Why St. Louisans Should Check out Planet Fitness Fenton, MO
Many Planet Fitness members in the greater Saint Louis (STL), Missouri (MO) area have decided to make the Fenton club their home gym for various reasons. Fentonians no longer need to choose between a longer drive to the Festus or South County gyms, the Planet Fitness gyms nearest Fenton, MO. Exercisers from competitor gyms have transferred for the lower price point and better access to the gym. Many just feel more comfortable at the home of the judgment free zone compared to other bodybuilder-oriented gyms and "boxes." Below are a few reasons you might want to join Planet Fitness Fenton, MO.
Reminder: this blog post is about Planet Fitness Fenton, MO, not Planet Fitness Fenton, Michigan (MI).
Power Racks and Deadlift Platforms
Here, you're not bound to the smith machine with slightly thicker bars compared to average Olympic barbells. At this Planet Fitness you can do barbell exercises with more than the fixed-weight 60 pound barbells including:
- Barbell bench press
- Barbell deadlift
- Barbell squat
- Barbell press
- Barbell row
- Barbell olympic lifts
Many St Louisans, and a few Illinois residents, work toward their power lifting and other strength training goals here. As far as I know, this is the only Planet Fitness in the greater Saint Louis area with this perk.
Fenton Planet Fitness has a Personal Trainer
Planet Fitness personal trainer availability varies per club. This PF club has a trainer available for free in-club fitness training on weekdays, mostly afternoon to evening. A few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Planet Fitness trainers and the Physical Education at Planet Fitness (PE@PF) program:
Does Planet Fitness have a personal trainer everywhere? I don't know. In Fenton, Missouri, yes, there is a personal trainer at Planet Fitness.
How to get a trainer at Planet Fitness? You must be a member at a club with a fitness trainer. You may have to call around to figure out which gyms have one.
How much is a personal trainer at Planet Fitness? Personal training is free for every Classic and Black Card member. Guests must be accompanied by their host member.
Does Planet Fitness have a registered dietitian (RD) or nutritionist? No, unless the personal trainer on staff states otherwise. I recommend asking your doctor for advice on seeking a registered dietitian as they're better regulated than nutritionists.
How to Enroll in a Planet Fitness Personal Training Session
How to get a personal trainer at Planet Fitness? If there's a Planet Fitness trainer staffed at your club, there are multiple options to sign up for a session:
- Via the Planet Fitness smartphone app.
- Talk to the trainer when they're not with a client.
- Ask your local club for assistance.
The Planet Fitness app for Android and Apple devices also includes free access to workouts you can do at home. You'll only need to create an account on the PF app. To enroll in a training session via the Planet Fitness smartphone app:
- Install the Planet Fitness app.
- At the bottom center of the screen, select "Workouts."
- Near the bottom of the next page, "Schedule a class."
- Select the session (or time-frame) that best suits your needs.
- At the scheduled time, gather at the gym's PE@PF rally-point (if applicable) or ask the front desk for next steps.
Slam Balls and No Lunk Alarm
Medicine balls can bounce excessively and break upon high impact or over time from slams. Both cases can lead to serious injury. Slam exercises are loud, likely triggering the lunk alarm.
None of those are an issue at the Fenton PF club. There are four 12-pound slam balls with each FITBENCH ONE NXT GEN in the functional training area for vertical slams, chest passes, and other slam ball exercises. Again, there's no lunk alarm. In the words of one of the Planet Fitness managers, "slam them."
Plate-Loaded Exercise Equipment for Heavier Lifts
During late 2024 many STL PF clubs received a plate-loaded bench press, seated calf raise, and hack squat machine. Fenton Planet Fitness has an entire row with additional plate-loaded exercise machines:
- 2 lat pull-downs, one neutral-grip and one underhand
- Lat row allowing up to 225 pounds per side
- T-bar row - doubles as a landmine bar
- Shoulder press
- Bent-over single-leg hamstring curl - good for correcting muscle imbalances
- Ground base platform for deadlift variations, bulgarian squats, shrugs, and rows
- Assisted nordic curl (imagine a hamstring curl where you move everything except your lower leg)
- Glute Drive (hip thrust) for those wanting to target their glutes comfortably
- Belt squat / weighted dip machine
- V-squat - a recommended alternative for anyone uncomfortable with barbell squats
Air Bikes and Immersive Upright Bikes
This fitness center has four (4) air bikes, two each from Primal and Hammer Strength. Air bikes are excellent for high-intensity interval training (HIIT). I prefer short (less than 10 minutes) air bike HIIT workouts over low-intensity cardio options (treadmill, elliptical, etc.) for heart health. For weight loss you must factor in diet, basal metabolic rate (BMR), sleep, and other things outside the gym.
