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Kristian Bautista

Prof. Granillo

English-103

November 25, 2018

Planet Fitness: The Gateway Gym
Yellow, Purple, and Gray – based on their meanings, have a connection to the appeal a

public space such as fitness centers might have to possible patrons. Traditionally, fitness and health

are attained solely through the participation of consistent exercise and proper dieting. Done at

home or at a gym facility, to some it is an arduous task that must be endured, and to others is a key

component of their lifestyle, and in any lifestyle, actions as well as looks are what define it.

However, other factors now include an environment’s focus to make patrons feel welcomed and

not judged, begging the question of its importance to health and fitness. Regarding, the public

space of Planet Fitness, some support the gym franchise for its welcoming of all who want to

improve their health through exercise, but others feel that they are discriminated for taking pride

in their physique and form through the enforcement of rules and etiquette that go against the

perception of the traditional gym-goer; through the lenses of color theory and deconstruction, one

may see how this public space could be considered a “gateway” gym, only beneficial for the casual

gym-goer who wishes to get started on their path to attain a healthier lifestyle, but may want to

consider other gyms if a decision to become more serious about its achievement is made instead.

Initially founded by brothers Michael and Marc Grondahl in 1992, Planet Fitness is a New

Hampshire based fitness center franchisor that provides comparably low-cost memberships for

access of facilities that patrons interested in attaining their health and fitness goals may use. In the

company’s 2016 annual 10-K report describe their facilities as “bright, clean stores [that] are
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typically 20,000 square feet, with a large selection of high-quality, purple and yellow Planet

Fitness-branded cardio, circuit- and weight-training equipment and friendly staff trainers who offer

unlimited free fitness instruction to all [their] members in small groups through [their] PE@PF

program” (Planet Fitness INC., FORM 10-K). To a possible patron, it may be a place where they

can feel free to exercise to change their unhealthy lifestyle into a healthier one, but to others feel

that Planet Fitness hinders such progress.

What makes Planet Fitness different from other gyms is their club policy that averts

judgment away from members who are sensitive about their physical appearance and lack of fitness

which is enforced by discriminating those who have attained a certain level. Their mission

statement is a noble one “to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience

in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which [they] call the Judgement Free Zone, where

anyone…can feel they belong” (FORM 10-K, Planet Fitness INC.). This statement is supported

by many on business review website “Best Company” to be “a very convenient place to exercise”

(Isabella 2018) and describes its customer service to be “very welcoming” (Bowman 2018) and

“the environment as a whole [as] friendly” (Hanzel 2018). But Planet Fitness does not mean just

anyone; through the implementation of commercials to promote the judgement-free policy, is the

discrimination of those who hold their fitness training to a higher regard and “openly mocks those

brutish gym rats who grunt and flex their way around the weight room, alienating everyone around

them” (“Gym Rat Control” O’Neil). One may deduce through Planet Fitness’s rhetoric that argues

for those who feel intimidated by the typical gym environment, that it is not a gym for all who

necessarily want to partake in the traditional practices of fitness, health, and exercise. The support

for this claim begins by cross-analyzing the interior design and color scheme of Traditional gyms

versus that of Planet Fitness.

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Traditional gyms such as LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym incorporate neutral

colors in the design of their facilities and may be an intentional strategy to impact the mood and

energy levels of fitness enthusiasts. The impact of the incorporation of certain color schemes of

the interior of buildings is outlined by Soma Kalia, who wrote in her review for the International

Journal of Advanced Research in Science and Technology that “[color] can perform [multiple]

roles and can affect a [person’s] emotions, energy level, and séance of order or disorder as well[.]

[I]t can set the tone of an interior and make it seem formal or informal, masculine or feminine,

cool[,] restful[,] or invitingly [warm]” (106). Based on this claim, colors such as gray, black, and

white are incorporated in traditional gym environments to emphasize the practical purpose of

fitness centers as places to exercise “with a minimum of emotional content” (Kalia 108). In

keeping emotions to a minimum, one may direct their focus into their workout plan, intensity level,

or form of motion while performing exercises. But what Planet Fitness does with the color scheme

of their gyms defines the difference in both their interior design and philosophy.

