Planet Fitness Gyms – no more personal trainers

**Prince** · 12-17-2010, 08:50 PM

Planet Fitness Gyms – no more personal trainers

Who needs these people? All they do is ‘rent a friend’. That is the opinion of Mike Grondahl, CEO of Planet Fitness Gyms. And while he has a right to that opinion, he is doing more than that. He is going to eliminate all personal training sessions at the gyms. Wow.

Here is the article from Club Industry Magazine.

Planet Fitness is discontinuing personal training at its clubs, according to CEO Mike Grondahl. In a letter written to Planet Fitness owners, Grondahl says the Newington, NH-based company’s corporate-owned clubs will end all personal training sessions by Dec. 16. Franchisees will have until the first quarter of 2011 to end their personal training sessions.

“The decision to end personal training has been long and arduous,” Grondahl wrote in the letter. “It goes right to the essence of our business model. We’ve always tried to keep personal training to a minimum at Planet Fitness. But the problems related to having trainers in our gyms have never completely gone away. Lately, they’ve gotten worse. Too many trainers are pushing PT on our members, the vast majority of whom have zero interest in it. These clubs are opening themselves up to trouble.”

Grondahl says the clubs will continue their “P.E. at P.F.”—physical education at Planet Fitness—group fitness training sessions. Grondahl began the letter by claiming that most people doing personal training are “just renting friends.”

“For us to be selling personal training is a fraud and downright condescending to anyone who can breathe,” he wrote. Grondahl adds in the letter that personal training did not fit Planet Fitness’ “judgment-free zone” and that the company plans to use its no personal training model as a marketing tool.

“We’ll be the only fitness chain that can say we’ll never try to sell you personal training,” Grondahl wrote. “A lot of people will say we are dead wrong with this historic move. But the world was flat once, and who the hell needs a friend for 50 bucks an hour?”

**TwisT** · 12-17-2010, 09:02 PM

Good idea PF, let people keep lifting on their own without guidance and make minimal progress while lifting incorrectly and putting their health and body in danger.. good idea.

-T

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:09 PM

This guy thinks he is being revolutionary... He's going to use no personal trainers and a bunch of people running around making no gains/hurting themselves as a marketing tool?

What a fucking genius...

I wish PF was history.

**DarkHorse** · 12-17-2010, 09:10 PM

I hate Planet Fitness. Hardly any free weights. It's great for some people but not for those dedicated to bodybuilding.

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by DarkHorse

I hate Planet Fitness. Hardly any free weights. It's great for some people but not for those dedicated to bodybuilding.

Yah, they make a killing of people using the cardio equip.

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:19 PM

I think this guy doesn't want a judge free zone. He's just afraid people will actually learn something, get strong, and then realize the gym sucks...

**HeavyBomber** · 12-17-2010, 09:19 PM

Who cares?

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by HeavyBomber

Who cares?

nice post.

**HeavyBomber** · 12-17-2010, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by cshea2

nice post.

Really? You really care about the CEO of Planet Fitness' new policy? The place is a joke. Why would any self-respecting lifter give a shit about anything going on at Planet Fitness? lol omg.

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:27 PM

Alright man.

**cshea2** · 12-17-2010, 09:29 PM

He's just kind of a nazi, no?

Yah, it has no affect on me whatsoever.

**patrickjfanning** · 12-17-2010, 09:31 PM

I'm a cert personal trainer. I have a friend that trains at a Planet Fitness. She asked me as a friend to show her a couple things. (free of course) Well 5 minutes into it their trainer comes over and tries to run me out of the place. Saying, "that's my job". So I ask, are you gonna charge her? She says of course I am. Anyway, I refused to leave after paying $10 (day pass). She followed us around for the whole session. Friggin ridiculous... There gym was a joke, no free wieghts, no tank tops, no noise, no bodybuilders, no power lifters. I've been lifting seriously for a long time, And I could tell as soon as I walked in that I wasn't welcome there. So, I have no love for that place. I refuse to refer to it as a gym....

**DarkHorse** · 12-17-2010, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by patrickjfanning

I'm a cert personal trainer. I have a friend that trains at a Planet Fitness. She asked me as a friend to show her a couple things. (free of course) Well 5 minutes into it their trainer comes over and tries to run me out of the place. Saying, "that's my job". So I ask, are you gonna charge her? She says of course I am. Anyway, I refused to leave after paying $10 (day pass). She followed us around for the whole session. Friggin ridiculous... There gym was a joke, no free wieghts, no tank tops, no noise, no bodybuilders, no power lifters. I've been lifting seriously for a long time, And I could tell as soon as I walked in that I wasn't welcome there. So, I have no love for that place. I refuse to refer to it as a gym....

Amen brotha.....

**Merkaba** · 12-18-2010, 12:07 AM

joke

**IslandGirl** · 12-18-2010, 01:16 AM

What a joke! I've never trained at a PF, but heard some horror stories about this place. Exactly what patrick said.

