From the Brickyard | Subject: Stimulating gains at the purple and yellow sanctuary
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Planet Fitness isn’t a hardcore iron dungeon.
But if you think you can’t build real muscle there, you’re dead wrong.
Yeah, they’ve caught heat—lunk alarms, “no judgment” rules that judged effort, and a vibe that screamed more mall than temple. Fair enough. But things are shifting. Better machines. A more serious crowd. Some gyms even have racks now. And if you walk in with the right mindset? You can get real work done.
Let’s set the record straight: Muscle doesn’t care if it’s forged under a rusty barbell or a shiny chrome machine. It only cares about one thing: tension applied with effort, consistently, over time.
That means:
- Training close to failure
- Controlling the tempo, driving full range of motion, and using proper form
- Resting enough between sets to bring the hammer each round
- Showing up without excuses
Planet Fitness allows you to check all those boxes. Good machines, cables, and Smith racks—tools that, if used right, light muscle fibers on fire.
The extras? Open long hours (some 24/7), clean floors, cardio for days, locations everywhere. It’s a purple and yellow training ground where a Musclebuilder can get locked in.
Are there cons? Hell yeah:
- The crowd? Not all serious.
- The vibe? Bright. Mall-like.
- The timing? January turns it into a zoo.
But the Musclebuilder doesn’t fold at obstacles. He adapts. He finds the quiet corners, dials the program, and keeps building.
I’m a Planet Fitness member. A proud one at that. Not because it’s hardcore—but because I know how to make any place work for me. The Planet has more than enough to get the job done.
Sample PF chest/triceps training session:
- Chest Press Machine – 6×10 (near failure) – 60 seconds rest between sets
- Cable chest fly or chest fly machine – 6×10 (near failure) – 60 seconds rest between sets
- Dumbbell overhead triceps extension – 3×10 (near failure) – 60 seconds rest between sets
- Cable rope press-down – 3×10 (near failure) – 60 seconds rest between sets
- Finish off with 6x30s (6 rounds of 30 seconds each) rower or elliptical sprints.
That’s beast mode growth stimulation right there, brother.
In the end?
It’s not about where you train.
It’s about how you train.
The Musclebuilder doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. He takes the tools at hand, locks in, and grows.
Brick by brick.
-Brickwall