What Is the Lunk Alarm and How Do People Feel About It?
Planet Fitness is a gym for people who wants to try working out in a gym environment, without the discomfort and the judgement. While most gyms target bodybuilders or those who want to become stronger, Planet Fitness began with a quest to target the rest of the population. The founders of the gym wanted to encourage more people to be active, by creating a gym that is low cost, commitment-free and aims to be judgement free. Since then, Planet Fitness has become synonymous with affordable fitness centres in a friendly environment. So the Lunk Alarm was setted by them.
Planet Fitness boasts to have a newcomer-friendly environment, and some of their gyms even open twenty- four hours a day for seven days a week. They have two membership options: the $10 a month to just one home club, or $22.99 per month to access more benefits and locations. Which is cheaper than most other 24 hours fitness gyms, like the anytime fitness prices.
What Is the Lunk Alarm
It is normal to make some noise when you lift weights: the occasional weight dropping, the grunt during a lift, or even banging the weights together during a workout; but it is not an acceptable practice in this fitness centre. The centre describes a Lunk as a person who “grunts, drops weights or judges”, and it has a Lunk Alarm to alert people of the presence of a lunk. Planet Fitness Lunk Alarm is a loud siren, that draws attention and pauses workouts. The alarm also alerts gym managers to the lunk.
When a person grunts or drops weights, it draws unwanted attention, the lunk alarm will sound and the club manager will intervene. It is not always that the alarm will sound, as it can be turned off at the manager’s discretion. More often, the alarm will sound when a person breathes too loudly, grunts when lifting heavy weights, or drops the weights too hard on the floor.
Why Does Planet Fitness Have a Lunk Alarm
When your target demographic are normal people, you would want them to feel welcome. In an attempt to make most of their clients feel less intimidated, Planet Fitness introduced the Lunk Alarm. While grunting or crashing weights will elicit some dirty looks, the Lunk Alarm will sound in their gym. To make the gym friendly to new gym-goers or novices, hence they try to discourage behaviours that make their clients uncomfortable. What is accepted as a normal practice in regular gyms is being banned at Planet Fitness. The lunk alarm is the gym’s answer to drawing attention to other people’s discomfort. Those who draw attention upon themselves, risk getting thrown out.
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Lunk Alarm Rules in Details
The definition of Lunk is described as a person who draws attention upon themselves, whether intentionally or not. When a manager detects any loud noises, the loud siren will be played and the person who made the noise will be expelled. In keeping with their policy of being a newcomer-friendly gym, Planet Fitness go all the way to prevent uncomfortable situations like grunting, or the sound of heavy weights dropping on the floor, which can intimidate members who are not proficient in weight lifting. When there is a loud grunt or bang, it is usually grounds for eviction, and there are many videos and complaints about how Planet Fitness treats those who lunk.
How Do People Feel About Lunk Alarm
Planet Fitness caters for those who are average in terms of fitness level, or the occasional gym-goer who just wants to be healthy. Hence, the lunk alarm serves to promote a more neutral environment, where people do not feel intimidated by stronger weight lifters. With a target demographic of 80% of the population, which are light to normal weight lifters, Planet Fitness’ lunk alarm works well to create a “Judgement Free Zone”. But for the heavy weight lifters, working out at the gym can mean eviction at any moment, just by breathing heavily.
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The Lunk Alarm creates a lot of contention, but it stays. Planet Fitness may be one of the cheapest fitness centres around, but it aims to please the average Joe or Jane. Body Builders or those who are more serious about their health might be more open to normal gyms, as they are more tolerant towards loud noises and grunting. As Planet Fitness says: you can do your own thing without being judged unless it is making loud noises.
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Over the top. Occasionally someone may clunk a weight by accident. Boom! There goes the lunk siren, ear piercing and abrupt. The sign days you are a lunk if you wear a tank top? Or drink water from a plastic gallon water jug? Playing Planet Fitness cop
Is an insult and demeaning. You have to walk on egg shells at this gym or else get lunked and embarrassed. Who is judging who?
Over the top. Occasionally someone may clunk a weight by accident. Boom! There goes the lunk siren, ear piercing and abrupt. The sign days you are a lunk if you wear a tank top? Or drink water from a plastic gallon water jug? Playing Planet Fitness cop
Is an insult and demeaning. You have to walk on egg shells at this gym or else get lunked and embarrassed. Who is judging who?
Over the top. Occasionally someone may clunk a weight by accident. Boom! There goes the lunk siren, ear piercing and abrupt. The sign days you are a lunk if you wear a tank top? Or drink water from a plastic gallon water jug? Playing Planet Fitness cop
Is an insult and demeaning. You have to walk on egg shells at this gym or else get lunked and embarrassed. Who is judging who?
