Planet Fitness

Whenever I’m staying in the Capital District and want to go workout, I’ll head to Planet Fitness since I have a Black Card. Sometimes, I do my workouts at the Loudonville PF located in the Kimberly Square since it’s almost the same distance from my area home compared to driving to the Brunswick PF.
This location offers plenty of gym equipment, weights, tanning beds, and plenty of treadmills each with its own little TV (TWC choices) (more machines than other locations) in three different sections of the center (main floor, back room, and upper level (near stretching area). The main floor has turbo ceiling fans directly over the treadmills, which is great for long runs! The music playing over the speakers is generally upbeat. The locker room/​bathroom is updated compared to the PF where I usually workout at, but sometimes there is a strong stench in the men’s locker room here.
Overall, this PF location is a pretty good place to workout.

So I have to say I have always avoided Planet Fitness because of their annoying TV commercials. But after paying way too much for my gym membership at another place in town I finally gave in and signed up for a $ 15/​month membership package. I have been totally content with this place. At the hours I workout it’s basically empty. It’s always clean, there are very few annoying gym-​obsessed people. Mostly people just trying to stay in shape like me. The treadmills all have a TV with cable TV. There are more than enough free weights, although if you can at peak times I’m sure it’s a little crowded. The locker rooms have lockers that you can throw your own combination lock on. They also have tanning beds that are included in some of the packages if skin cancer and premature aging are your thing. For the price, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better gym in town! Try it.

Can I give 0 stars? This place is by far the worst gym I have been to. (& I’ve been to a lot being moved around!)
1-​staff is useless and rude. Not sure what they’re actually hired for but all they do is stand around. I rarely see anyone clean and when they do it some toxic concoction they’re throwing all over the floor which makes us all gag. How about doin that when the gym is less busy? This manager here must clearly be some sort of genius with the cleaning schedule out in place.
2-you’d think with that toxic crap being thrown everywhere, it would be clean but it’s not. NO ONE wipes down any machines, staff or gym-​goers and no one is ever encouraged to do so. I get the feeling I’m the only one wiping things down after I swear on them.
3-​during construction a little while back there was another toxic smell to contend with but this time it was some sort of industrial adhesive. Oh and let’s not forget the sawdust and sheetrock dust from cutting materials IN THE GYM! Again, what sort of moron of a manager would allow this? No matter what you’re doing at a gym, huffing this toxic crap is certainly not good for you while you’re exerting yourself. No one there ever thought to ask these construction ppl to cut this stuff outside? Or how about later on when no one is around? Again, genius manager I imagine.
4-​most machines are broken for WAY TOO LONG. Usually the YMCA has someone on staff that does repairs ONLY. They usually have machines fixed within and hour or two at the most. I’ve seen some machines at this branch broken for months, almost a year. Simply unacceptable.
5-​myself and others I’ve known have actually contracted MRSA from this branch. Ppl will say «how did u know it was from them?» But trust me, I know. It has to be from the lack of cleanliness. Anyone I contacted was less than sympathetic and passed the problem off by saying it must have been picked up somewhere else/​it was my fault.
All of these reasons combined .well it’s ruined me from planet fitness. Wherever I move, they’ll be my last choice, if they’re a choice at all. Most ppl don’t expect much for $ 10 – 20 a month but standards honestly CANT be lower with this place. I’d gladly pay more money to another gym for a cleaner facility, competent staff and a manager with a clue.

Alright, you can’t beat 10 – 20 bucks a month. And you’re going to see some sacrifices in quality/​cleanliness at that point right?
I go here frequently. I always seems like the same people are there, just doing their thing. There’s always enough treadmills, ALWAYS. Which I really appreciate. I used to have the Black card and would go to the Crossgate Commons one depending on which was more convenient but sometimes I’d have to wait for a treadmill and that is the worst feeling ever. Everyone is like, hovering over someone that looks like they have been on there for more than 20 minutes. Yuck.
It does suck that you can’t «freeze» your account without a doctors note. In the summer time I don’t like working out inside a steamy festering room with other sweaty people when it’s nice out. And it does get real gross smelling in there sometimes. ESPECIALLY the bathrooms. I always go pee before because it’s gross there.
My only large problems are the are NO MATS TO STRETCH. Like, hello. Anyone that knows anything about working out knows stretching is like WILDLY WIDLY IMPORTANT. I also hate when someone uses like 5 sections to do like sweaty aerobics for no reason. I’ve stretched on the dirty floor FAR to many times with FAR too many dirty looks. Sorry I’m not trying to hurt/​strain/​sprain anything. You’d like the owners of Planet Fitness that want relatively healthy/​unhealthy people looking for a nice, welcoming gym would want to promote stretching as important as it really is. (Rant Over)

For $ 10 and it being close to home, I guess I can deal. However, they need to clean the bathrooms more, they’re disgusting. Majority of the time it is out of paper towels and the same piece of hair or garbage is on the sink for days.
There are majority of cardio machines. There are no stair climbers or rowers though. There is no back extension, medicine or kettle balls. They finally got new mats. The decline bench sucks, almost impossible for a short person to use it. The lunk alarm or whatever it is is called is extremely annoying when you’re trying to enjoy your workout or focus. The staff is ok with the exception for a few of the chatty high schoolers who make you stand and wait there till they recognize you are there so they can scan you in.

