Gym RAAAGE!!! A Planet Fitness Review.

Hey all, so Been meaning to write this post, but as usual, life and shiny things get the better of me.

So last month, I signed up for Planet Fitness, and their black card. I figured that there was a $20 a month charge, can't beat that right? Perks sounded good, free massage chair, half price drinks, free shirt. Yes, I can be bought with swag.

Wow, I kind of feel ripped off. At least by Stratham.

So their equipment, is a bit lack luster. The Portsmouth and Manchester Branches seem a lot bigger. Maybe I was spoiled by Golds Gym for all those years, but this place seems severely lacking. No dedicated Bench Press Benches, no Preacher Curl seats. The one thng that really is bothering me though, cal it a quirk, is that they let the preset dumbells and EZ curl bars just lay on the floor. REALLY? You couldn't drop two hundred to get a stable weight holder? REALLY??

Now mind you, I might be super critical right now. I could be. Maybe I was spoiled, but this isn't the only strike against it. I know Planet Fitness is more clued in on their demographic, the people that just want to go in, get some cardio and some quick machine/nautilus in. I can deal with that. I'm not looking at doing massive weights anytime soon, but the more I go, the more things have bothered me about this place.

So, lets go through some of my gripes, and see if they are valid.

Opening day: Things still aren't finished. They still have construction workers putting mirrors up, painting, and cleaning up.

Okay, I might be an ass here, but they really shouldn't be allowing painting going on when there is people are working out. That just seems like a safety issues.

Safety issues: So they don't turn the parking lot lights on. Really? I know this is New Hampshire, but that's a basic safety thing. Do you NOT want people to see the ice they are stepping on? What about visibility in the parking lot for the pedestrians?

I understand that they are trying to save money, but this is a bit rediculous. That is a basic safety point for customers and your employees. Maybe it might not be them, but rather the owners of the building... but that's rediculous to say the least.

Broken things, already? Broken doors, broken equipment, and a leaky roof since opening? Wow.. either you guys have bad luck or bad customers. The turn around on the repairs, being over a week is kind of crazy, especially when it's the prime rush season of the year at gyms. One thing that does bother me is the roof. All they have done is put a wet floor sign down when I've been there, and nothing to catch the drips as they hit the floor. How about showers that don't let hot water out for 2 minutes? Drinking fountains that they took two weeks to get going?

So something that is bothering me about this place, is their "No Judgement Zone" policies. They say that the club isn't a place of judgement. Nice concept. Really. I'm behind that. What I'm not behind is the huge arse "Lunk Alarm" that is prominent right over the free weights. It has a huge sign its attached to, that says "Bobby is wearing a bodybuilder shirt, swearing, and drinking waer out of a jug. What a lunk!" The alarm apparently goes off like a klaxon when ever sound levels that it registers goes over a certain level.

Ours goes off randomly. When no one is making noise, because NO ONE wants to draw attention to themselves. I let out a pant once, and it went off. All the other free lifters looked at me like I just sacrificed a baby.

Now, maybe they still are trying to work the bugs out of it. I can try to accept that, half of the stuff in the gym apparently isn't working correctly. But to build up a mental stereotype of what a "lunk" is? Really? I get not wanting to drop the weights, and I'm not for swearing at a gym. Not col there. But two of those things are completely valid! What's wrong with wearing a bodybuilder T shirt? I tend to like them for the mobility in the arms. Also, why is drinking out of a water jug bad? Is it because suddenly the gym isn't getting any revenue for their own bottled water? For shame!

I'm not sure if I really want to continue with this place, but since I'm locked in I really don't have much of a choice. Gah. Planet Fitness... you suck.

Cthulhu Fhtagn!

I've been in a very strange mood this week. Been in a huge H.P. Lovecraft like horror mood as of late. Hoping to get my hands on a copy of "In the Mouth of Madness" to sit and watch with Desi.

I have to admit that I was a huge fan of his writing, and some of the concepts that he delved into. I cannot sit back and condemn him for his views of some political things, due to his time, but even with that being said, it doesn't make them rights.

Kind of a creepy looking monster huh? Tell me that's not one out of Lovecraft's novels? Article about it here. If that is something that doesn't freak the hell out of you, or you find it a mild turn on, you might want to check out this link from blog I09 that showcases some of the figures that look like they were right out of the books.

H.P. is a New Englander, that's for sure. Many of his stories have what can only be considered as spot on atmosphere if you have ever lived up here in the area, which makes them all the more disturbing. While I know I have a lot left to read of his many stories, I find that this type of otherworldly horror to be more cathartic than others. There's something much worse and more disturbing about what a human being is capable of doing to another... but then again that might just be Reanimator on par with Saw.

Next Blog post, I should be doing a review of Gail Carager's "Soulless" which is an excellent read. Might have that up tonight.