Planet Fitness Banned Exercises: What Can’t You Do at PF?

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People have mixed views about Planet Fitness. It aims to be a gym for everyone… which makes it exactly not for everyone! There are many reasons behind the mixed views but one of them may be due to the banned exercises. 

Planet Fitness has banned some exercises including deadlifts, jerks, overhead presses, clean and jerks, and T-rows. The super setting is also not allowed.

It may seem counterproductive to ban such exercises, but Planet Fitness Banned Exercises are selected for specific reasons. 

Some people are okay with the banned exercise while others are not. They have different opposing reactions to it and both are valid points. Let’s take a closer look at people’s opinions about the banned exercises at Planet Fitness.


Contents

Why Are There Planet Fitness Banned Exercises?

It is weird for gyms to ban exercise!

After all, they are gyms and all exercise should be welcomed.

Additionally, Planet Fitness claims that they are a judgement-free zone. So why do they judge the exercises and ban them?

The reason for banning such exercises is due to the target market of Planet Fitness. They target people who aren’t bodybuilders. PF’s target market is those who just want to start their journey into fitness.

That’s also the reason why they mostly have cardio equipment in their facilities. 

Exercises like the deadlifts may be considered dangerous for those who do not have experience with them. 

Since the target market of Planet Fitness is those that are just starting on their journey, this could very well lead them to insurance claims and issues. They are simply trying to avoid that. 

Additionally, doing such exercises may lead to the sounding of the lunk alarm. Those exercises could be challenging that lead you to grunting or making noises that aren’t allowed at Planet Fitness. 

Furthermore, some people may be intimidated or may feel uncomfortable when they see someone who does those exercises.

They could feel like those doing the exercises are just showing off or undermining them. They won’t feel welcome. 

For those reasons, Planet Fitness has decided to ban exercises like traditional bench presses. However, they have provided alternatives such as the Smith machine .

Although it is quite similar, many feel that the Smith machine just doesn’t provide the same experience as a traditional bench press. It is cheaper to maintain, though, which helps keep Planet Fitness’ price low.


People’s Opinions About The Banned Exercises?

There are mixed opinions about the banned exercises at Planet Fitness and the atmosphere of the fitness facility in general. Planet Fitness has some odd rules! Some gave positive feedback while others opposed banning such exercises.

The Positive Feedback 

There are people who don’t mind the exercises being banned. They feel that there are other exercises that they can do at Planet Fitness that will still help them reach their fitness goal.

They are okay with it and continue to use the facility while following its guidelines. Some even loved the fact that those exercises were banned because they just don’t feel like working out when they see others doing such exercises.

The Negative Feedback

On the other hand, there are still a lot of people who didn’t like the banning of the exercises. This simply limits what they can do at the gym. Although there are alternatives, they feel that banning the exercises hinders them from achieving their target goal of building muscles.

Some feel that banning the exercises is the opposite of working out in a judgment-free zone. Others understand that Planet Fitness is doing it for the newbies and feel like they have outgrown the gym due to this reason. 


Conclusion

Banned exercises at a gym or fitness facility seem strange. However, that is exactly what Planet Fitness has done. They have banned a few exercises like deadlifts, t-rows, clean and jerks, and overhead presses, to name a few. 

These exercises were banned from the facility and the equipment used for them is also not available. Instead, Planet Fitness provides safer alternatives like the Smith machine. 

The reasons why they are banned are due to safety and image. Planet Fitness wants to make sure their target market is not intimidated by gym rats showing off, making noise, etc. 

People have mixed opinions about banning the exercises. Some understand the need to ban them and even agree to have them banned. They are happy with the alternatives and gladly use them to meet their fitness goals. 

On the other hand, there are also those who despise banning such exercises. They feel that it is unfair and it also has led them to feel like they’ve outgrown the place and need a new gym where those exercises are welcomed. 

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Written by Kayla Young

Kayla is the founder of LuxeLuminous. She has worked professionally in the tanning industry for years. She has been interested in esthetics since childhood, and has tried every hair, skin, and makeup product ever produced (more or less).