Planet Fitness – Bronx – Pelham Bay

Clean gym. I avoid the heavy traffic times and have a great workout. There are plenty of machines for a smaller location.
A lot of times, there is a machine or two out of order, but it never really is a bother to my workout. The people at the desk are always extremely friendly, and they make a 6 am workout that much nicer.
Very welcoming atmosphere, and I never feel out of place. The locker rooms are always clean and many times, I see an employee walk in to check on it.
Altogether, a great gym for a really great price. Go for the $ 20 a month black card membership and you can bring a friend each visit, enjoy their price breaks and tanning. Although, i have yet to try the tanning booths. On my to-​do list.

Never been to their classes but they’re one of the cleanest gyms I’ve ever gone to.

The worst planet fitness I’ve ever been to. Absolutely no parking, ever. Their lot holds about 12 cars (which is always full) and it’s very difficult to access. The gym itself is way too small to accommodate the number of people that use it. Machines are always broken and the wait for a smith-​bench is usually 15min alone.
I have been to a number of PF Gyms and found that many have better/​more machines, heavier weights, nicer locker rooms, and overall just more room to move.

Rounding down to 2 stars from 3 because of the childish front desk staff. It’s like visiting a college dorm. I go during the morning, and EVERY time I go there, the ridiculously loud conversations and unprofessional behavior make me wish I owned this franchise because I would fire almost all of them. Shut up! I don’t need to hear about your Facebook status or what your ex boyfriend texts you in the middle of the night. Otherwise, this gym serves it’s purpose, it’s clean and convenient. Oh… before I forget, to the clown who shows up in a wife beater strutting around staring at himself in the mirrors with sunglasses on while he’s «working out»… bro, get out of the way!

The creators of the «Judgement Free Zone» are not winning any spelling bees.
This gym is a no frills gym. No towels or luxurious bathroom soaps. Just plenty of machines and cardio equipment in a sea of purple and yellow.
The front desk staff is friendly and pleasant. I come during non peak hours so crowds is never a nuisance for me. The tanning beds and massage chairs for Black Card members is a pleasant perk.
Because the gym is cheap I too am subject to guilt free absences from the gym… and show up infrequently.
This gym is good enough but needs to hire a better interior designer.
Here are some interesting npr links on cheap gyms:
IFHTP 3+

great gym, great staff. the only thing i can say bad about them is for anyone who uses the tanning beds they offer– they do notttttttt clean the tanning beds at all!!! it is completely disgusting. if you use the beds use the cleaning solution in the rooms to really really scrub the bed clean before you get in!!!

This gym’s location is right off the Buhre Avenue stop on the 6 train so it is very convenient for those who commute. I have not had many experiences with gyms then, so it was all very new to me. I was excited and motivated to say the least, but with time, this soon wore off.
The women locker room is very small. If you go during the busier times especially, it will feel cramped. There was no room for stretching anywhere in the entire gym. I would awkwardly stretch close to people in the locker room or the weight area. The the size of the space holds a lot of equipment but it feels cluttered.
What turned me off the most with this location is the type of people who go there. I cannot tell you how many dirty looks I got from women, and stares I would receive from men. There is an unnecessary tension mixed with insecurity when I work out there. Perhaps I am reading into it too much, but I just never felt comfortable.
The reason why this didn’t get 1 star is because the space is fairly clean, and the staff is friendly.
I only recommend this gym if you cannot afford anything else.

So, all in all, I am really quite pleased with this gym. I am a new member to the Planet Fitness franchise, and find the front staff acceptable; some are nicer than others, but for NYC, I can deal with that. For cardio bunnies like myself, there are a plethora of elliptical, treadmill and cycling machines downstairs and ANOTHER large set of treadmills and ellipticals upstairs! So many cardio machines means they are almost always up for dibs, which is great for those who loathe coming to a crowded gym and having to WAIT to get a treadmill. That’s not to say this gym is «crowded», because it is not. I feel the flow of members is always acceptable and never sweaty-​body overload. The women’s locker rooms/​bathrooms and weight equipment are always clean. I see trainers and staff constantly making rounds and wiping down the cardio and weight machines during my workouts. I like how planet fitness does not try to up-​sell you with training sessions and weird membership packages. I actually signed up for my membership online… and it was so refreshing!
So, the weight machines come in duplicates of two, so if someone is on the row machine, there is almost always the second row machine next to it that is empty. I appreciate this.
I also received free pens, stickers and a t-​shirt on my first gym visit. The front desk also has printouts for members, which indicate the busiest times at the gym each month– very groovy. On an aside, my husband isn’t a fan of planet fitness because he does not feel that they have a good variety of free-​weights, so men take note. But for me, the weight machines work well.
Okay, so the reason I am giving this gym 3 stars instead of 5? THE LACK OF PROPER VENTILATION AND A/​C!!! So I started attending this gym in the Spring, and did my cardio upstairs– and even in the Spring, it was a little too warm for my taste. Since heat rises, I decided to start doing my cardio downstairs; there was a slight decrease in temp on the lower level, so I thought this was my solution…
Well, fast forward to the present, summer time humidity and heat in NYC. The heat inside the gym… IS STIFLING. I can only complete 75% of my cardio routine, as I could barely breathe in the mugginess and extreme heat. If I wanted to workout in these conditions, I would have 1. worked out outside or 2. went to bikram yoga. I spent the rest of my workout (leg day) completely dazed and grumpy. That extreme heat just does something to you.
I asked the front desk, if other members have complained about the heat in the gym? She politely told me the A/​C guy has been coming for the last 3 days, and he’s coming again this afternoon, and she apologized. Thing is, I noticed these stuffy conditions in this gym during the crisp Spring time weather, and I think the real issue is; the Pelham Bay Planet Fitness resides in an old building that has shitty ventilation and A/​C, and working out in the Summer time is torture. I think the A/​C goes out often, and when it is running, it’s never 100%. So be warned. The Planet Fitness owner needs to bite the bullet and pay to have the A/​C overhauled. We’ll see how often I patron this gym in the summer time with it’s mediocre A/​C.

