Planet Health — and gymnasiums prefer it — have lengthy been the butt of jokes within the health world. Stuffed with purple decor, “lunk alarms,” free pizza nights, and “judgment-free zones,” however missing in barbells, squat racks, and deadlift platforms, it’s generally known as the sort of place through which critical athletes and devoted lifters wouldn’t be caught lifeless. Planet Health has a rep for being the sort of gymnasium health newbies take part January, aimlessly putz round in for a couple of weeks with out altering their physique, after which cease going to — whereas persevering with to pay for a membership that’s notoriously laborious to cancel.
That was principally my tackle Planet Health for a very long time.
Although I had as soon as been a member of 1 almost twenty years in the past — when Kate and I have been first married and couldn’t afford anything — I had subsequently develop into the sort of garage-gym-training barbell zealot who regarded down my nostril at so-called “globo-gyms.”
However, in center age, I’ve been altering my thoughts about some issues; for instance, whereas I was a free-weights-only purist, I now assume health machines can play a wholesome function in constructing energy and muscle.
That obtained me questioning if I’d additionally misjudged Planet Health and related gyms.
So not too long ago, I made a decision to return to Planet Health for the primary time in a pair many years to see what sort of coaching you’ll be able to really get carried out in an affordable globo-gym. I obtained a day cross to a close-by location to test it out and do a exercise.
The expertise shocked me.
Right here’s my report.
Observe: As a result of the web has made us all so damned jaded and cynical, that is NOT a sponsored put up for Planet Health. I’ve no relationship with them and haven’t obtained a dime from them. To get the day cross, I needed to fork over my telephone quantity and electronic mail, and I’m now being bombarded with promotional texts and emails from Planet Health. Sacrifices should be made for journalism! I’m utilizing Planet Health as a stand-in for all chain gyms (like 10Gym) that provide low cost month-to-month membership charges.
My Return to Planet Health: First Impressions
The Planet Health I visited sits in a strip mall and as soon as housed a Walmart a few years again.
Signing up was a breeze. I advised the man I simply needed to coach for the day, and he stated they’d a free day cross for potential new members that I might use.
I stated I wasn’t keen on becoming a member of, simply coaching for the day.
“That’s cool. You possibly can nonetheless use the free day cross. Have an incredible exercise!” he replied. No upsell. No pushing me to hitch.
Good.
Had I joined up, I might have purchased a yr’s membership for $15 a month, plus a $59 start-up charge and a $49 annual charge. Added altogether, that comes out to $24 a month for a yr. It’s a very good deal; many gyms are double and even quadruple that.
I walked across the facility to get a lay of the land.
My total first impression of Planet Health after not visiting in almost twenty years?
Surprisingly impressed.
This Planet Health was actually clear and well-maintained — cleaner and higher maintained than the $75-a-month gymnasium I belonged to earlier than constructing my storage gymnasium.
Even the bogs/locker rooms have been actually clear.
I didn’t see something about pizza evening, however I wouldn’t be against a slice of Papa John’s after a coaching session so long as it suits my macros. Pizza is a good post-workout meals — a pleasant stability of carbs, protein, and fats.
They nonetheless have the “lunk alarm.” It by no means went off whereas I used to be there. I think about it not often, if ever, does; it’s extra branding image than disciplinary system.
And truthfully, as a curmudgeonly 40-something, I’m glad Planet Health has a rule in opposition to folks being loud whereas understanding. Whereas there’s proof to counsel that grunting and yelling can barely enhance your athletic efficiency, it’s important to stability that modest enhance in opposition to annoying and distracting different folks. One of many tradeoffs of understanding in a communal area is that you simply’re honor-bound to behave as a thoughtful communal citizen.
Lunks who make a bunch of noise whereas coaching are, within the phrases of Mark Rippetoe, disrespectful “ostentatious, histrionic pussies, which might be making an attempt to make noise to name consideration to themselves.”
I’m not a fan of dropping weights, both, except you’re doing Olympics lifts.
So far as that third potential lunk-alarm-triggering infraction, I’m undecided the way you choose whether or not somebody is judging and if/how that’s enforced.
So total, I discover the thought of making an alarm to police what ought to be implicit etiquette foolish, however tolerable.
Now, what in regards to the tools?
Higher than I remembered.