Over the top. Occasionally someone may clunk a weight by accident. Boom! There goes the lunk siren, ear piercing and abrupt. The sign days you are a lunk if you wear a tank top? Or drink water from a plastic gallon water jug? Playing Planet Fitness cop
Is an insult and demeaning. You have to walk on egg shells at this gym or else get lunked and embarrassed. Who is judging who?
Over the top. Occasionally someone may clunk a weight by accident. Boom! There goes the lunk siren, ear piercing and abrupt. The sign days you are a lunk if you wear a tank top? Or drink water from a plastic gallon water jug? Playing Planet Fitness cop
Is an insult and demeaning. You have to walk on egg shells at this gym or else get lunked and embarrassed. Who is judging who?
Really? Its oVeR tHe tOp for you huh? Because they are trying to make everyone feel welcome? Sounds like your quite the freakin lunk there bub.
And you sound like a 105 lbs pantywaist.
IT IS over the top! Having a welcome feeling in planet fitness is good and all, but when you are trying to get in shape/bodybuild and getting expelled from planet fitness is horrible!
It is most certainly over the top. There are staff for a reason. Most gyms have a sign saying where they can go to issue a complaint about an individual. In which, a staff member will walk over and discuss trying to be a bit quieter. The very idea of you insulting someone for pointing out, which is quite evidently true, that it is over the top is honestly laughable. Think before you touch a keyboard. That goes for those of you insulting this moron for what you believe their build to be. Planet Fitness don’t know how to run a business, they’re an example of how luck alone can carry an industry.
…this is some 1985 stuff. Yeah, no judgement here…unless youre a BIG LOUD CLUMSY LUNK. GET OFF OUR PLANET! We must continue to shield our sensitive self esteems. Insane…that alarms probably going to scare someone into dropping full weights anyhow. Planet Fitness seems to be run by up-tight, condescending mother lunkers.
I think you meant 1984? LOL. I agree with your sentiment though.
Hilarious how the definition includes grunting while lifting OR judging, as if to imply that the two attributes were even remotely related to each other. Studies show grunting improves exertion for some people, and I know of at least one exercise where if you don’t drop the weight you’re doing it wrong. If they want to ban a certain type of workout to make others feel more comfortable and give them their safe space then fine, but they shouldn’t imply that people are “judging” others just by minding their own business and working out a certain way. It’s almost like they’re trying to drum up as much political debate and drama as possible to get more negative publicity.
OK?
Yeah, I’m going above what I’d normally do, and I’m straining myself. Your wimpy ass is probably the last fucking thing on my mind!
These places are run by PC sissies who cater to people that dont actually work out and usually dont even show up. They’re grifters, plain and simple.
I understand the idea of it, but their solution is just completely ridiculous… I have bad anxiety which is part of the reason I struggle to workout. I’m also clumsy sometimes and may drop a weight. If the alarm ever sounded on anything I accidently did I’d quit immediately and cancel my membership. The amount of embarrassment I’d recurve would push me out of any desire I had to work out in general. In fact, just knowing the alarm is there makes me never want to step foot into that gym. It’s not a solution to a judgment-free zone, it CREATES a judgement zone. They really need to rethink this choice.
my testicles weigh 1 pound total. what happens if i sit down and they fall and the lunk alarm confuses them for weights
Im a 300 lbs truck driver trying to lose weight and love al little longer. Im about aps average as it gets, and i grumt and gpadp for air getting off the damn floor. Pushups, situps, squats, more grunting, wheezing and thel sounf of duffering is involved. We haven’t touched weights yet and I’d booted before i got my heart rate up. This stupid safe space crap is going to cost them. Maybe if it costs them enough they will drop the lunk alarm in the nearest dumpster.
Actually made me *look up* where is the nearest planet fitness. I’ve been cyclo-commuting my whole life so I’d generally consider myself healthy. Yet I’d probably feel safer and more welcomed with something like this. Is it over the top? There definitely should be a distinction between accidental and intentional drop.
I’m generally not a fan of gyms as Earth has *plenty* of outdoors to keep fit. But if I’d sign up for a gym, it would be at a planet fitness.
I’m waiting for one to come to my town
I mean, never mind the irony of cultivating ‘non-judgemental environment’ yet judging those who may exert themselves bit…
More control freakism in a world of sheep who cannot get enough control forced on them, apparently. I would find the noise from the alarm and threat of eviction more intimidating than people breathing too heavily, grunting, or unintentionally dropping the occasional weight. Who thinks this kind of idiocy up, the same people that gave us TSA groping and forced masking?
This is a perfect example of social justice warrior hypocrisy. Has anyone ever walked into a Gold’s Gym and seen a definition of Fatass posted with an alarm, that sounds when you have to get off a cardio machine after 5 minutes? I don’t know how this place stays in business because the only people I have seen need their feelings babysat this much definitely don’t have gym memberships.