**jamesurpt** · 12-20-2010, 08:23 PM

YOU WANT TO SET THE PUBLIC FREE IN YOUR GYMS ON THEIR OWN LET ME SHOW YOU YOUR FUTURE IDIOTS.

Woman crippled by Cybex exercise machine wins $66M

permalink
Woman crippled by Cybex exercise machine wins $66M By Donna Goodison A New York woman rendered a quadriplegic after a Cybex weight machine crushed her vertebra won a $66 million jury verdict that threatens to bankrupt the Medway company. Cybex International Inc. said it’s responsible for $49.5 million of the judgment in favor of Natalie [...]

**Life** · 12-20-2010, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by DarkHorse

I hate Planet Fitness. Hardly any free weights. It's great for some people but not for those dedicated to bodybuilding.

If there aren't free weights then it is great for no people.

**gtbmed** · 12-20-2010, 08:43 PM

As if personal trainers really know what they're doing? The vast majority of them have as much knowledge as your average noob.

**Curt James** · 12-20-2010, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by HeavyBomber

Really? You really care about the CEO of Planet Fitness' new policy? The place is a joke. Why would any self-respecting lifter give a shit about anything going on at Planet Fitness? lol omg.

I have memberships at Gold's and PF. And, no, I don't care about anything going on so far as corporate goes. I've never hired a personal trainer for that matter.

Planet Fitness is, however, an inexpensive option and any dedicated bodybuilder could probably get a decent arm workout completed there. I mean how many bodybuilders do db curls with 70# dumbbells?

It's just a gym and I don't give a #### what Mike Grondahl has to say. Otoh, it's rather sad for the trainers who are being shown the door. How's that for loyalty to its employees? Fired right before Christmas.

Thanks, Planet Fitness!

**Curt James** · 12-20-2010, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by jamesurpt

YOU WANT TO SET THE PUBLIC FREE IN YOUR GYMS ON THEIR OWN LET ME SHOW YOU YOUR FUTURE IDIOTS.

Woman crippled by Cybex exercise machine wins $66M

permalink
Woman crippled by Cybex exercise machine wins $66M By Donna Goodison A New York woman rendered a quadriplegic after a Cybex weight machine crushed her vertebra won a $66 million jury verdict that threatens to bankrupt the Medway company. Cybex International Inc. said it’s responsible for $49.5 million of the judgment in favor of Natalie [...]

What's worse is she wasn't "THE PUBLIC". She was an employee, supposedly trained, right? D'OH!

**braveheart07** · 12-21-2010, 03:45 AM

uh oh

**Big Smoothy** · 12-21-2010, 07:28 AM

Although I think Planet Fitness is a joke, good on Grondahl on this one.

PTs give lazy and uninformed people a brief belief that are, or can....do something.

Lemme hold your hand for a few weeks. Try an energy bar while your at it.

**Retlaw** · 12-27-2010, 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by TwisT

Good idea PF, let people keep lifting on their own without guidance and make minimal progress while lifting incorrectly and putting their health and body in danger.. good idea.

-T

+1

WTF wrong with this guy?

**Doublebase** · 12-27-2010, 07:29 PM

This place is perfect for most people. Most people train for a few months then quit and start back up again at the beginning of the year. This place is great for that because you don't have to sign a contract and it's only 10$/month. Therefore it will do well in the future. I think you will see more and more of these style gyms popping up. This is one of the reason's I have converted my basement into a home gym. I just wish there was more variety out there. I know of a 1 crossfit gym in my neighborhood but that's it. I should start up my own strongman gym. That is my dream. Maybe one day...

**Gissurjon** · 12-29-2010, 12:20 PM

Look at the name. "planet Fitness" why do you guys expect anything but them shits you walk on and the other shits that make your legs go around. the avarage american male thinks 30 pounds overweight is "just a little extra" (not to mention some of the women who are delusional) so why would they want anything but them walk-on-things with the tv. turn the tv on at 3 am and check out all these machines that work you 300% more then regular whatever and not only that but it gives you a message while you work out, SHIT man who said working out was suppose to be comfortable. its suppose to hurt and make you feel like shit in the morning and make you wish gear was cheap and safe... sorry got carried away here, umm yea PF is bad

**Prince** · 01-06-2011, 10:00 AM

**awhites1** · 01-07-2011, 10:02 AM

im familiar with all smack and sht talking about this gym i've seen on IM before, especially those really gay alarms that go off when someone is being too loud...

in terms of real fitness and trainging this place is a effin joke. machined up sissies complaining about involved in fitness.

but i will say the owner/ceo seems to know his cliens and caters to them. not saying what he is doing is good but for his pussy customers he gives em what they want... a total wimpy enviorment to coddle and nurture there weakness

(thankfully i've never seen one in the dallas/ft worth area before)

**Hell** · 01-07-2011, 10:09 AM

Myself and the gf went and checked out a brand new location last week. I had never heard of them before. There isnt any bench press or barbells period, just a few smith machines and the largest dumbbells they had were 75 pounds. It was a joke..

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