My favorite air bike workout: 10-20 rounds of 20 seconds of high effort with 10 seconds of rest between each round. The workout takes less than ten minutes, and that's all you'll need to feel it. I do this immediately after leg workouts.
CryoLounge Dry Hot/Cold Therapy
Many Planet Fitness members reward themselves after a good workout with a HydroMassage bed or deep tissue massage chair session. This club also has a CryoLounge chair. It applies cold or heat across five sections of the body and an auxiliary pad you can wrap around a trouble joint, lower leg compression, and a limited amount of temperature changes, all decided by you. This is a dry treatment. There are no ice packs, cold water tubs, or liquids involved, excluding your sweat. Just remember to be courteous to others and wipe down the CryoLounge chair when you're done. Staph infections are not fun.
Green Exercise Options Nearby
Prefer to run or do other exercises outside? Fenton city parks are a five minute drive north. There are fields and courts for basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis. There are plenty of walking and running trails in Fenton City Park. Among all that is a lot of greenery for picnics, yoga, group exercise, and other green exercise. To find the best area for your goals, check out the official Fenton city park map.
Useful Things to Know about Planet Fitness Fenton, MO
The Fenton Planet Fitness gym is located at 687 Gravois Bluffs Blvd, Fenton, MO 63026. It shares a large parking lot with At Home and Walmart. Its on the opposite side of Highway 141 from Lowe's.
Planet Fitness Fenton hours: 24/7 excluding certain holidays. To ensure its open around holidays, call first or check the Facebook page: Planet Fitness | Fenton MO.
How much does it cost to join Planet Fitness? It changes sometimes but Planet Fitness pricing plans are usually between $15 and $25 monthly.
Is Planet Fitness free for high school students? Yes, the Planet Fitness high school summer pass allows high schoolers access during the summer break.
Planet Fitness Fenton busy hours? On weekdays, its busiest between 4-8 PM.
Who are the gym members? Everyone from teens to senior citizens training for various goals - strength, mass, endurance, better quality of life (QOL), post-rehabilitation, etc. Many regulars have connected since the gym's opening, slowing building a strong community of Fenton exercisers.
Planet Fitness Fenton MO opening date: late November, 2024.
What are the best Planet Fitness locations in STL? This is too generic a question as the answer depends on your goals. To answer this, you must know your priority.
Is Planet Fitness black owned? No. Planet Fitness, Inc. is publicly traded (NYSE: PLNT) and its current CEO is Colleen Keating. I didn't see any Planet Fitness franchisee directories. Somewhat related, this club is nowhere near my favorite Black-owned restaurants in St. Louis.
- Access to free weight barbells: Planet Fitness Fenton, MO.
- Distance: refer to the map. How many Planet Fitness gyms are in the greater St Louis? A lot. Check the official list of Planet Fitness gyms in Missouri.
- Space for group mat Pilates and similar mat work: Almost every Planet Fitness STL, MO gym except Fenton and Shrewsberry. Planet Fitness O'Fallon MO is surely one of the most spacious with its 2-floor setup.
- Best for plyometric exercises: Every STL PF gym has a Synergy 360, or "jungle gym," with a platform for step-ups, box jumps, depth jumps, etc.
- Best for pull-ups: Its standard for PF to have a Synergy 360, assisted dip and pull-up machine, cable machine with pull-up handles, and TRX station with pull-up bars. All three Fenton PF power racks have pull-up handles.
What do you call a resident of Saint Louis? The "interwebs" say "St Louisan." Working class citizens may say "tax over-payer." Some life-long residents say "miserable."
If you have further questions about personal training, contact me from my personal trainer portfolio.