Ahh, Planet Fitness. This is a fine place to go if you’re interested in weight machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, and TVs. These things abound. I go to this PF on days when I’m doing a mix of resistance training and cardio. It’s a nice bike ride up the hill from Albany tends to be well-​attended, but not full, in the early mornings.

This review is written after the major renovation they just underwent.
I’ve been coming here for a while and I think it’s more because I am no longer bound by a contract and it’s cheap. I have a black card so I usually just go to the one on Washington Ave which is much better (but still not 100% ideal). but on occasion I come here. The variety of the gym equipment is just… not that good here.
Most of the machines and treadmills are brand new, but if you’re looking to get a beach body or even a more serious workout to build muscle and strength (and I don’t mean a 300 lb monster who screams and carries around a jug of protein), this is not the ideal place. There is a very limited space to use free weights, there are no squat racks, only 1 bench, 1 incline bench, 5 or 6 adjustable chairs, and like 3 smith machines which are old and ratty. The dumbbells go up to 75 lbs like most planet fitness locations, but don’t have the 2.5 lb increment ones like most others (10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, 20, etc.). There are also no exercise balls of any kind, limited space to do body movements/​stretches/​ab work, no e-​z bars for arm movements, limited barbell bars, and very few cable machines. It’s almost like they got rid of everything that was useful and took the worst of the worst and put it on the floor. There are some machines, but not very many good ones.
Overall, I’m very disappointed with the new planet fitness. If you are looking to do cardio, it’s a decent place. If you are looking to get a decent beach body, it can be done but with a lot of effort and creativity with what they have.

Do not join this gym, I canceled my membership and the gym continued to bill me. The manger Andre is rude and unhelpful. So now I need to send A certified letter confirming the cancellation I already made. I will be calling the Better Business Bureau and taking legal action if necessary. These people are horrific and fraudulent

99.9% of my previous review holds true. However, it seems that since e-​mailing my Unilocal review to the regional manager, the lunk alarm has been set off less frequently by the cast of the «Hudson Shore» (i’ve decided to leave New Jersey alone and promote a spin-​off based in the Hudson Valley to MTv). I am not sure if this is related to my complaints or related to the mass exodus of the resolution warriors who routinely die off from the gym habitat by mid-​february. hmmm.

This place is such a joke. It’s always overcrowded during the week and everything is broken and dirty. I don’t know if all the locations are this bad but weight machines are constantly out of service and treadmills and elipticals don’t work right. Belts skip while you are running. The one and only water fountain they have is always busted up or clogged. The only reason I’ve gone here for so long is the price. But it’s really not worth it if care about working out. I think it’s time to cancel my membership cuz they obviously don’t care about this place. Avoid at all costs.

I used to frequent the Loudonville Planet Fitness, largely because it was the closest one to me. However, about a year ago, the fact that the machines were often broken (sometimes for weeks or months at a time), the TVs were old CRT models, and many of the TVs were tuned to odd channels eventually drove me to fitness-​insanity. As a result, I began to go to the East Greenbush Planet Fitness, which is definitely the best one in the region.
However, I recently went back to the Loudonville Planet Fitness, and was pleased to find new flatscreen TVs in place tuned to better variety of shows. Unfortunately some of the machines were still broken, including one eliptical machine that refused to incline… which I believe was a problem w/​that machine when I last went (yes, a year ago).
I would still recommend going to the East Greenbush one, but if that’s not a realistic option, then the Loundonville Planet Fitness is, at least, improved. It is, of course, the same great Planet Fitness bargain… $ 10/​month, no contract.

I have been a member for 2 years and this place has just gone downhill fast. If you are serious and want to work out, this is not your place. If you go to the gym maybe once a month, this might be the place for you and worth the 10 $ a month. Other than that, its dirty, the people are annoying, the staff doesn’t care and the machines rarely work. Their promotions are good, but tend to bring in more people than the gym can handle. Busy times you can’t get a machine (that actually works). Can’t watch TV really — they have all the TVs on one channel, and that channel sucks. Locker room is gross. Pizza night is when all the fatties show up for their once-​a-​month «workout.» I cancelled my membership yesterday.

