Planet Fitness is one of the affordable gym chains catering to a broader audience than would otherwise not afford a gym membership. But, this does not mean the workouts and fitness equipment at Planet Fitness are crap. You can have a really good workout at Planet Fitness. However, you have to know what you are doing and what will help you reach your goals.
What if your goals are improving strength and building muscle mass? Can you deadlift at Planet Fitness? First, let’s see the kind of workouts you can get at most Planet Fitness branches. With the classic membership, going for $10 a month, you should be able to perform these exercises.
- Lunges
- Squats
- Upper body pushing
- Upper body pulling
- Hinges
- Loaded carries
- Some core and accessory muscle workouts
Can You Deadlift at Planet Fitness?
Deadlifting requires different equipment and weights. If you are not familiar with those Lifestyle Reviews are an excellent place to start. What you choose depends on your fitness goals and the strength at hand. So, does Planet Fitness has any free weights for deadlifting? The answer to this is yes and no. This is because the types of weights in Planet Fitness vary from one branch to another.
A typical Planet Fitness will have medicine balls, dumbbells, yoga balls, adjustable weight, and various resistance bands. In simpler terms, the free weights at Planet Fitness are some things that you can pick and use in any workout. When it comes to the machines at Planet Fitness, they have the essential ones for most workouts, including some deadlifting exercises.
You can expect to find these machines in a typical Planet Fitness.
- Ab coaster
- Abdominal crunch
- Back extension
- Cable columns
- Curls
- Chest fly
- Pulldown
- Leg press
- Hip abduction
- Leg extension
- Rear dealt fly
- Seated leg curl
- Shoulder press
- Seated leg press
- Shoulder press
- Treadmills
- Elliptical machines
- Fitness bikes
- Smith machines
How to Deadlift at Planet Fitness
Unfortunately, you cannot perform the standard barbell deadlift at Planet Fitness. But, you can make use of what it provides for basic deadlift workouts. Planet Fitness offers fixed barbells and a smith machine. With these, you could perform smith machine deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts with the free weights provided.
However, you should note that smith machine deadlifts are not the same as a conventional deadlift. One, the angle at which the bar travels is fixed. If your main goal is to build strong legs, that is not a big concern. But, if you are trying to improve your deadlifts, then there are limits to how you progress with that.
If your main aim is to work your hamstrings, you could try some of these exercises:
- Good mornings
- Leg curls
- Seated leg curls
- Staggered stance Romanian deadlifts
The best part, however, is that Planet Fitness has a free weight bench. It has both flat and adjustable weight benches to provide a range of strength training workouts. But, they do not have a traditional bench with a free barbell and weight storage, hence the limitation when it comes to deadlift exercises.
However, this should not prevent you from including some upper body exercises. You can perform any of these:
Push-ups
Dips
Shoulder presses
Dumbbell bench presses
Smith machine bench press
Deadlift Alternatives at Planet Fitness
If your goal is to add lean muscle, you can achieve that without having to deadlift. While Planet Fitness does not have access to free barbells and plates, there are several exercises that you can include in your routine to achieve strength and build muscle. Here are some alternatives to deadlifting that you can do with simple and accessible equipment.
– Dumbbell Deadlift
Planet Fitness provides dumbbells, and these can be an excellent replacement for barbells. The dumbbell deadlift is a simple and easy exercise that works on the same muscle groups as the traditional deadlift. The only limitation is that it has some limitations, such as the dumbbell sizes. But, with a proper form and posture, a dumbbell deadlift can be fruitful.
– One-armed Dumbbell Deadlift
This is a variant of the dumbbell deadlift where you use one arm instead of two. The exercise is relatively simple and can work some muscles well. If you want to get the most out of it, you can add a resistance band to add a little bit of weight when you run out of dumbbell weights. However, you have to master the dumbbell deadlift before you go on one arm.
– Bent-over Rows
This exercise, when done correctly, can be as beneficial as the traditional deadlift. You can use dumbbells of various weights, depending on how comfortable you are. The exercise is pretty simple as long as you have the right form and posture.
– Kettlebell Swing
You can make use of a kettlebell to build muscle and increase strength. Kettlebells are fun, versatile, and can work for the same muscle groups as most traditional deadlifts. It may take longer to see the results, but you can get the most out of a few minutes swinging a kettlebell.
