When you want to join a gym, you have a lot to consider. One of the most significant factors for many people is how much a membership costs.
Even if it’s affordable, you have to know if you’ll spend your money well. Then, you can make sure it will be worth paying for the gym.
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Is Planet Fitness Worth It?
Planet Fitness is worth it for people who go to the gym regularly. The club offers plenty of machines and other amenities to help members work out. There are two membership tiers to help everyone get the perks they want.
The cheap membership can also be a trap since it’s easier to justify not going to the gym. In that case, it wouldn’t be worth continuing to go.
Is Planet Fitness Good for Beginners?
Planet Fitness can be good for beginners for multiple reasons. Especially if you compare it to other gyms, you may find you can start working out more easily.
Consider a few specific reasons why Planet Fitness is good for beginners.
Affordable
Planet Fitness offers two membership tiers, and both are relatively affordable. The average monthly cost of a gym membership in the US is $58. Planet Fitness offers a Classic membership for $10 a month.
Even if you want the PF Black Card membership, you’ll only pay about $23 a month. That’s a lot less than what you can expect to pay at other locations.
If money has kept you from going to the gym, Planet Fitness may help. You can go as often as you want, so you can really make the most of the money you do have to pay.
No Judgment
Another benefit of Planet Fitness for beginners is the gym’s “judgment-free zone.” You can work out around other people without feeling like they’re watching your every move.
As a beginner, you may not have the best form for certain exercises. You might not know how to work the different machines, so you could have to spend more time learning them.
At some gyms, you may feel hesitant to go in person and work out around people who appear to have gone to a gym for years. But you may not have that worry if you join Planet Fitness, at least until you get in the habit of doing exercise.
Classes
Planet Fitness offers a variety of classes for free to members. You can learn the basics of the gym itself, so you can learn what machines do.
Other classes target different muscle groups, such as your arms or legs. There’s also a cardio circuit class to help you get your heart pumping. Planet Fitness even has a build-your-own program where you can work with a personal trainer on your needs.
While other gyms may offer similar benefits, none are as affordable. And depending on the gym, you may need to pay extra or have a higher-tiered membership to access classes.
Potential Risks of a Planet Fitness Membership
Before you rush to join Planet Fitness, consider some of the risks. These things may or may not be enough to deter you, but you should know about them.
Then, you can determine if joining Planet Fitness is worth it for you.
Difficult to Cancel
If you ever decide to stop going to Planet Fitness, you’ll want to cancel your account. Sadly, doing so can be a bit complicated. You can’t log into your account online or in the app to tell the club to stop billing you.
Planet Fitness requires members to go in person to fill out a cancellation form. If that doesn’t work, you can send a letter through certified mail. That way, you can confirm that the gym receives your cancellation notice.
And thanks to the low membership fees, it may be tempting to keep your membership. You won’t lose a ton of money if you never go, and the tough cancellation process can make it easier to just keep paying.
Aimed at Beginners
When you’re new to working out, Planet Fitness is great. You get to start learning how gym equipment works, and you can take some good classes. However, you may eventually find that the club doesn’t offer what you need.
At some point, you may want more accountability. You might want to access newer, more difficult workout classes.
If that happens, you’ll want to cancel Planet Fitness and find a different gym. But as mentioned, that can be difficult, so you may want to save yourself the stress and start somewhere else front the beginning.
One Payment Option
Planet Fitness may be cheap, but you have to give them your checking account to pay. The club uses electronic funds transfers (EFTs) to collect your membership fees.
This may not sound like a huge risk, but what happens if someone hacks into the system? A hacker could get ahold of your banking details, so they could hack into your checking account.
Also, the fact that Planet Fitness doesn’t take credit cards can limit who signs up. Some people don’t have checking accounts, or they don’t want to use them for recurring payments.
Is Planet Fitness Worth the Cost?
Planet Fitness is worth the price for beginners and anyone who can commit to regular trips to the gym. It’s relatively affordable, and you have unlimited access to at least your home club. But if you stop going or if you need more advanced options, you may want to cancel your account.