Planet Fitness gyms have a typical layout, meaning that each part of the gym is dedicated

to specific exercises and is comparable to that of Traditional gyms, but what is more notable is the

color scheme incorporated throughout the entirety of the interior. Purple/light violet accented with

yellow dominates the walls, equipment, and employee uniforms within the facility. According to

color theory, purple/light violet inspires spirituality and “encourages a fresh perspective on

emotional issues” (“Color Meanings” Granillo) which aligns with Planet Fitness’s philosophy of

welcoming those who do not identify with the traditional attitudes and stereotypes of gym culture.

In a typical gym setting, those who attend these facilities are usually people who are what Planet

Fitness refer to as “lunks”, a stereotypical representation of a person who dresses and acts a certain

way when they exercise (i.e. grunts when lifting heavy weights, showing off their muscles, and
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dropping weights on the floor). But through the contrasting color yellow, one may find the

instability of the connection between the meaning of the two colors.

Traditional gyms also incorporate yellow in their branding (i.e. LA Fitness and Gold’s

Gym logos) and is seen juxtaposed against the neutrally colored walls within the interior of their

facilities. According to Professor Granillo’s “Color Meanings”, yellow “increases your focus [and]

is known for enhancing intelligence and mental agility”, proving useful for those determined to

complete the difficult task of surpassing one’s fitness limitations. It is also worthy to note the

limited use of the color, as it is seen only on every other wall in Traditional gyms. This shows the

interior designer’s knowledge that “the quantity of colour should be considered in the design of

the physical learning environment” (Kalia 107). Kalia explains that “large amounts of colour over

stimulate individuals” and notes a study that “discusses the process of visual search and attention

in regard to signal detection theory. This theory states that the human mind continuously strives

to organize visual information. Too much colour, motion, or pattern functions as distracters

making visual search more difficult. A stressful learning environment will result from excessive

use of colour” (107). Although Kalia applies this concept to a learning environment such as school,

a classroom, or a library, it can also be applied to an environment such as a gym for its requirement

to focus on tasks at hand, and with the limited use of the color, reduces its distracting effects.

Planet Fitness’s use of yellow seems to diverge from this concept and takes on a whole different

meaning.

Yellow is also used to accent the dominant color in Planet Fitness gyms, but when treated

as a text, its meaning can be deconstructed to convey other than the signified “focus”. Based on

Derrida’s post-structuralist idea that “language is not the reliable tool of communication we believe

it to be, but rather a fluid, ambiguous domain of complex experience…” (Tyson 235), one may see
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how Planet Fitness diverts from the typical use of yellow by Traditional gyms to help their patrons

focus. Instead, Planet Fitness’s utilization of a “lunk-alarm” which is sounded at the presence of

grunting and dropping weights (all part of the process of pushing weight beyond one’s limit),

breaks this focus, diverts attention away from the exercise, and puts it toward more superficial

aspects fitness. Through this, one can assume that the focus of exercise is not at the top of Planet

Fitness’s list of priorities and by treating Yellow as a definable part of language, takes on a

different meaning, “reconstituting it too as an organism, identifiably regenerating its own tissue

behind the cutting trace…” (Derrida 1830). Furthermore, by applying Kalia’s meaning of yellow,

one can see how Planet Fitness’s use of the color is meant to convey a “[l]ess aggressive [impact]”

and to set a “sunny, cheerful and [happy]” tone within their gym, all the while, “illuminat[ing] the

space” (107), aligning with their Judgement-Free policy to welcome beginners and newcomers to

the fitness world. What is also seen deconstructed is the part of health and fitness that is proper

dieting.

Modern gyms incorporate not only different exercise facilities, but also include health bars

stocked with supplements and nutritious snacks to help energize gym-goers. This is typical for any

traditional gym and shows their knowledge of the centrality of proper dieting in health and fitness.