I already have a membership back west to a 24 hr fitness and club one.
I had to move back to Albany and found myself with neither of those places nearby. I had to see what was available. ABC is close by, truly open 24 hours, (you never know when yer gonna wanna do hammer curls at 4 in the morning) but kinda steep in price and didn’t have much in the way of short term with no commitments. Same with golds. I found a special for planet fatness. 10 bucks a month with 39 $ signup and some annual fee, and cancel at any time. that last part was music to my ears as I will be gone in November.
I went over and took a tour and found the place to be very… purple. Littered with signs that said «judgement free zone.» I kind of have a problem with that statement. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m the type of guy that goes to the gym, puts his ipod on and does what he needs to do, and then kindly goes on my way. But when I see people wearing workout clothes that clash… you bet your sweet ass I’m gonna judge.
I also found the lunk alarm that others have mentioned to be pretty funny. I haven’t seen the alarm go off, but I’m really curious as to see what all goes down when its pushed. The last workout I have, my friend is going to bring a video camera, and I will be grunting and slamming weights beyond belief and upload my experience on youtube. I really hope police presence isn’t involved, as 100% of the time they will usually side with the gym.
So where was I. Oh yes. the facilities. Plenty of tread mills and cardio machines and standard nautilus machines. The main work out area, another hidden to the side, and one even on the second floor. 6 tanning beds in case you need to get your tan on. The free weights area… it has enough to get your workout done, but it could use a few more benches. No decline bench, (have to use a situp bench with dumbells) only one leg press machine (where you can stack plates)
and one preacher curl station. The locker rooms were standard for a gym, actually this one was alot cleaner then the pig sties at 24.
So for 10 bucks a month no commitments, I’d say this is your best bet in the capital district. *GRUNT* *SLAM* *HAH YOU CALL THOSE MUSCLES YOU LITTLY PANSY*

It’s 10 dollars month! How could you go wrong?
There is a signup free which should be taken into account. I don’t remember how much the sign up fee was, but it was not a lot.
This is a no frills gym. No classes, day care, or personal trainers. It’s just gym equipment, free tootise rolls, and an alarm that goes off if you drop weights to show off… which I think is pretty judgmental for a «judgment free zone»…haha.
I would definitely go here if you are starting out and aren’t sure if you can committ to a gym. There is no cancellation fee so there is nothing to lose!

I quit yesterday. Not because I didn’t like it, I had kept my membership active for over a year without going because it was only $ 10 a month. I moved to Saratoga and joined the YMCA because I like the sauna.
For $ 10 it’s pretty good. That price can keep expectations low, and it always met mine. Lots of equipment, some of it new, all of it in working order. They try to keep the locker rooms in decent order, but it’s a busy place and they can get nasty.
There are a lot more meatheads than at the Y. If that matters to you than I suggest going someplace else. It never bothered me beyond making me feel less fit. I’m somebody who does not like to interact much at the gym, and I never felt like I had to here.
I went mid-​day for my last visit, and it was not too busy, but I during peak times it can get really crazy. I like to do all manner of stretches and they have a very small area for that. Forget it when it gets busy. Sometimes busy can be fun. There is a lot of energy and it’s great people watching if you are on a machine. But getting a machine can be a pain in the ass. If you had to force yourself to the gym in the first place it could be a deterrent in the future.

How can you not love a chain that bills itself as «the judgement-​free zone»? Planet Fitness attempts to present itself as the gym for people who don’t like going to gyms. According to the chain’s rules, grunting is not allowed. In fact, each facility has a «Lunk Alarm» that’s supposed to go off if someone is being too much of a meathead. A guy was actually banned from a Poughkeepsie-​area PF for grunting too much while lifting weights.
Sadly, I have never experienced the Lunk Alarm going off nor have I set it off myself. I’m not particularly lunk-​y.
Truthfully, I’m about as far from a gym rat as you can get. I get intimidated by them, usually. But PF does not intimidate me. I mean, I still have to kick my own ass into going to work out, but that has nothing to do with Planet Fitness and everything to do with my lack of will power and discipline. Maybe I should sign up for training with one of their fitness instructors and let them do the ass-​kicking …
Planet Fitness doesn’t have a pool or a sauna or basketball courts. They just have machines and weights, and weirdly, tanning booths. I don’t really think fake tanning falls under the category of healthy, but whatever.
Most of the facility is purple and yellow, which can be a little garish at first. The locker rooms are clean though, and somehow this place seems oddly safe.
More importantly, this place is cheap. I pay $ 20 a month and that means I can use any of the PFs (locally, there are also facilities in Delmar, Clifton Park, Rotterdam, etc.) You get a giant black Planet Fitness tee-​shirt and a bumper sticker when you sign up, and I think you get unlimited guest passes too. You also get to use the tanning beds for free, I believe, although I don’t personally like that kind of thing. I’m into the pallid look.
(Side note: The XXL T-​shirt was the perfect thing to use as a drool-​wiper for my dog. Sorry Planet Fitness, I was being eco-​conscious and avoiding paper towels.)