When it comes to chain gyms, you won’t find many that are as different from each other as Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness. While Gold’s Gym is a place for bodybuilders and people who love lifting weights, Planet Fitness is a gym for people who don’t care about making gains.
So, is Gold’s Gym or Planet Fitness a better gym? Gold’s Gym is better than Planet Fitness because it has a better atmosphere, better equipment, and more amenities and group classes. Planet Fitness is cheaper, has more locations, and has better hours, but you’ll find it difficult to make progress there once you’ve been training for a few months.
When you’re thinking about buying a gym membership, choosing between two gyms that attract very different types of people like Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness may seem easy. But there are still several things you need to consider before you make a final decision.
In this article, I’ll discuss the differences between Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness so you’re better equipped to determine which gym can best help you reach your goals.
Table of Contents
Gold’s Gym Overview
When it first opened in Venice Beach, CA in 1965, Gold’s Gym was nicknamed the mecca of bodybuilding. Since then, it’s been the home of famous bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Dave Draper as well as celebrities and professional athletes.
Gold’s Gym started becoming more of a mainstream gym after it gained popularity when it was featured in the 1977 film Pumping Iron. The film also contributed to the launch of many other chain gyms that modeled themselves after Gold’s Gym.
Gold’s Gym still has a reputation of being a bodybuilding-only gym, but it’s also accepting of people with all kinds of training goals. And even though it caters to a more experienced crowd, beginners and casual gym-goers are welcome at Gold’s Gym as well.
Pros
- 50,000 square foot facilities with a ton of equipment
- Free Wi-Fi
- Qualified personal trainers and motivating group fitness instructors
- Positive, welcoming environment
- Modern amenities, most of which are free for all members
Cons
- Chalk and dropping weights are not allowed
- Not open 24 hours a day
Check out my full review of Gold's Gym here.
Planet Fitness Overview
Since its beginnings, Planet Fitness’s goal has been to provide a welcoming environment where people can improve their health at a low monthly price. It tries to offer a non-intimidating approach to fitness, but it somehow manages to be both laidback and intolerant at the same time.
Planet Fitness is not a gym where you can expect to make a lot of progress, especially if you have strength-based goals. It doesn’t have barbells, squat racks, dumbbells heavier than 50lbs, or other basic pieces of strength equipment. And even if you try to do a squat or deadlift with what little equipment it does have, you may trigger the infamous lunk alarm.
If you’re just looking for a gym where you can do some cardio and lift light weights, there’s nothing wrong with Planet Fitness. But if getting strong and making consistent progress is important to you, there are much better gyms to choose from.
Pros
- Inexpensive membership plans
- Multi-club access for Black Card members
- Free Wi-Fi
- Reebok.com discounts for Black Card members
- Good for beginners or people who easily get intimidated in the gym
Cons
- No barbells, plates, or heavy dumbbells
- No squat racks or deadlift platforms
Check out my full review of Planet Fitness here.
Gold’s Gym vs Planet Fitness: 10 Differences
I tend to be critical of Planet Fitness, but it does have some redeeming qualities that make it a good gym for certain groups of people. But when you compare it to a place like Gold’s Gym that has such a strong history in the fitness world, you’ll see that Planet Fitness is an inferior gym in many ways.
1. Cost
Figuring out your budget is one of the first things you should do when deciding between two gyms. Gym memberships can be very cheap or very expensive, especially when you also factor in taxes, enrollment fees, and annual fees.
Gold’s Gym
Not all Gold’s Gym locations have the same prices and membership options. At most locations, you can pay for a year in full. It costs around $499 plus taxes, which comes out to around $42/month. If you purchase an annual plan and pay monthly, it will cost around $40/month plus an annual fee of $49 and an enrollment fee.
If you prefer to pay month-to-month, you’ll pay $54/month plus taxes. There are no enrollment fees or annual fees with month-to-month plans.