I’ve been going to PF for a good while and during that time, I have yet to see the staff sound this alarm. I’ve seen people unintentionally drops weights and the staff look just to be sure everyone is okay. But they don’t push this alarm unless it’s absolutely necessary. They aren’t actively trying to get people in trouble or ruin the experience for others. Not all locations are the same. Just like people. Don’t let one bad apple ruin the bunch. I’ll still keep going to PF. A few commentators aren’t going to turn the majority off. PF is great!
I’ve been going to PF for a good while and during that time, I have yet to see the staff sound this alarm. I’ve seen people unintentionally drops weights and the staff look just to be sure everyone is okay. But they don’t push this alarm unless it’s absolutely necessary. They aren’t actively trying to get people in trouble or ruin the experience for others. Not all locations are the same. Just like people. Don’t let one bad apple ruin the bunch. I’ll still keep going to PF. A few commentators aren’t going to turn the majority off. PF is great!
So now Planet Fitness is doing the PC SJW thing and protecting the feelings of snowflakes. Got it.
Apparently this is triggered manually by the staff. So just don’t get caught and felt all over the inadequate who use Planet Fitness, lmao.
This stupid. People are too sensitive
How completely idiotic! I’m a normal person, but I always make noise when doing my weight training. That shouldn’t bother anyone… it’s NORMAL!!! I would never waste my time or give my money to a company like this. What a joke!
While I am not of fan of “show-offs”, how much more can we cater to the “snowflake “ population? This is a ridiculous response, way too judgmental. Again, let’s bring everyone down to a lower level so no one is offended and we champion mediocrity.
Currently at PF due to lack of funds. As an aspiring bodybuilder i will be grunting. If they say shit to me I will tell them to get cancer, prevent them from charging my card and piss in the shower. Not having expert lifters in the gym just meana a lot of newbies will hurt themselves being dumbasses. I am going there now but I have zero tolerance for normie retards bitching at me for actually working out while they sit and text.
Lunk alarm = no judging? I feel like this is a parody. What gym is so toxic that they literally shame and judges people who do hard workouts, as if it’s a good moral thing to do? And since when did grunting equate to shaming others? There is something seriously wrong with the owners of this gym.
What a toxic and judgmental environment. They claim to be for normal people, and not judge their guests; but then judge and punish people for being real body builders. Why not just rename yourself a Women’s gym, or Feminist gym? Cause that’s what this is.
Found so much value from your post! Thank you!!
Little disappointed to see this. No judgment means no judgment. When pushing yourself sometimes you need to grunt otherwise your holding your breath which is dangerous. You wouldn’t tell a 400lb person they can’t wear spandex but a tank top while working out is not acceptable? I assume that applies to women as well? I injured my arm and I will be in pain the entire time I work it out. I can’t make noise if I’m in pain? Please clarify because I was just getting ready to sign up. I’m in no way a meat head but when I do commit to working out I give it my all. If I’m going to be shamed for this or my injury than ill go elsewhere.
I find it hard to buy into any form of public shaming, I was never comfortable when I worked out there because I would die inside if I saw someone go through a public shaming. We started a different gym now.
The Lunk Alarm is judgment to the enth degree. I have worked out in many gyms over the years and I have NEVER seen any sign or notice that judged anyone. Plus I’ve seen all sorts of people in all stages of fitness (extremely fit, painfully skinny and obese) working out side by side and I see them week after week, year after year. Occasionally when some hardcore bodybuilders are working out you’ll hear some grunts, but so what. That’s THEIR workout and it has nothing to do with you. You should mind your own business. If you’re intimidated by it that says more about your own insecurity than the other person’s workout. Let’s not forget that Planet Fitness started their gym with totally judgmental and sexist ads dissing guys in shape. Now they try the unbelievable Judgement Free hogwash while completely still judging any serious bodybuilders, conflating tank tops and grunting with being judgmental. What a crock. This is hypocritical BS and it stinks.
So, let me get this straight…it’s a “judgment-free zone” except when someone drops a weight, drinks from a big bottle, grunts, or does something that other people feel isn’t “normal?” I see, I see. It sounds pretty judgmental to me. Thank God for Workout Anytime—I’d rather go there than deal with the unfit bozos behind the desk at PF.
As someone who has chronic pain and asthma, I literally can’t exercise without grunting and breathing heavily. I thought PF would be a good choice because I’m not in good shape and didn’t want to be surrounded by people who are. Unfortunately, because of my physical health issues, I have been kicked out of PF on two separate occasions, after which I just stopped going. It’s not worth trying to get into shape when I’m constantly being judged for things out of my control–and in the “no judgement zone” no less.