The way I see it is there are 2 reasons to be a member here.
1 — you can’t afford to go anywhere else
2 — you don’t have any other option.
The equipment is ok, but this place is always over-​crowded, and with a cheap monthly fee, you get a lot of young kids.
Good for cardio bunnies, and non-​serious lifters. Terrible for people who actually lift i.e. myself.

Can get a bit crowded at times (Mon & Tues evenings). And except for the couple of people who are there to be seen (you know, one rep then chat for 5mins). The place is always clean and friendly. The staff is always eager to help with anything you might need. You get what you pay for. plus, remember it’s a gym not a spa!!!

Okay so I am generally not a fan of Planet Fitness because the one on Gunhill Rd is extremely bad in the sense of attentiveness and customer service, however this location is great! The people that work there are kind and friendly, the machines are well kept, they give you information on what times are the busiest so you know when you want to come. They have a schedule for their trainer and you can make an appointment 24 hours in advance.
The women’s locker room is very clean (INCLUDING SHOWERS). The water pressure could be better but it smells nice and they even have locks in case yours dont fit or is too big… and its free! I am a Black Card member so I only pay .75 cents for big bottle of poland spring. I honestly love it here. I can not find ANYTHING to complain about.

Gym didn’t offer me what I wanted so I canceled my membership. My credit card was charged the month after I canceled. I called and was told I had to go in person to inquire. I did and the manager said my account was canceled but it looks like they charged my card for someone else’s membership. They would call me about it. Never got a follow up call. Had to block them from charging my card again. Would use the gym again but don’t give them your credit card.

Excellent location, good area, competent attentive staff, always clean. Clean machines/​clean air. Machines kept up & usually available with polite patrons.
The side parking lot is extremely convienant.
Ok there is no suana, no pool, no classes. but for the price, its standard /​basic and serves its purpose EXTREMELY well.
Motivate yourself.

All my life, I’ve done a pretty good job of deflecting people’s suggestions that I should work out.
«The gym’s too far.»
«The gym’s too expensive.»
«I’m allergic to dumbbells.»
Well, when I moved to the Bronx, I ran out of the excuses. Planet Fitness was nearby, and it was only 10 bucks a month.
Clearly, I don’t know that much about gyms, but I can’t find many faults with this one. The place is clean and spacious, with agreeable pop hits from the ‘90s and today cranking through the speakers. Most importantly, they have plenty of machines away to keep me from breaking out into hives near the free weights.

This is my home base gym and it’s pretty good. It is always relatively clean, has a good number of machines and if you go off peak hours there is no wait for machines.
After having visited several other locations, Castle Hill (ghetto), Harlem @ 125^th (in the basement so claustrophobic) Long Island ‚(one giant room which oddly enough still felt all together) I have to say I like the way this one is appointed the best. It has a second floor that overlooks the rest of the gym and that is where I like to do the cardio machines so I can see everything from my perch. I’ve had a membership pretty much since they opened, off and on but it’s really recently since I’ve taken my health seriously and have been going for the last few months religiously. The more I go, the more I like it.
But yeah, towels would be nice but for $ 10 0r $ 20 a month I can bring my own towels.

