If you are a member or plan to be one soon, what club do you choose?
POLL Fitness Club Membership
- Thread starter Lawrence
- Start date
Anytime Fitness was Diane's and my choice when we lived and worked on the road as expediters. The reasons were: (1) Anytime Fitness has more locations than any other gym brand. (2) They had PRIVATE showers, (3) They were available 24 hours a day with our key, and (4) straight-truck parking was possible at or near most locations. It also helped that the gyms were clean and pleasant to use.
As we got to know the gyms (did not take long), we spent more layover time at them than at truck stops. With the gyms located in retail areas, it was common to take care of truck resupply, recreation (bookstore, movies) and we'd workout and shower three days in a row on a Fri-Sun layover.
When we started using these gyms, Anytime Fitness had about 1,800 locations in North America. There are 2,258 today. The company is 13 years old and now opens about one new gym a day somewhere in the world, and that rate is increasing. There are over 3,000 Anytime Fitness gyms worldwide and the 4,000 milestone is in sight. In other words, the Anytime Fitness concept is popular and becoming more so.
The fitness progress we made in the gyms, the pleasant workout experiences they provided and what we learned about the Anytime Fitness franchise by talking to a number of gym owners led us to a career-change decision. After a great 10-year run, we decided to exit expediting and become Anytime Fitness franchisees. We now own and operate Anytime Fitness Port Orange, FL and own the rights to build a second gym in the next town south, New Smyrna Beach.
Knowing life on the the road as we do, we especially enjoy serving truckers. It's fun when they come in to work out because visiting with them brings back our memories of the road and the business.
Whether you are an Anytime Fitness member or not, there is something we'd like to do for our expediter friends. If you happen to be in our area (Port Orange, FL, I-95, Exit 256, just south of Daytona Beach), make an appointment and Diane and I will give you (both of you for teams) a free hour with one of our personal fitness trainers and a free workout routine that is custom designed for your use on the road. (As it happens, one of our trainers -- a 20-year fitness professional -- is herself a former expediter, having run with Panther for a time).
You will sign a liability waiver and complete a short survey that will guide the conversation you and the trainer have. Based on what is learned, the trainer will develop a unique, safe and effective exercise routine especially for you. He or she will then take you into the gym to show you how to do the exercises. You will receive a printout of the exercises to take with you when you leave.
We charge $75 per hour for trainer time in our club, but because there is a special place in our hearts for expediters, and because we know how challenging it can be to stay fit on the road, we are offering this to EO members absolutely free. Advance notice is required. Please call ahead to arrange your appointment.
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Nice deal. Thanks.
bubblehead
Veteran Expediter
That is a great way to introduce drivers to a healthier opportunity. Were you able to resolve the truck parking issues at your location? If not is there a nearby area to park and walk?
Port Orange FL is an anti-truck city. It is rare to see a truck parked anywhere in town overnight because the regs are enforced. It sometimes happens that a bobtail or straight truck will park in our lot for a few hours during the day without a problem but I would not recommend parking overnight. The city cops are likely to act. Unlike many malls, there is no good space behind our mall to park a truck and maintain a low profile. Even if there was, it would not be wise to park there overnight.
Port Orange is known as "picky." Where a nearby town may have only three or four cops on duty overnight, Port Orange may have a dozen. They go after parked trucks. They go after people sleeping in cars. They go after cars with headlights out. They pull people over for speeding a little and other minor violations. No fun for some people but the flip side is the third-lowest crime rate in the state.
There is a private pay-to-park truck parking lot a few miles away. Most of our trucker visitors are Port Orange residents who park their trucks there when they are home. Otherwise the Love's Truck Stop (I-95 Exit 273) is the closest truck stop. Taxi service is available in the area. The Love's shares a parking lot with a large Harley Davidson dealer where Harley's can be rented.
wvcourier
Expert Expediter
I have memberships to both Planet Fitness and Anytime fitness, with most Planet Fitness being open 24/7 these days, and with so many new locations, and with alot more equipment and space, even at peak hours you still have room to workout compared to peak hours at Anytime fitness, where you cant breathe and the locals are wondering who you are ,and why your taking up their gym space. the only advantage of Anytime is the Private showers, showers at most Planet Fitness are terrible.
I'm curious to learn more about your Anytime Fitness experience. It almost never happens that people wait for equipment in our Anytime Fitness club. What do you mean by "can't breathe?" Can you say more about the locals wondering who you are? Is this something that happened in one club or in all clubs you visit?
On a given day, five to 15 percent of our gym users are guests from other Anytime Fitness clubs. Yesterday we had 11 such users. They come in and use the gym like anyone else. New faces like these are a common sight every day and no one takes special notice (though our staff makes it a point to greet and welcome them -- we can see on the computer screen who is from where). When a visitor comes in, he or she has no way of knowing who the locals and visitors are, unless they strike up a conversation.
