Planet Fitness – Springfield

I use this gym when I’m visiting family in the area because it’s clean, convenient and has plenty of equipment. Unfortunately, the drop-​in fee (for visitors/​non-​members) is $ 20/​day, which is ridiculously overpriced for a gym in rural Ohio. Nor do they have any one-​week or one-​month passes available. So while it’s quite reasonably priced for residents, it’s not a good option for visitors.
Since I have a degree in kinesiology (the study of anatomy and physiology related to human movement), I have some insights on their equipment within the following general pros and cons about this gym:
PROS
— you will never run out of cardio equipment here; there are plenty of treadmills, elliptical machines, bikes (both upright and semi-​recumbent), and stepping machines
— the place is kept very clean, and the members are conscientious about cleaning equipment after they use it
— there are plenty of weight machines (all Life Fitness equipment), which are reasonably well designed
— inexpensive membership fees, at least compared to Seattle. Seems like a bargain to me.
— a welcoming philosophy that strives to make people of all shapes and sizes feel comfortable
— two areas reserved for people doing «express» type circuit training workouts (although I saw only a few people using them during the week I was there)
— friendly staff
CONS
— overpriced guest fees; see above.
— no squat racks, but more Smith machines (5) than I’ve ever seen in one gym before. You can use a Smith machine to do squats but it forces the body to conform to the machine’s purely vertical range of motion, which is not biomechanically correct during a squat. The squat is a key exercise to build lower body strength; every gym needs at least one squat rack. This serious omission deducted one star from my review.
— only one, very poorly designed calf machine that places far too much stress on the lumbar spine, and no seated calf machine to isolate the soleus (deep calf) muscles.
— very poorly designed leg abduction machines (where you sit with bent knees and spread your legs apart to strengthen butt muscles) which permit only a fraction of the range of motion necessary to properly work the abductors
— under-​inflated Versa/​exercise balls (which are great for sit-​ups and other core-​strengthening exercises); they’re supposed to be firm, not soft and mushy
— no mirrors in the stretching area where it’s particularly important to see your form
— that welcoming philosophy I mentioned in PROS doesn’t apply to body builders, who clearly aren’t welcome at this gym. They even have something called a «lunk alarm» that can be set off if somebody grunts too loudly. It seems rather judgmental for a gym that promotes a «no judgement» philosophy.
Despite the cons, this is a pretty nice gym. For someone who just wants to do cardio and use weight machines, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. However, people who are more serious about strength training may find it lacking (squat racks!).

Clean gym, friendly staff, and a great value

Easy going and friendly staff. Great machines, clean clean, clean place great people. Bang for the buck you won’t find a better gym. I love that I just walk in hit the locker room then come out full force hitting the weights, next thing I know I’m done time to cool down chat for a second then face the day like a boss.

Not sure why this location hasn’t been set up here yet, as it’s been open for nearly a year already, but here it is!!! I am SO HAPPY that there’s a new, clean, convenient, SUPER reasonably priced, well-​run, CLEAN (!!) gym for me and my fellow COUCH POTATOES to make a stab at FINALLY keeping our New Year resolutions!!! I struggled to stay loyal to Springfield’s YMCA, but it’s just not the place for anyone who a) works during the day, b) isn’t a kid or a senior citizen, c) wants to swim but is not on the swim team!!, and d) tired of CONSTANT pleas for $$$ with little/​no visible results. This place, with its new, well-​kept machines, PERFECT hours, and no hassle enrollment (got a special, end-​of-​year $ 99.00/year rate!!) will be just what I need to get the extra holiday pounds off, feel like I’m doing what needs to be done to stay vertical (!!) and not feel QUITE so guilty about all the WONDERFUL new dining establishments I plan to discover and review this year on Unilocal!
Give this place a go! HAPPY NEW YEAR!