4 /5 Ariel W.: Planet Fitness started in 1992, when founders Michael and Marc Grondahl purchased a struggling Golds Gym franchise in Dover, New Hampshire. They eventually closed that original location and opened a gym called Coastal Fitness. They added a third partner, former CEO Chris Rondeau. In 2002, they purchased the rights to the name Planet Fitness from Rick Berks who had started his own Planet Fitness gym in 1993 in Sunrise, Florida. He got the name from his daughters school project, Fitness Planet.
Today Planet Fitness is chain of gyms with memberships as low as $10 a month. It has more than 7 million members and is one of the fastest-growing health club franchises in the U.S. The company has around 2,600 clubs making it one of the largest fitness club franchises by number of members and locations. The company majority is owned by private-equity firm TSG Consumer Partners.
This Planet Fitness location is in the Planet Fitness Plaza on Powerline Road in Pompano. This isnt my usual gym so I enjoyed checking out another Planet Fitness to compare. Pompano seemed larger and more open than my gym. The equipment was set up in similar locations so I could find what I wanted. Some of the machines that get backed up in my local gym were more available here. They also had four of my beloved iFIT bikes compared to the two my gym has. The only thing I didnt like was it felt very hot in here. I would have appreciated lowering the AC. Like my gym, the Pompano location is also 24 hours which I love. Sometimes I like to come very late on the weekends when the gym is empty so I can feel I little more free in trying new things. This location also has the Black Card area for the $25 a month members with tanning beds, hydro beds, and massage chairs. I barely have enough time to work out never mind lie around so this has not been an appealing upgrade for me. The locker room has showers but that is another feature that I dont care to use.
Overall I have been happy with Planet Fitness. I have been going on a regular basis for a few months now and can see the change in my body. The hours are great and I can pop in for as little or as long as I have. The machines are easy to use and they have videos on You Tube and QR codes on the machines so you know how to use them. There are so many ways to work out that I am never bored. I try to learn a new machine each time I come and I incorporate both cardio and weights into my workouts. Whatever part of your body that you want to work on, there are numerous ways to get there. Best of all this gym is not intimidating for beginners but is equally great for the hard core fitness fanatic. People stick to their own thing and you can feel comfortable doing yours in the "Judgement Free Zone."
You can download the Planet fitness app that makes check in a breeze, tracks your progress and workouts, and where you can even find home workouts. The app also lets you know how crowded the gym is. I like that it works with the Apple Health app on my watch. So far this is the longest fitness routine I have stuck to and it has seeped into other areas of my life like a better diet and more regular visits to the doctor to keep up with my health goals and to think it all started with the first time I stepped through the door of a Planet Fitness.