While many of our "locals" know each other, they see new faces in the gym every day; some are new members, some are visiting members, some are guests of existing members, some are people who are trying the gym for free for one week, some are non-Anytime Fitness members from out of town who purchase a one-day or one-week pass to use the gym. It is common to see new people in the gym. While we had 11 key-carrying visitors from other towns and states yesterday, there were probably 25 or more new faces in the gym.
I'm especially interested to learn more about your experience because if something is going on where you "can't breathe," maybe something can be communicated or adjusted to make your experience more pleasant. Can you tell us more?
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wvcourier
Expert Expediter
Just meant that compared to Planet Fitness it can seem very clausterphobic, especially during peak hours.
We have a Planet Fitness down the road from us and it is a worthy choice for many people. When we meet people who put price above everything else in making a gym choice, we send them to Planet. We also have a number of people coming from Planet to join us because they like better what we offer.
Price is part of the conversation. Value is the other part. In other words, what are you getting for the money you spend for a gym membership?
For expediters on the road, an important consideration is the number of locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Which is better, pay less per month for a gym you cannot often use, or pay more for a gym that is more-often available? (Planet topped 1,000 locations in July, 2015. Anytime has 2,270.)
Another important expediter consideration is the shower experience.
Which is better, private showers (Anytime) or larger locker rooms used by multiple people (Planet)?
Truck parking is also important. I believe it is equally available at most locations of both brands. Having a larger footprint that serves thousands of members instead of hundreds, Planet parking is likely easier for big rigs (where allowed). Anytime clubs are usually located in strip malls.
Also I have used the little fitness center in some of the TA truck stops. Pretty bare bones bit you can at least get a little exercise if,the weather is bad. On nice days if stuck at a truck stop I have my little workout gear I keep in the truck. I get,some funny looks sometimes working,out,behind my truck. But it Beats just sitting around,complaining.
jaxonviking
Expert Expediter
I'm paying just $20 a month for "Black Card" @ Planet Fitness. There's a lot of these opening up around the country -- even in little towns like Kokomo, IN and Findley, OH. I've had some luck overnighting at these around Detroit -- noisy in parking lot, but there's always people around and never got hassled. If cops ever knock on the door, I'm getting ready for my workout!
Showers range in quality, but usually good and no waiting around. Great place to catch up on TV news and sports coverage as there are usually banks of TVs hanging in front of the treadmills. Black Card membership gets you rights to any club in the country + hydro massage (when available).
Showers range in quality, but usually good and no waiting around. Great place to catch up on TV news and sports coverage as there are usually banks of TVs hanging in front of the treadmills. Black Card membership gets you rights to any club in the country + hydro massage (when available).
This thread's a year old but for me it starts this January, 2017.
I have just finished putting my first 1K miles on my new Transit T350 9500# and realized driving it home how important it shall be to stay conscious of the new habits I shall be finding myself ruled by in a month or so.
Already, before I even start, I am 20+ lbs behind the scale and I know that it moves up faster than I do. It's rip-roaring, ready to climb to greater heights far faster than me, everyday.
Over the next months, I shall be prototyping living, travelling, converting my van for life on the road. I did this in my little Jeep which I converted into a sleep rig to try it out before I invested in a van. Loved it. Now I have the brand new van... sweet...
I joined Anytime Fitness before I went on the road. No regrets. But did find I didn't need it as often as I thought I would. Found that many friends and family satisfied most of my needs for shower and parking. Also, I wanted to try on this truck stop thing and see what the food, showers, convenience aspects of them were like. Safety has been my greatest priority.
I shall be buying back into the Anytime Fitness again. My experience was that they all were clean, many brand new, the private showers major plus point, and parking always easy. The brand is good for travellers, the owners themselves were very good, some a little to parochial, but I think the few I did bump into that were that way because they were new. Trying to put myself in their shoes, I thought that if I had a bunch of bucks spread out to get used by the public, I would probably be pretty guarded at the beginning too. Oh well.... I was off within hours anyway, they shall live and die by how folks like me talk about them.
Much of my decision process, for buying this particular van, was based upon what I have learned on this forum, Sprinter Forum and the Transit Forums. Stealth has been perhaps the most primary of motivations. Sleeping at Anytime Fitness really pushed that point home as I sat in their lots and gauged my safety, harassment quotient for that night.
I shall soon learn if my choice of white, and naming my van Beluga (the big white whale, T350 HR EL), works out like I hope it will. I spent a few over nights at Anytime Fitness without any hassles. No red flags that little Jeep of mine. Beluga? Might be a little different experience. I hope not, she is as generic as they come, on purpose. HR - EL, not so much.
I shall be investing in more than one club strictly for shower/exercise accessibility. Planet or Gold's plus Anytime Fitness again.
Can't tell how to participate in the pol at the beginning of this thread, newbie, me. But it would be very interesting to me to see what the results are like, a year after it was started.