Free trial passes are available if you want to try Gold’s Gym before joining.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has two membership plans:
- Classic, which costs $10/month plus taxes and an enrollment fee that’s often as low as $1
- Black card, which costs $22.99/month plus taxes and doesn’t have an enrollment fee
With both plans, you’ll have to pay an annual fee of $39.
If you prefer to test it out before you buy a membership, you can get a free Planet Fitness day pass.
The Winner
With memberships that start at just $10/month, you can’t beat Planet Fitness’s prices.
2. Contract Length
Month-to-month memberships offer more flexibility since they don’t have an end date, but annual contracts are still worth considering if you don’t mind agreeing to a long-term commitment. Many gyms only offer one type of plan, but some have both.
Gold’s Gym
Gold’s Gym offers both annual and month-to-month contracts.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness’s Classic membership is month-to-month. The Black Card plan is an annual membership.
The Winner
It’s a tie since both gyms offer annual and month-to-month memberships.
3. Equipment
Because every gym caters to a different audience, they all have different types and quantities of equipment. Before settling on a gym, you should take a look at what kind of equipment it has to make sure you’ll be able to do the workouts you enjoy.
Gold’s Gym
With its large facilities, Gold’s Gym has plenty of room for dozens of treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, and step climbers. Most locations also have rowers and arc trainers.
If you don’t enjoy cardio, you’ll find a large selection of resistance machines as well as dumbbells, kettlebells, EZ curl bars, preloaded straight bars, and barbells. A handful of clubs have bumper plates, but most only have iron or rubber-coated plates. There are also several benches and bench press stations.
Gold’s Gym has squat racks and deadlift platforms, but the amount of each varies by location.
Planet Fitness
The majority of the equipment at Planet Fitness comprises cardio machines. It has multiple rows of treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. It also has some weight machines, but there isn’t a large number of them.
Planet Fitness doesn’t have any barbells, plates, squat racks, or deadlift platforms. The dumbbells at most locations only go up to 50lbs, but there are EZ curl bars and preset barbells that go up to 100lbs. There are also a few flat and incline benches.
The Winner
Unless you only do cardio workouts, go with Gold’s Gym. It has a larger selection of weight machines and free weights.
4. Atmosphere
The atmosphere of a gym is an important factor to consider when you’re deciding which one to join. If you choose a gym based on cost or location alone, you may not have a positive experience if you don’t fit its target demographic. And when you’re trying to work out at a gym that’s not supportive of your goals, you’ll feel discouraged and unmotivated.
Gold’s Gym
Many people may find Gold’s Gym intimidating because of its large size and because it caters to more serious gym-goers, but it has a friendly, welcoming culture. Even though the members tend to keep to themselves when they’re working out, they’re polite and courteous. The staff is also amiable and helpful.
Gold’s Gym still has a reputation as being a bodybuilding gym, but it also welcomes people who have different training goals. If you’re a cardio enthusiast, powerlifter, CrossFitter, or you like group fitness, you can do whatever kind of workout you enjoy most without being judged.
Planet Fitness
I’d describe Planet Fitness as a gym for people who work out because they feel like they have to, not because they want to or enjoy doing it. Its low prices attract an audience of non-athletes who want to stay in shape but aren’t interested in heavy lifting or intense workouts.
Planet Fitness has a laidback atmosphere, which is great for beginners or people who get intimidated easily in the gym. But it’s not a place for people who like strength training, high-intensity workouts, or anyone who wants to get as strong as possible.
In fact, if you try to do overhead presses, back squats, deadlifts, a CrossFit WOD, or any other exercise that can intimidate other members, you may trigger the lunk alarm.
The Winner
Gold’s Gym has a more welcoming and accepting environment. I recommend it over Planet Fitness if you’re looking for a gym where you can keep making consistent progress towards your goals.
5. Gym Policies
Every gym has its own rules about how you can train, what you can wear, whether or not you can bring guests, and how to go about canceling your membership. Some gyms are more lenient than others, so you’ll have to make sure the one you want to join doesn’t have any stipulations that can ruin your experience.
