Planet Fitness

The Ramzev

Chapter Presidents
Jun 14, 2010
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Milford, DE
This is new to me. I’ve been running BF since 2009, I’ve never had the need to join a gym. Training for Boston created the need for me to join a gym. We have a planet fitness in my town so I joined up.
I went in for the first time this evening and after about 39 minutes in the treadmill wearing socks a trainer told me I had to have closed toed shoes.
The policy says “open toed shoes or sandals pose a safety hazard” but nothing about shoes.
Anyone else run into this at PF? If so, we’re you able to get around it somehow?
Cheers!


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What’s that old Marine motto?: It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
 
What’s that old Marine motto?: It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
For some things, yes. For things where my money is involved (like monthly dues that are non-refundable if *I* violate the terms of service), I much prefer to ask first. The level of resistance and/or cooperation helps give me a better picture of what I can expect going forward.
 
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About 15 years ago I got permission from our local YMCA director to work out barefoot. (It may have helped that he was originally from South Africa and was aware of Zola Budd). The problem was they had a pretty high turnover rate of employees. Every time they got a new instructor or attendant they would give me the "you have to wear shoes" speech, and I would have to explain that I had permission from the director, and they would have to go to the office and verify it. It got to be annoying after a while so I cancelled my membership after about 3 years.
 
About 15 years ago I got permission from our local YMCA director to work out barefoot. (It may have helped that he was originally from South Africa and was aware of Zola Budd). The problem was they had a pretty high turnover rate of employees. Every time they got a new instructor or attendant they would give me the "you have to wear shoes" speech, and I would have to explain that I had permission from the director, and they would have to go to the office and verify it. It got to be annoying after a while so I cancelled my membership after about 3 years.
Maybe a letter from the director that you could have carried would have helped...in hindsight. :)
 
Maybe a letter from the director that you could have carried would have helped...in hindsight. :)
Funny you should mention that - just got exactly this from the wellness director at the local YMCA my wife and I just joined

Reached out, had a quick discussion, and she sent me an email with the statement that she's authorizing my running on the track barefoot. So yes, I got that in writing :)

Seems she's a proponent of barefoot/minimalist footwear, so it was a pretty short discussion. :cool:
 
Funny you should mention that - just got exactly this from the wellness director at the local YMCA my wife and I just joined

Reached out, had a quick discussion, and she sent me an email with the statement that she's authorizing my running on the track barefoot. So yes, I got that in writing :)

Seems she's a proponent of barefoot/minimalist footwear, so it was a pretty short discussion. :cool:
Awesome!
 
This is new to me. I’ve been running BF since 2009, I’ve never had the need to join a gym. Training for Boston created the need for me to join a gym. We have a planet fitness in my town so I joined up.
I went in for the first time this evening and after about 39 minutes in the treadmill wearing socks a trainer told me I had to have closed toed shoes.
The policy says “open toed shoes or sandals pose a safety hazard” but nothing about shoes.
Anyone else run into this at PF? If so, we’re you able to get around it somehow?
Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After my recent (positive) experience at my local YMCA, I would suggest taking a moment and speaking directly with the manager (not any of the trainers) about using the treadmills barefoot.

The first place I went to was ok with it ONLY on the treadmills (needed to wear shoes everywhere else in the facility, including to/from the treadmills). If they're ok with it, ask them to let their staff know, and if you they could send you a quick email letting you know it's ok, in case there's any issues with new staff, etc in the future.
 
At the gym I used to go to in Rehoboth near the Walmart, I ran barefoot on the treadmill without any issues. In the weight area, I would wear shoes.

In hotels I take the forgiveness over permission route and only once had another guest complain. I had been staying at the hotel every week for several months at that point and the employees knew me so they told the guest it was ok and that I run barefoot outside all the time. They told me about it later.
 
At the gym I used to go to in Rehoboth near the Walmart, I ran barefoot on the treadmill without any issues. In the weight area, I would wear shoes.

In hotels I take the forgiveness over permission route and only once had another guest complain. I had been staying at the hotel every week for several months at that point and the employees knew me so they told the guest it was ok and that I run barefoot outside all the time. They told me about it later.

What gets me is that people think it's unhygienic to run on the treadmill barefoot...like you could somehow infect them when they run on the same treadmill with their shoes on. Are they saying they're concerned for the next barefoot runner who comes along and runs on that particular treadmill? Nonsense. What's the chances that another barefoot runner just happens to show up at the same gym to run on that treadmill barefoot? Barefoot runners are too few and far between. Ha!

But somehow if there were treadmills at the beaches, no one would think anything of someone running barefoot on one...because they are used to seeing people being barefoot at the beach. But go anywhere away from water, and oh no, the sky is falling!
 
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I work in a gym that has a requirement for shoes posted but it's only enforced in certain areas. On cardio equipment, including treadmills, we require closed shoes but sandaled participants will probably not be accosted. In the free weight area, I doubt anyone would say much about bare feet. Shoes are required on the basketball and racquetball courts, except when they're not. Barefoot participants in exercise classes on the very same court surfaces are common. Very hit and miss and no real explanation for why. Bare feet are not an uncommon sight. I walk in barefoot every day but put shoes on for my shift. At another of our facilities, bare feet are not tolerated except on the pool decks. Why the difference? I can't explain except that the barefoot intolerant facility is mostly tennis and bare feet on green clay is a mess.
 
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