I have free membership access to these 3 gyms because of Medicare. Standard membership so no add ons like red light therapy.
1. Planet Fitness (I like that you really can do free weights because I'd need a spotter but they have Smith racks)
2. Crunch Fitness
3. Anytime Fitness

Thanks!

I like anytime. But that's basically the only one I'm signed up at. Like that I can go to any location. Only extra cost was $40 when I signed up (for the key fob).

I have a gym program through BCBS that allows signing up at different gyms, as long as the gym is part of the program I can sign up. My only negative for Planet Fitness is that no access to any location, although there is a work around (supposedly) by signing up at individual locations.

Also signed up at my city parks gym through the program.

Thinking about adding Crunch Fitness as another option.

A YouTube review stated Anytime Fitness doesn't have a locker room. How can that even be true???

Ugh. Talk about the least worse choice...

Visit all three. See which one is most convenient and has what you like to do.

Planet fitness - usually has decent machines. Free weights are the issue. I can't stand their no judgement zone policy and I think they prey on the weak. But, you do get guest passes and can get an unlimited memebership that you can use at any PF. Good deal if you travel a lot like I used to.

Crunch fitness - my experience their equipment is subpar. I bent a barbell one time squatting while there. Guy was like it wasn't a big deal and he'd just go to Walmart and get a new one. Not much variety and all their equipment, to me at the ones I visted, seem like something you would get at K-mart.

Anytime - the ones I've been to seem almost like a decent hotel gym. You can get a lift in but doesn't have what I needed at the time. Their equipment seems decent but not much variety either.

Bottom line, all three will work. Neither of the three are my cup of tea. Again, visit and join the one you like the best.

Don't just visit all three, but go at the time you would normally go. Does not really matter what equipment a gym has if you are having to wait all the time to use it.

As far as anytime, they vary greatly by location. They all have 10-12 of the same pieces of equipment, but the size of the gym will depend on what else they offer. It is good to have while traveling though and want to get a workout in.

I don't know how other planet fitness are, but my son and I use to go to a couple around us in Plano / McKinney. They were both formerly part of a small chain called Texas Family Fitness. They had plenty of free weights and lifting platforms, which we used a lot as he was getting into powerlifting. They got bought out by PF about a year and a half ago. PF actually added more lifting platforms. I've never been to any other PF, but ours had plenty of free weights (which was contradictory to what we had always heard about them). I was kind of under the impression they were moving that direction.

Anyway, long story short, we had no issue with them and they were cheap. We've since moved on to an actual powerlifting gym, though.

None? Pay for a better gym? Sometimes the best things in life aren't free.

I agree. Like sex for example.

jtraggie99 said:

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I don't know how other planet fitness are, but my son and I use to go to a couple around us in Plano / McKinney. They were both formerly part of a small chain called Texas Family Fitness. They had plenty of free weights and lifting platforms, which we used a lot as he was getting into powerlifting. They got bought out by PF about a year and a half ago. PF actually added more lifting platforms. I've never been to any other PF, but ours had plenty of free weights (which was contradictory to what we had always heard about them). I was kind of under the impression they were moving that direction.

Anyway, long story short, we had no issue with them and they were cheap. We've since moved on to an actual powerlifting gym, though.

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PF has changed their marketing quite a bit over the last couple of years. They bought the Texas Familys by us and I wondered what they would do to the free weights and power rack platforms. And from what I have gathered from people who train there, they did what you said, kept everything and even added to it. I think they realize that they have milked the Judgement Free Zone marketing thing to it's limits and are trying to again appeal to a wider audience in the commercial gym market.

BartInLA said:

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I have free membership access to these 3 gyms because of Medicare. Standard membership so no add ons like red light therapy.
1. Planet Fitness (I like that you really can do free weights because I'd need a spotter but they have Smith racks)
2. Crunch Fitness
3. Anytime Fitness

Thanks!

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Depends on what your goals are and what these gyms have in your local area and whether they meet your particular needs. Try each out for a week. As was said, go when you'd go. How busy are they? Do they have equipment that works for you and your body (a New Tech/M-Torture row might fit me and my super long arm well but a Prime row might be a bit too short in range of motion for instance. See if the machines work for you). What is the staff like? Do you want Pilates, group classes or yoga? Does one have amenities like a sauna or cold plunge etc that you might like? Anytimes, like the one I was a trainer at don't always have dressing rooms/locker rooms. They have bathrooms that can double as a dressing room. A crunch will have a sauna (though I have heard they aren't always very hot) and a full locker room. PF's generally do too (locker rooms I mean-no idea about a sauna). You want a place you'll be encouraged to go to, not one you don't like. Are there enough cardio machines? Do you even use cardio (I don't very often)?

In the end, Crunch is a pretty good gym for a commercial gym. A lot of variety for different training interests and usually pretty large. But, it is a personal thing.

I train at Absolute Recomp and Destination Dallas as those gyms meet my specific goals and have great equipment for bodybuilding. Neither have group classes nor a studio to even have classes, yoga or pilates. They have posing rooms and are geared to a specific subset of the gym community. So look at how you want to train, what's important to you and take the time to try each out and go from there. If I could get one of those for free, I'd keep the other 2 and use the new Crunch by our house as my backup/close gym on days I didn't or could't make it to AR or Destination, if that helps at all...Anytimes are too small and do not have enough options in my opinion, and PF still has the "yuck" from their former marketing strategies (which just a bias I have), but they are also further away from us. The McKinney 380 one is newer and nice, but Crunch is closer....

PF if you want to pretend like you're getting a good workout. The several I've been to within the last year don't have serious equipment very limited. The "no judgement" and "lunk alarm" things have been well covered. The "teens can come work out for free during the summer" daycare silliness is a huge turnoff to me. I don't ever feel like I get in a good lift. In summary: PF doesn't feel like a serious gym.

Crunch: a definite step up. YMMV depending on your specific location. I haven't been to one in a hot minute so I can't really speak to what they're like today.

Anytime: this would be my choice. Open 24 hours. Serious weights, benches, cable machines, and some cardio. The gyms are all small. No lockers, which is annoying. Good enough and big enough with varied equipment to get in a good workout, but you'll definitely want to visit when you will be routinely working out to see if the place is crowded or not.

I have Wellhub and access various gyms when I travel, including all of the ones listed. This is all going to depend on your type of fitness activities, in my opinion.

PF - not bad, just not my cup of tea. I prefer free weights on certain exercises

Anytime - it varies by location but my only knock on them, aside from no locker room/sauna, is the they're normally smaller. If you can adjust your workout time or you find one that isn't really busy, it's not bad at all. At peak times, it's really hard to get certain equipment and you may only have one lat pull down/bench/squat rack at the entire location

Crunch - I actually prefer these out of all three the best. Generally speaking, machines are okay and wide variety. A bunch of squat platforms for compound exercises, and decent weights. I am not a fan of their bars and several locations you have to go up front to get collars for the bars. The bars are also not good at all… way too much whip and really not designed for heavier weight.

Quote:

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Anytime: this would be my choice. Open 24 hours

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What is crazy is Absolute Recomp is 24/7 fully staffed. I'm totally impressed by that given it is huge, the equipment it has and how clean it stays. They seem to have one of the best business models of any gym chain out there. If one opens near you and you are serious about training it is worth trying it out. Bar none, the best equipment of any gym out there. That includes power lifting too, not just body building.