Gold’s Gym
Dropping weights is not allowed at Gold’s Gym. Powdered chalk is also not allowed, but you may be able to get away with liquid chalk.
Gold’s Gym doesn’t have a strict dress code. As long as your clothing doesn’t have too many grommets or chains, you can wear any kind of workout apparel. Shoes must be worn at all times.
If you want to bring a guest, you can get one- to seven-day guest passes for family and friends.
Canceling your membership requires 30 days’ notice. You’ll have to submit a written letter in person or via certified mail and pay a cancellation fee of anywhere from $89 to $200. You can also transfer your membership to another person, but it will still cost about $200.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has a good guest policy since Black Card members can bring an unlimited number of guests per month. It also has a decent cancellation policy — month-to-month members can cancel at any time with no cancellation fees while Black Card members have to pay just $58 to cancel early. However, you can only cancel by filling out a form at the front desk.
Using chalk, dropping weights, and grunting are all forbidden. Shorts that are too short and shirts that show off your midriff are also prohibited, and no barefoot lifting is allowed. And as I mentioned earlier, doing certain movements in the gym may also set off the lunk alarm.
The Winner
Even though Gold’s Gym has more expensive cancellation fees, it doesn’t have a strict dress code and it doesn’t ban certain movements. You’ll have a better experience there since you won’t get in trouble unless you do something egregiously wrong.
6. Group Classes
Group class offerings and schedules vary widely by gym. If you like the accountability, structure, and social aspect of group fitness, you’ll need to make sure any classes you’re interested in are available at your gym and are offered at times that work best with your schedule.
Gold’s Gym
The group classes at Gold’s Gym include yoga, HIIT, Zumba, circuit training, kickboxing, boot camp, and more. Class schedules vary by location, but there are almost always classes in the evenings during the week and in the mornings on the weekends.
For an extra $40/month, you can also take Gold’s Fit classes. These classes are similar to CrossFit and incorporate cardio, strength, metabolic conditioning, and functional training.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness doesn’t have group classes, but it has small group training sessions. These sessions are called PE@PF, and Planet Fitness holds them about 10 times per day. They are free for all members.
There are three types of PE@PF classes:
- Orientation sessions teach you how to use different pieces of gym equipment and how to design your own workout program
- Express circuit sessions are ideal for people who don’t have a lot of time and want a quick, full-body workout
- Isolation exercise sessions walk you through specific exercises that target different muscle groups such as chest and biceps or legs and shoulders
The Winner
Gold’s Gym has a larger variety of group classes, so it’s a better choice for anyone who enjoys group fitness.
7. Amenities
Extra amenities have become more common in gyms as they’ve tried to appeal to larger audiences. Amenities also make it easier for you to fit in a workout since you don’t have to find a babysitter or make an extra stop for a post-workout meal when you’re done training.
Not all gyms have the same amenities, though. You’ll have to think about which services you’ll use most often and look for a gym that offers the amenities that are most important to you.
Gold’s Gym
Amenities vary by location, but Gold’s Gym has basketball courts, pools, massage chairs, saunas, smoothie bars, and childcare. There are also showers and locker rooms.
Gold’s Gym has recently started removing tanning booths from its locations, but some clubs still have them.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness doesn’t have basketball courts, pools, saunas, or childcare. However, it does have massage chairs, tanning booths, smoothie bars, and red light therapy. All members also have access to the showers and locker rooms.
The Winner
If you like to play other sports, enjoy sitting in a sauna after your workout, or need childcare, go with Gold’s Gym.
8. Personal Training
Personal trainers are valuable tools for people who are recovering from injuries, need help training for a specific goal, or are trying to break through a plateau. But they aren’t cheap, and not all of them can get you the results you want.
As such, if you’re interested in personal training, you should check the qualifications of the trainers at your gym and make sure you can fit an expensive personal training package into your budget.