Last note. I do not know this, but I am thinking Planet is going to be less likely to get hassled overnight wise, because Anytime Fitness does seem to have the "upper crust" sales point about them, therefore, my contention is that their parking lots are often in locations to support the branding/sales pitch. Planet/Golds seem to be located in much denser, greater trafficked, and generally noisier environments; thus, a cop's suspicious threshold is not set up to be as hair triggered with a van sitting for a long period of time. "Beluga", blend in please....
I have just finished putting my first 1K miles on my new Transit T350 9500# and realized driving it home how important it shall be to stay conscious of the new habits I shall be finding myself ruled by in a month or so.
Already, before I even start, I am 20+ lbs behind the scale and I know that it moves up faster than I do. It's rip-roaring, ready to climb to greater heights far faster than me, everyday.
Over the next months, I shall be prototyping living, travelling, converting my van for life on the road. I did this in my little Jeep which I converted into a sleep rig to try it out before I invested in a van. Loved it. Now I have the brand new van... sweet...
I joined Anytime Fitness before I went on the road. No regrets. But did find I didn't need it as often as I thought I would. Found that many friends and family satisfied most of my needs for shower and parking. Also, I wanted to try on this truck stop thing and see what the food, showers, convenience aspects of them were like. Safety has been my greatest priority.
I shall be buying back into the Anytime Fitness again. My experience was that they all were clean, many brand new, the private showers major plus point, and parking always easy. The brand is good for travellers, the owners themselves were very good, some a little to parochial, but I think the few I did bump into that were that way because they were new. Trying to put myself in their shoes, I thought that if I had a bunch of bucks spread out to get used by the public, I would probably be pretty guarded at the beginning too. Oh well.... I was off within hours anyway, they shall live and die by how folks like me talk about them.
Much of my decision process, for buying this particular van, was based upon what I have learned on this forum, Sprinter Forum and the Transit Forums. Stealth has been perhaps the most primary of motivations. Sleeping at Anytime Fitness really pushed that point home as I sat in their lots and gauged my safety, harassment quotient for that night.
I shall soon learn if my choice of white, and naming my van Beluga (the big white whale, T350 HR EL), works out like I hope it will. I spent a few over nights at Anytime Fitness without any hassles. No red flags that little Jeep of mine. Beluga? Might be a little different experience. I hope not, she is as generic as they come, on purpose. HR - EL, not so much.
I shall be investing in more than one club strictly for shower/exercise accessibility. Planet or Gold's plus Anytime Fitness again.
Can't tell how to participate in the pol at the beginning of this thread, newbie, me. But it would be very interesting to me to see what the results are like, a year after it was started.
Last note. I do not know this, but I am thinking Planet is going to be less likely to get hassled overnight wise, because Anytime Fitness does seem to have the "upper crust" sales point about them, therefore, my contention is that their parking lots are often in locations to support the branding/sales pitch. Planet/Golds seem to be located in much denser, greater trafficked, and generally noisier environments; thus, a cop's suspicious threshold is not set up to be as hair triggered with a van sitting for a long period of time. "Beluga", blend in please....
jaxonviking
Expert Expediter
I've never gotten grief parking at PF. Noise is the biggest factor. People pull in at 5AM with stereo thumping. Not that truck stops are necessarily quiet every time either.
Coverage with PF is excellent nationwide. Went to Tuscaloosa, AL last week and it wasn't a problem finding a gym. Was able to catch the Packers-Cowboys game at one in Birmingham. Did a really long run to California in 2015 and worked out/showered in Sparks, NV before crossing the mountains.
I try to hit the gym 2-3 times a week. Keeps my back from seizing up. All that sitting while driving can take a toll.
Coverage with PF is excellent nationwide. Went to Tuscaloosa, AL last week and it wasn't a problem finding a gym. Was able to catch the Packers-Cowboys game at one in Birmingham. Did a really long run to California in 2015 and worked out/showered in Sparks, NV before crossing the mountains.
I try to hit the gym 2-3 times a week. Keeps my back from seizing up. All that sitting while driving can take a toll.
For about 4 years, when I was based in Memphis TN. I was with Life Time Fitness, it was kind of expensive compared with others. But, I wanted the center with the swimming pool and open 24 hours. It worked out great for me, an out and back expediter. Now I'm based in my home town and chose the LA Fitness for the same reasons, but it's not 24 hours.
My plan was to go to the center 3-4 times a week. In Memphis, my average attendance came out to about 1.5 times a week. Now, here at the homebase gym, I sat out the same goal of 3-4 times a week So far, the average of the attendance has been 1.5 times every 2 weeks. Lol....
I read the research somewhere that when you ate more chocolate, it's reduces the procastination and motivates you to go to the gym. Time to stock up the chocolate in my van. LOL....
My plan was to go to the center 3-4 times a week. In Memphis, my average attendance came out to about 1.5 times a week. Now, here at the homebase gym, I sat out the same goal of 3-4 times a week So far, the average of the attendance has been 1.5 times every 2 weeks. Lol....
I read the research somewhere that when you ate more chocolate, it's reduces the procastination and motivates you to go to the gym. Time to stock up the chocolate in my van. LOL....