Whereas they’re emblazoned in a garish purple primer, there have been loads of machines for each physique half you’d need to prepare. Most of it was Precor, however additionally they had some Hammer Power machines. The entire machines have been in nice situation. They regarded new. Listed here are the machines you’ll discover at most PF or 10Gyms:
- Chest press machine
- Shoulder press machine
- Pec deck/reverse fly machine
- Shoulder lateral elevate machine
- Lat pull-down machine
- Seated row machine
- Leg press and extension machine
- Hamstring curl machine
- Hack squat machine
- Bicep curls and tricep extension machine
- Calf elevate machine
You possibly can create a program that works your whole physique with all these machines.
Moreover the machines, PF had a number of cable towers the place you would do lat pull-downs and tricep pushdowns. There was a practical coach (which we’ve written about earlier than).
Planet Health’ dumbbell choice was spectacular. Their dumbbells have been from American Barbell and felt good in my palms. You can create a full-body exercise with simply the dumbbells they’ve.
Whereas they don’t have squat racks, they do have Smith machines. I’m not an enormous fan of Smith machines (particularly for bench press), however they’re a good possibility for squats, RDLs, rows, and lunges.
And, in fact, they’d loads of treadmills and elliptical machines the place you would do Zone 2 cardio whereas watching Columbo.
Along with the absence of squat racks, there are certainly no barbells or deadlift platforms.
However, you’ve nonetheless obtained all the pieces that you must create a well-rounded health program and get jacked within the course of.
The Science of Muscle Progress Doesn’t Care About Your Gymnasium’s Branding
Right here’s the factor about muscle development: it doesn’t care in case your gymnasium seems like Barney the Dinosaur, whether or not you’re utilizing barbells or machines, or whether or not you’re paying $15 or $100 a month for a gymnasium membership.
Your muscular tissues reply to mechanical pressure and progressive overload. Interval.
If you topic a muscle to adequate mechanical pressure after which enable it to get better with satisfactory vitamin and relaxation, it grows. This course of is similar whether or not you’re utilizing a 500-pound barbell or a leg press machine with the pin set at 300 kilos.
Analysis confirms this. Research have discovered that free weights and machines are equally efficient in growing energy and muscle mass. So long as you’re getting satisfactory mechanical pressure to stimulate muscle development and are progressively overloading your muscular tissues exercise to exercise, you’ll get larger and stronger . . . even for those who use shiny purple weight machines.
A Pattern Routine You Can Use at a Low-cost Globo-Gymnasium
So that you’ve obtained all the pieces that you must get jacked at Planet Health or 10Gym.
I had an incredible upper-body exercise whereas I used to be there. Received a implausible pump with that purple Barney the Dinosaur tools.
Under is a four-day higher/decrease cut up you would do at any Planet Health throughout the nation:
Day 1: Higher (that is the precise exercise I did on my go to to PF)
- Machine Chest Press: 3 units of 8-12 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 units of 10-15 reps
- Lat Pull-Downs: 3 units of 8-12 reps
- Machine Shoulder Lateral Increase: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Pec Deck: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Machine Bicep Hammer Curl: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Cable Tricep Pushdown: 3 units of 10-12 reps
Day 2: Decrease (Quad focus)
- Smith Machine RDL: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Hack Squat: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Bulgarian Break up Squat: 3 units of 8-12 reps
- Seated Leg Extensions: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Smith Machine Calf Raises: 3 units of 12-15 reps
Day 3: Higher
- Machine Shoulder Press: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Hammer Power Machine Press: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Machine Seated Row: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Face Pulls: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Dumbbell Curls: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Dips: 3 units of 10-12 reps
Day 4: Decrease
- Smith Machine Squat: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Single Leg Dumbbell RDLs: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Leg Press: 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Machine Leg Curls: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Glute Machine: 3 units of 12-15 reps
- Machine Seated Calf Raises: 3 units of 10-15 reps
I’d do that Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I’d do cardio on Wednesday and Saturday.
You can too use this immediate for ChatGPT; it created a extremely strong higher/decrease cut up for me:
You’re an professional health coach who focuses on hypertrophy. Create an higher/decrease 4-day cut up utilizing tools that you’ll find at Planet Health gyms. Aim is to pack on as a lot muscle as potential.
In case your funds or circumstances lead you to Planet Health or 10Gym, go for it. Practice laborious, be constant, concentrate on progressive overload, and also you’ll be shocked by what you’ll be able to obtain in that purple and yellow judgment-free zone.
The iron doesn’t care the place you raise it. And neither do you have to.