This would be a 4-​Star gym except for one thing… the price. That easily pushes it into 5-​Star territory.
PF Offers two plans:
If you are like me, you don’t plan on visiting every PF in the chain, nor do you care to use a tanning machine, so you will be able to get by on the $ 10/​month no contract plan.
For $ 20 month, there is some good value there too, including ½ priced
cooler drinks, unlimited use of the tanning machines/​massage chairs, guest privileges, and you can visit another PF up to 5 times per month. (For a complete list of benefits you can check the website).
There is also a yearly fee of about 30 dollars or so that gets billed in October. So for the basic plan $ 150/​year for a gym membership, especially in NYC is not bad. Sure you don’t get classes, towels, saunas, a pool, or anything like that, but there is more than enough to keep you fit and healthy.
About the gym:
Free weights go up to 60lbs, and there are about two sets of every weight. You usually don’t have to wait long, if at all to get the weights you need. (I don’t come during the busiest hours [4−8pm Mon-​Thurs] though so that might change). There are adjustable benches to do incline or shoulder press, as well as normal flat benches. No decline benches, although people get creative by putting on end of a flat bench on a stack of 45lb weight plates. You can easily substitute a cable machine decline press if you really need it.
There are no free Olympic bars. The only olympic bars you will find are the ones that are on rails and can lock into position once you are done. This is not all bad as this gym seems to be all about not having big meatheads in it. Plus this way you won’t really need a spot. The bars are still sufficient to give you over the 120lbs (60lbsx2 weights) the free weights offer you.
There is a circuit course that supposedly will give you a full body workout in 30 minutes, you just follow the red/​green light to know when to switch/​stop. This is not really my thing, but if you are pressed for time I guess it will work.
There are also a plethora of weight machines that will mimic pretty much anything you can do with free weights or cable machines. (ex. Tricep Pushdowns, Lat Pulldowns, Crunches, Leg extensions, Squats etc).
The cardio areas are full of treadmills, ellipticals, and Cybex Arc Trainers, and Bikes. They can be found on two levels, one above the other. I have never seen all of them being used, so you can always get what you want. Also there is no time limit on them.
Upstairs, in addition to some cardio equipement there is a little abdominals area with some mats, torso twist machines, hanging knee raise equipment, and other ab equipment.
You will also find the water fountain up there.
Other features:
Once a month they offer Pizza Night. This isn’t my thing either, but I guess if you want to go to the gym then grab a slice, its nice that its there. They also have a bucket filled with tootsie rolls. I find that to be a nice treat as they are small enough that you are not counteracting your workout, but will provide you something to make sure you mouth doesn’t dry out. I think I also saw a sign for a free bagel day, although I didn’t catch where this was.
One irony about the gym, is that they seem to shun huge muscle guys (think Arnold Schwarzenegger), yet the T-​Shirt they give you for joining is a default extra large. Whether you are a full grown man or a petite lady, that’s what you get. You would think they would give you a choice. I won’t wear a shirt that big, so that’s their loss of free advertising. Oh well.
Again, for the value, you just can’t beat this gym if you live within walking distance. There is a small parking lot if you prefer to drive, but that always seems to be packed, and again I don’t even come at their busiest hours.

Once again one awesome place for a great workout, please stop by membership is so cheap.
I got to say I love this place, friendly people, and a great staff, and after going to those restaurants, this have to be the final stop.
Good place to workout for a reasonable price

You can find me here about 3 – 4 times a week (on a good week, of course).
It gets really packed in winter & spring. but which gym doesn’t? Everyone wants to lose their holiday fat.
It sucks that there’s no AC and the fans either don’t reach you or blow DIRECTLY on you — but it’s a gym. you come here to SWEAT.
One thing I will complain about is the 30 minute Express Workout room. I really wish they would enforce the 30 MINUTE EXPRESS part since some people just cut in and use certain machines for more than 5 minutes. The whole point of this room is to use a machine for a minute, cardio for a minute, and then move on to the next machine! The fat dudes with wack arms that come to use the bicep/​tricep machines really piss me off… Use it and go, don’t sit your fat ass grunting and moaning — or at least use the general room for that!
Locker rooms are good. However, they recently had a problem with theft in the locker rooms and now they mandate that all guests show ID upon entry into the gym.
You really can’t beat the price. It’s great. Plus black card members get to use any gym, unlimited tanning, and discounts on gatorade/​water.

First off I don’t understand why people keep talking about mafia north Bronx type people going to this gym? Last time I checked the Italian-​American neighborhoods in question (Throggs Neck/​Country Club/​Pelham Bay) are located in the east/​south east section of the Bronx. Co-​op City, Wakefield, and Riverdale are what I would call the north Bronx. Now with that geography/​demography lesson over I will continue with my review.
This gym for the price is excellent. They have just recently installed new machines which are amazing to me. The clientele in this gym isn’t that bad at all. Mostly high school and college aged people with a few older people thrown into the mix. You know, people on fixed incomes. I would imagine the wealthy «mafioso» types would go to the NYSC in Morris Park. The downside to this gym is the lack of parking and exercise classes. A missing sauna isn’t a big deal for me. I’ve seen enough gay porn to know what goes on in a gym sauna. I’m coming her for a work out… with clothes on: D

This place kicks ass in most respects… INSANELY low price, a decent number of machines that actually WORK (unlike NYSC), and despite what someone said below, really clean workout areas and locker rooms.
Complaints? Well… the few regarding the gym itself aren’t terribly serious… I mean, for the price, you don’t exactly expect a luxury spa. But I have to admit, it took me awhile to get over the lack of towel service and sauna. I was also really disappointed when I realised the ONLY vaguely local gym with a sauna is in Yonkers.
As for my biggest complaint, though, it’s not at all about the gym itself, it’s about some of its clients. No, I don’t mind the guidos and the Mafia Princess wannabes… but I do mind the freaks. Warning, this place attracts a LOT of them. I have been near-​stalked by several people over the past year and a half from here, both males and females. Guess it’s the low price that draws them in… wonder if they give Bronx State a discount?