minute space. It was a full physique circuit nook with a mixture of energy machines and cardio step stations (the place you have been purported to do leaping jacks, step ups, and so forth). There can be a timer for 60 seconds of labor and 30 seconds of relaxation earlier than alternating to the subsequent station. Honestly, these mustard-colored machines took up an excessive amount of house and utilizing them made you’re feeling such as you have been screaming ‘I do not know what I’m doing.’ I do not suppose I ever noticed anybody observe the circuit. Good riddance!
The Culture Is Still There
“IT’S A FRIENDLY place to come work out and the machines aren’t always being used. They’re always open,” Luis, 26, tells me. Kevin, 24, says he feels he can work out with out individuals wanting or judging him.
I by no means see influencers recording themselves at the fitness center. People do not throw their fitness center baggage round or hog machines by leaving a impolite little water bottle sitting on the seat. People are literally actually good at wiping down machines. Above all, the vibe is that nobody will make fun of people their finest.
Look, the place nonetheless is not excellent. There’s the stale air and the free weights space reeks of scorching man sweat. At least one machine is damaged always. Dumbbells nonetheless solely go as much as 75 kilos, kettlebells to 30. I nonetheless haven’t got a squat rack.
But for me, and apparently a lot of others, these aren’t dealbreakers. Even my youthful brother got here again to Planet Fitness not too long ago after turning traitor and switching to LA Fitness years in the past. I requested if he did it as a result of Planet Fitness is cool now. His response?
“It’s not that serious. I just need a cheap place to work out.”
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the affiliate well being & health for Men’s Health and has beforehand written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Scienceand National Geographic earlier than becoming a member of the model. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working in the direction of the excellent pull-up.