Gold’s Gym
The personal trainers at Gold’s Gym must have certifications from accredited institutions such as NASM, ACE, or ISSA. Some of them have advanced degrees and nutrition certifications, but it’s not required.
A 50-minute personal training session at Gold’s Gym costs anywhere from $60 to $100. The price is determined by where you live and how experienced your trainer is.
Planet Fitness
The personal trainers at Planet Fitness have to be certified like trainers at any other gym, but they operate in a different way. They can give you a customized training plan if you ask for it, and they lead the PE@PF classes, but they won’t guide you through your workouts and give you one-on-one attention.
Consultations with personal trainers and the PE@PF classes are free for all members.
The Winner
For truly one-on-one personal training, I recommend Gold’s Gym over Planet Fitness. The Gold’s Gym trainers will give you more individual attention and can better help you reach your goals.
9. Locations
Joining a chain gym with a lot of locations makes it easier for you to stick to your routine because you won’t have to commute a long distance to get there.
Many gyms also have reciprocity arrangements so you’re not just limited to your home club. In many cases, if you’re traveling or just want to try a different location, you can use your membership to visit other nearby clubs.
Gold’s Gym
There are about 700 Gold’s Gym locations worldwide, and about a third of them are in the US. But not all clubs accept members from other locations. Depending on where you live, you may only be able to visit other locations within your state or within a certain mile radius of the location where you signed up.
If you’re traveling, you can let the staff know ahead of time and ask about getting a travel pass. The travel passes last for 14 days. Not all locations take them, but it’s still worth asking if you want to visit a different Gold’s Gym while you’re away.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has over 2,000 locations in the US, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. If you have a Black Card membership, you can visit any location.
The Winner
Planet Fitness has three times the number of locations that Gold’s Gym has. It also has better reciprocity rules, so it’s a better choice if you travel a lot or want a gym where you can get multi-club access.
10. Hours of Operation
A gym with flexible hours is a necessity for people with busy schedules. Fortunately, many gyms are open early in the morning until late at night, and some are even open 24 hours a day.
Gold’s Gym
Hours vary by location, but most Gold’s Gym clubs are open from 5 AM to 11 PM during the week and 7 AM until 7 PM on the weekends. Some are open at 4:30 AM, and others close at 9 PM.
Planet Fitness
The majority of Planet Fitness locations are accessible 24/7, but even the ones that aren’t are open as early as 5 AM and as late as midnight.
The Winner
If you’re only able to work out after 11 PM or earlier than 5 AM, go with Planet Fitness since you can get 24/7 access to most locations.
Who Is Gold’s Gym For?
Gold’s Gym is a good gym for:
- Bodybuilders
- Powerlifters (if you don’t mind not using chalk)
- Anyone who’s been lifting weights for at least six months
- People who want access to amenities such as pools, basketball courts, and childcare
- People who like taking group classes
Who Is Planet Fitness For?
Planet Fitness is a good gym for:
- Beginners
- People who don’t like lifting heavy
- Anyone who’s on a budget
- People who don’t need childcare
- People who want to be able to use their gym memberships at other locations
Other Gym Comparisons With Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness
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- Gold’s Gym vs LA Fitness
- Gold’s Gym vs Life Time Fitness
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- Gold’s Gym vs 24 Hour Fitness
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- Workout Anytime vs Planet Fitness
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- Fit4Less vs Planet Fitness
- Anytime Fitness vs Planet Fitness
- YMCA vs Planet Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs Youfit
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About The Author
Amanda is a writer and editor in the fitness and nutrition industries. Growing up in a family that loved sports, she learned the importance of staying active from a young age. She started CrossFit in 2015, which led to her interest in powerlifting and weightlifting. She's passionate about helping women overcome their fear of lifting weights and teaching them how to fuel their bodies properly. When she's not training in her garage gym or working, you can find her drinking coffee, walking her dog, or indulging in one too many pieces of chocolate.