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Planet Fitness has weight lifting areas for people looking to strength train, a cardio area that has exercise bikes and treadmills, and a relaxation area with massage chairs.
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By Jason Lewis<\/p>\n
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Many Black communities are labeled as food deserts because of the lack of grocery stores.\u00a0 One lesser known term that has a very similar negative impact is fitness desert, and the Crenshaw District, which is the heart of Los Angeles\u2019 Black community, can be considered one of them.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
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Mainstream commercial gyms such as Planet Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, and a few others, are plentiful outside of Los Angeles\u2019 Black community, but other than some smaller gyms, the area has not had much to offer. <\/p>\n
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Planet Fitness has changed that by opening a new location in the Crenshaw Plaza, which is on the southeast corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.\u00a0 This fitness center has new state-of-the-art equipment that is hard to find in this area.\u00a0 It also has free weights and cable machines for resistance training, battle ropes and medicine balls for functional training, and treadmills, exercise bikes, and stair climbers for cardio workouts.\u00a0 It has floorspace for yoga and stretching, and also a relaxation room where people can get massages. <\/p>\n
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A fitness center like this in the heart of a Black community is important because Black people have the highest rates of preventable diseases that are associated with obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer.<\/p>\n
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Planet Fitness\u2019 business model has evolved over the years from a gym geared toward beginners and people who may have felt subconscious exercising around more serious fitness enthusiasts, to a fitness center that\u2019s more inviting to both groups. <\/p>\n
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\u201cPlanet Fitness is about is creating a judgment-free zone,\u201d said Adrian Armendariz, general manager at the Planet Fitness inside of the Crenshaw Plaza.\u00a0 \u201cBasically a comfortable, non-intimidating environment for all members to come in here and work out in a nice, peaceful area. \u00a0 A nice thing here is to give them more community, getting them on those healthy benefits.\u00a0 And that healthy lifestyle is our goal here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Armendariz has seen some great transformations from people who have dedicated themselves to workout programs at the fitness center.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe’ve seen huge transformations,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThe biggest one I’ve seen was a person who lost 350 pounds.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen elderly people go from using canes to not using canes, people that have been doing rehabilitation getting stronger, and those young guys who just never worked out to getting much bigger and getting into sports.\u201d<\/p>\n
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For more novice gym goers, Planet Fitness trainers can help them design a program that is specifically tailored for their goals.\u00a0 One-on-one training is offered as part of the membership, and there are trainers on site who can give guidance.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
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The fitness center has very user-friendly machine equipment that hits all of the muscle groups.\u00a0 This equipment is very easy to figure out how to use, and there are pictures on the equipment that tell the user which muscle group is being worked out.\u00a0 This allows the more novice gym goer to go through their workout plan without the need of a trainer. <\/p>\n
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For the more serious gym goers and also competitive athletes, Planet Fitness has upgraded their equipment to meet their needs.\u00a0 The fitness center has racks for Olympic lifts, such as squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, bench press, and back rows.\u00a0 There is a section that has light to heavy dumbbells.\u00a0 And there is equipment that can be used for more functional and explosive movements. <\/p>\n
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\u201cWe used to just be mostly geared towards just the basic general fitness, getting people who were nervous to just come into the gym, getting their foot into the doors as well, and catering to people that have never stepped foot inside of a gym was the overall goal,\u201d Armendariz said.\u00a0 \u201cOnce that was implemented, they’ve implemented new stuff to get those people that are highly-trained athletes in here, like the weight plates, the Olympic squats, the tire flipping.\u00a0 Implementing all that new state-of-the-art special equipment has brought that athletic crowd in here.\u00a0 We\u2019re not just catering to the people who are new to fitness, which is still our goal, but also to get everybody just to come into the gym to continue that healthy lifestyle.\u00a0 We\u2019re also catering to that crowd that wants to get stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Many local high school athletes make use of the weight lifting area as gaining access to high school weight rooms can be challenging.\u00a0 Teenagers from 13 years old to 15 years old can workout with an adult present.\u00a0 Teenagers 16 years old and above can workout on their own.\u00a0 The fitness center has a summer program that allows teenagers to use the facility for free for three months. <\/p>\n
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The upgraded equipment is also great for the people who started out at Planet Fitness as beginners and got comfortable enough to move on to more advanced equipment. <\/p>\n
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\u201cWith people who have been here so consistently, as they’re doing so well and getting stronger they have become advanced,\u201d Armendariz said.\u00a0 \u201cBringing in more advanced equipment was important so that they don’t leave and go to a new fitness gym.\u00a0 We offer that new stuff here for them, so it’s been very beneficial overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Planet Fitness has the Black Card Spa, which has a hydro massage bed that has water jets to give a deep tissue massage.\u00a0 There is also a Total Body Enhancement Booth which has red light therapy that stimulates skin cells, a tanning room, and a massage chair. <\/p>\n
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