As an ordinary person or a muscle guy, when you go for a gym at Planet Fitness for the first time, you may be confused about why there is a lunk alarm sign on the wall, how it works, and whether will it really goes off.
What Is the Lunk Alarm at Planet Fitness?
According to Planet Fitness, the definition of a lunk is someone who “grunts, dumps weights, or judges.” Lunks make noises like grunting or even dropping weights loudly when bench pressing, lifting weights, or any other exercise.
Lunks are not welcome at Planet Fitness as they will make loud or offensive noises that can intimidate other gym members.
Lunk Alarm is manually triggered by an employee. After activated, it is a loud siren that will go off throughout the facility for about 30s to warn the lunk that such noises and behaviors are not welcome. The Planet Fitness employee will sound the lunk alarm at the front desk when a lunk is identified.
Lunk Alarm Rules and How Does the Lunk Alarm Go Off?
As you can imagine, a loud siren can grab the lunk’s attention, but it can also distract other gym members. So you’re probably wondering if they actually use it.
The answer is yes but happens very rarely. And in most cases, the alarm doesn’t immediately go off even if you’re recognized as a lunk. But if you disobey the rule and make the noises again and again, it will go off.
1. Warning First
When you make noises that interfere with and disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the gym during your workout, the employee will come to you if they think your behavior is not in accordance with the rules of Planet Fitness.
For the first time, they usually give you a warning to remind your behavior before triggering the alarm. They will talk to you that you’re too loud or ask you to be quiet or stop, and refrain from grunting or doing anything else that makes yourself look like a lunk.
2. What Happens If You Set Off The Lunk Alarm
If you don’t follow the employee’s advice and continue to create noises after being given repeated warnings, the employee will have to sound the lunk alarm to draw everyone’s attention to you. Meanwhile, the alarm also alerts the gym manager to approach you.
The alarm sound can be understood as the last warning, and if you continue purposely disrupting others, you’ll be required out of the gym. Furthermore, your gym membership may also be canceled.
Why Does Planet Fitness Have a Lunk Alarm?
It is normal to produce noises during a workout in a gym. Such as breathing loudly during the dumbbell bench press, groaning during lifting a big weight, dropping the weights on the floor, or hitting the weights together.
However, such noises or behaviors are not allowed in Planet Fitness. And Planet Fitness has introduced the lunk alarm since 1998 for the following 6 reasons.
1. Business Model
The lunk alarm is one element in Planet Fitness’s business model.
While most gyms target bodybuilders, Planet Fitness target average person who’re regular in fitness level instead of bodybuilders. For example, beginners, or the occasional gym-goer who just wants to be healthy and stay in shape on machines. Also, Planet Fitness aims for people who are intimidated and don’t like the noise in traditional gyms.
Hence, if your target customers are normal people, you need to make them feel welcome and comfortable in your gym.
Therefore, the purpose of the lunk alarm is to tell customers that you can enjoy your time and will not be influenced by others in Planet Fitness.
2. Keep a Good Fitness Environment
Planet Fitness’ lunk alarm is used to create a “Judgement Free Zone” and establish a friendly environment, especially for beginners and new gym-goers. Members can exercise without fear of judgment or getting “lunked” by others.
You can see signs everywhere to create a “judgment-free” atmosphere and remind you not to drop weights.
As you know, traditional gyms are always intimidating as it is a shared space with many people with different fitness goals. You can hear various sounds like grunting, breathing loudly, and dropping weights forcefully.
Maybe these sounds can help them perform better, but it can be distraced or intimidated for others in the same space.
The Lunk alarm’s objective is to alert the lunk their behaviors if they want to do fitness in Planet Fitness. This can ensure others work out at their own pace.
3. Serves As A Reminder To Potential Lunks
In many cases, the employee tries to avoid using it. The lunk alarm is mostly there for reminder purposes to draw attention to potential lunks to be gentle in their behaviors.
4. Make a Lunk Shame
If finally, a lunk alarm is activated, its loud siren will make everybody throughout the gym know there is the presence of a lunk, which may make your feel shameful.
5. Sound Comparision
If you make a noise that distracts or intimidates other gym members, Planet Fitness will generate a more loud noise via the lunk alarm to distracts or intimidates you.
6. Keep Safety
You’ll easily get yourself or others near you injured if you drop and throw down weights heavily, or bang the stops on the machines hard. You may think such behaviors make yourself look cool and can draw others’ attention.
The lunk alarm will remind you such behaviors are not allowed and your and others’ safety can be ensured as much as possible with a lunk alarm.
Final Thought
Although the lunk alarm at Planet Fitness can help to create a welcoming environment, not everyone loves it. Some people, especially those trying to concentrate on their workout, find the loud alarm bothersome or disruptive.
Planet Fitness is a great place for those who don’t want to judge each other, but how can you stop people from groaning? It’s a natural sound of hard work during exercise.
