Who’s Judgemental?

There are Planet Fitness commercials making the rounds on the interwebs that suggests their gym is for the more reasonable trainee, the one with reasonable goals and certainly the smarter person.  (There are plenty of gyms like Planet Fitness out there – my old gym became a Spunk Fitness which has a similar strategy.)

This one is my favorite, because big and strong, well, that’s just stupid.

Thank goodness for that judgement free zone, huh?

I was pretty happy today to see Iron Sport has a response. 

I train at The Colosseum in Columbia, MD.  I’ve never felt more at home.  I train with powerlifters, bodybuilders, college athletes, housewives, crossfitters, people with disabilities, retirees (one well over 80), and a host of others.  Not once have I felt judged, nor have I seen anyone judge anyone else.  (OK, so I judge personal trainers who give horrible advice, but that’s not the fault of the trainee).

The difference:  We’re there to reach a goal.  We’re not afraid to work hard, and we all appreciate and learn from others working hard to reach their goals.  Often those goals aren’t the same, and in fact what I’m doing might be a horrible choice for someone else.  But we’re serious about what we’re doing.

People who are serious about training aren’t going to Planet Fitness.  If you are new to the game or uncertain or uncomfortable, know we’ve all been there.  I was scared to death the first day I walked in to the Golds in Timonium and saw all those people bigger and stronger than I was.  Within an hour, that fear was gone, replaced with a sense of belonging.  Because people who are serious about training don’t judge others who are also serious.  Instead, they welcome them, help and encourage them.

There is no more positive, less judgemental group of people than the people who train where I train; and that goes for every serious gym out there. 

Overcome your fear and train like you mean it.  Something you will never be able to do in a place like Planet Fitness.