Planet Fitness Gyms – no more personal trainers

[big in vegas]

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?”
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[NAIR]

I see the good and bad. I hate perosnal trainers of big clubs based on the way they are structured. They are whored out and/or made to be like cheap, oldschool used car salesman. I think its a very respectable profession that's been hammered by the big chains but there is, in my opinion, value in it. I think if the guy said they were reforming it rather than axing it he'd gain more friends. As it is, he just hurt the profession more. Pretty shitty if you ask me.

 

[ironFist4ever]

Wow....this is kinda crazy. I made some great progress with 1 session every two weeks. My personal trainer helped me correct my form in deadlifts, rack deadlifts and stiff legged deadlifts. If you find a good trainer with some knowledge and experience, you can make some solid progress.

 

[Metal85]

some trainers are full of shit and full of themselves, just like this guy at my gym that has this bigger stronger claim, and he has a body shape of a thumb... however some people really get help, learn how to do things correctly and get motivated from trainers, to eliminate them all together is pretty retarded but planet fitnesses goal is to have fat lazy ppl who dont go to the gym as there main customers. They want to feel comfortable knowing that no1 will "judge" them for coming in every year for the first 4 weeks every day, than 5 days in febuary, twice in march, than 4 more times throughout the year, than when its new years resolution time repeating the same process.

 

[big in vegas]

As a trainer, I think this is a terrible idea. I agree with NAIR, changing the idea would've been sufficient, but not getting rid of it all together. A lot of places don't care what certifications the trainer has as long as they show up to work and nobody complains. I took all of my training jobs seriously and it showed with my clients, but then you have dipshits that don't care and just run them through a bunch of machines rather than showing them alternatives to machines. I always felt the fact that I actually lifted made a difference too, some of the other guys I've worked with don't look like they've ever lifted weights in their lives. Some clients liked that because they didn't feel intimidated, but others appreciated the fact that they'd see me lift in the gym and would come up to me while I was training to ask questions which never bothered me. In a way, personal training is an art of selling yourself so to speak. You have to convince the client that they need you and they benefit from your expertise. I never had a problem with people not wanting to renew sessions, but a lot of people did because their clients just weren't getting results. You get all sorts of people wanting specific results and you have to be versatile in the way you train them. Which is what a lot of people I worked with failed at

 

[MrPerfect]

change the approach , thats all !!

and theyll just lose more money!!

 

[big in vegas]

change the approach , thats all !!

and theyll just lose more money!!

I've kinda gotten the impression that this company is run by a bunch of idiots who don't want any serious people training there anyway. Seems almost like Average Joe's

 

[big in vegas]

I don't know if this is a publicly traded company or not, but I'd be pissed if I owned stock in them and they did some stupid shit like this

 

[mike ross]

the ones here are going out of business and the ones in tampa,fl already have. Its a low end shitty gym that tried the 29.95 approach and lost. People pay 2x that to go to lifestyles in tampa because of better equipment, locker rooms, etc...good luck to planet fitness, ignorance is bliss they say

 

[big in vegas]

the ones here are going out of business and the ones in tampa,fl already have. Its a low end shitty gym that tried the 29.95 approach and lost. People pay 2x that to go to lifestyles in tampa because of better equipment, locker rooms, etc...good luck to planet fitness, ignorance is bliss they say

I didn't know they had any up that way, I used to work at the Fitness19 up in South Hills though

 

[dreww]

Total joke just like the entire chain

 

[nuknuk]

im a personal trainer, but I have been told Im the best trainer they have had. Some of my clients have been through 3-4 trainers before they got to me. I think what makes me different is I do all their diets and set goals for them every month.

 

[csuperman]

at one of the gyms i go they basically push trainers on new members and almost force them into a "consulation" so in the afternoons there are about 10 i kid you not trainers bouncing weighted balls back and forth to clients standing on those half ball things.

 

[nuknuk]

at one of the gyms i go they basically push trainers on new members and almost force them into a "consulation" so in the afternoons there are about 10 i kid you not trainers bouncing weighted balls back and forth to clients standing on those half ball things.

haha, I never use those half ball things. They are worthless.

 

[Metal85]

haha, I never use those half ball things. They are worthless.

but how are you supposed to get a sprained ankle at the gym w/o it?

 

[big in vegas]

but how are you supposed to get a sprained ankle at the gym w/o it?

I don't think there's any better way

 

[dorian123]

this makes no sense the gym is costing themselves money...

maybe they figure they can save a dollar on the insurance if they don't have personal trainers?

fuckin idiots all together

 

[big in vegas]

this makes no sense the gym is costing themselves money...

maybe they figure they can save a dollar on the insurance if they don't have personal trainers?

fuckin idiots all together

That or they are going to try to outsource the work. I just can't imagine a gym not having the option of personal training.

 

[csuperman]

haha, I never use those half ball things. They are worthless.

yea they dont even touch a weight, it rather stupid.

That or they are going to try to outsource the work. I just can't imagine a gym not having the option of personal training.

i see your point on this some people want and need a trainer,(hopefuly one that knows their shit).

 

[big in vegas]

yea they dont even touch a weight, it rather stupid.



i see your point on this some people want and need a trainer,(hopefuly one that knows their shit).

An older person would definitely feel more comfortable at first with a trainer. And someone who's wanting to venture into something new (I've had clients want to do a long bike ride through the mountains or something like that) would need some guidance, but I guess this company doesn't care enough about those members to give them the option for a trainer