flash2158

I owned several Anytime Fitness clubs and I am a stock holder in Planet Fitness.

First - travel time to the gym is critical. Assume you go to the gym 3x a week. If you drive 30 minutes (round trip) to get to Planet and only 10 minutes to Anytime, you are saving 60 minutes of travel time each week by joining Anytime - do the math - - 52 hours per year you are sitting in your car to save $20 per month on a Planet gym membership? Not to mention gas and car expenses. Here is the test, get in your car and drive 26 hours in one direction, then drive 26 hours back home. Now ask yourself, was that trip worth saving $240 per year in a gym membership?

Second, why are you going the gym? Is it to get into shape, or simply to feel better about yourself because you have purchased a gym membership?

Third, what can you afford to pay for your fitness membership? Or as we used to say, "What is your health worth?"

Planet Fitness is a brilliant business model. It markets its clubs to non-fitness people who know that they should workout, but most likely won't. In essence, it sells a product to the customer and then hopes the customer never uses it. The members don't cancel as the cost of cancelling is 5x the cost of the $10 monthly membership, and they think, "Oh, I will use it next month." So they just keep paying $10 - $20 every month - think Netflix. In order to discourage regular users, Planet created an atmosphere that is appalling to anyone serious about fitness and it is not conducive to getting, or staying in shape. They serve free pizza and Tootsie Rolls. They have massage chairs and massage tables. The machines are name brand, but they are typically inferior models. The free weights are limited and light, and they have all sorts of rules about the size of your water bottle, your attire and making noise. If a Planet is nearby, you are a starving student, you are interested in renting a cardio machine for 30 minutes, or having a gym card on your key chain is important, then Planet is for you.

Anytime Fitness clubs are smaller and typically are not as crowded without so many rules. The equipment is generally better than Planet and the clubs are geared towards getting in shape and not just talking about it. However, the cost is $30 - $40/month compared to $10. Be aware, the quality of Anytime Fitness clubs and quality of customer service vary from location to location. If the Anytime has quality equipment, is near your home and you can afford the price, then Anytime is the better choice. Another concern - more Anytimes go out of business than Planets.

So, go back to the beginning - What is the travel time, what is the purpose of joining and what is your budget.