However, Planet Fitness decentralizes this idea by offering free pizza and bagels on certain days

of the month, and seen through a deconstructive lens, revolves around Derrida’s idea of freeplay.

The idea that proper dieting is central to fitness and health is “to balance, and organize the

structure”, that is, health and fitness cannot be fully attained unless proper dieting and nutrition is

practiced ; “—one cannot in fact conceive of an unorganized structure—but above all to make

sure that the organizing principle of the structure would limit what we might call the freeplay”

(Derrida 1). Knowing the existence of “cheat days”, or what the fitness community defines as a
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days to indulge in junk foods that are not supplemental to the attainment of their fitness goals, is

used as a strategy to persuade newcomers to invest their money, time, and effort in a gym that

understands the overwhelming commitment it takes to become fit but also understands the

attractiveness of junk food to people that are comforted by it. As their definition of exercise

includes an emphasis on environment, rather than the focus of exercise itself, their definition of

nutrition and dieting takes on a different emphasis well. “This is why classical thought concerning

structure could say that the center is, paradoxically, within the structure and outside it. The center

is at the center of the totality, and yet, since the center does not belong to the totality (is not part

of the totality), the totality has its center elsewhere” (Derrida 1) Proper dieting in the traditional

sense is to supplement a workout regimen to increase its effectiveness; but to align with Planet

Fitness’s Judgement-Free philosophy, however, means that nutrition too should not pose as an

emotion obstacle regardless of its affect towards the achievement of fitness goals.

By analyzing the public space of Planet Fitness through the lenses and concepts of

deconstruction and color theory, one may see how the decentralization of the ideals held by that

of Traditional gyms and gym-goers may align with the ideals of possible patrons of Planet Fitness.

On one hand, Planet Fitness is a gym for those who want to feel welcomed and to not be judged

based on their physical and emotional sensitivities, and as support is seen through Planet Fitness’s

incorporation of Purple and Yellow in their interior’s color scheme, and the decentralization of

proper dieting. On the other hand, this weakens the structure that puts focus solely on exercise and

commitment to attain health and fitness, an ideal held by the traditional gym-goer. For those who

seek a friendly environment that cater to them with a welcoming disposition and understanding of

their lack of fitness, Planet Fitness may be a good gym to start with. Low-cost membership, free

bagels and pizza is a plus but may be irked away once they have become “lunks” themselves.
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Work Cited
Bowman, Kathie. Review of Planet Fitness. Best Company 16 Nov. 2018. Web. Available at
https://bestcompany.com/fitness-centers/company/planet-fitness#reviews

Derrida, Jacques. “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences”. 1970,
Web. Available at http://www2.csudh.edu/ccauthen/576f13/drrdassp.pdf

Derrida, Jacques. Pp. 1830. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W.W.
Norton &, 2001. Print.

Granillo, Ashley. "Color Meanings". Canvas. 21 April 2017. Available at https://coc.instructure.

com/courses/11254/files/folder/Theory%20Readers?preview=1278413

Hanzel, Nathan. Review of Planet Fitness. Best Company 06 Nov. 2018. Web. Available at
https://bestcompany.com/fitness-centers/company/planet-fitness#reviews

Isabella. Review of Planet Fitness. Best Company 19 Nov. 2018. Web. Available at
https://bestcompany.com/fitness-centers/company/planet-fitness#reviews

Kalia, Soma.” Colour and its effects in interior environment: a review”. Int. J. Adv. Res. Sci.
Technol. Volume 2, Issue2, 2013, pp 106-109.

O’Neil, Luke. “Gym Rat Control”. SLATE. 9 May 2011.Available at http://www.slate.com/a

rticles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2011/05/gym_rat_control.html

Planet Fitness, INC. Form 10-K 2016, 2017. UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION. Web. 21 November 2018. Available at
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1637207/000156459017003401/plnt-1
0k_20161231.htm#ITEM_1_BUSINESS
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Tyson, Lois. Chapter 8 Deconstructive criticism. Critical theory today a friendly user guide,
Third Edition, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2015, London and New York.