Many trucking communities online will spend hours discussing this topic, so let’s give you the answer you’re looking for. After all, $20ish/month for showers and a workout doesn’t sound too bad when you’re OTR.
Truthfully, planet fitness is alright for truckers. You likely WON’T be able to park your truck at the gym, but most planet fitness’ are within close distance of a Walmart or other place that you can find a creative parking spot at. Plus, there is like a planet fitness everywhere in the country, so you’ll usually be able to use your membership every night or at least every other night even in some of the most rural towns.
Most Importantly, You’ll NEED To Walk or Bike
Honestly, it’s pretty alright for the price, but you’ll need to make the sacrifice of walking or biking there. I recommend storing a bike in the cabin area of your truck just for general travel or exercise in your truck. (It’s easier to store than you may think)
Plus, having a bike lets you get access to much more places for food or entertainment when you’re on the road
And, your doctor will thank you. It’s no secret that driving for long hours as truckers do can cause serious problems including blood clots. If you regularly bike and stretch, your chance of suffering from some of these complications dramatically decreases.
Plus, your mental health and physical health will be much better. You’ll keep off a lot of weight that is associated with long-distance trucking. And your mind will be sharper and healthier.
Try Parking at a Walmart / Kwik Trip / Love’s
Look, so most of the time you can’t park at a planet fitness.
I HAVE heard of some stories where the trucker calls the club ahead of time and asks if they can park, and a lot of the times they will be given the ‘yes’.
If you know exactly where your stopping point is for the day (which, let’s be honest, isn’t always clear with how some of our dispatchers ask), it may be worth it to call ahead and just explain the situation.
Perhaps just say, “hey look, I’m an OTR trucker who has a membership, I was wondering if I could park there for the night since I’m using the gym and showers there” and see what they say.
A lot of planet fitness locations don’t actually have much parking, so that might be an obstacle too.
I just recommend parking at a Walmart, Kwik Trip, Love’s, whatever, and biking the 1-2 miles there. Not only will it give you a good warm-up, but it will get your legs moving too.
You Will Need The Black Card Membership
You will need the black card membership if you’re a trucker. I think it comes out to something like $25/month?
You can only use your local planet fitness with the standard $10/month membership, but with the black card membership, you can go anywhere.
But, honestly, it’s not that bad of a deal. With the black card membership, you get free access to the incredible hydromassage and total body enhancement machines.
While I personally don’t use total body enhancement, the hydromassage is my favorite.
After all that driving you’ve been doing, your workout, and a shower- a 10-minute massage might be the perfect thing for you before you finally go to sleep.
The Gym Isn’t Bad
I’d figure most truckers aren’t trying to be full-time competitive bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean really, most of us aren’t.
Planet Fitness generally doesn’t have weights that make you get massive amounts of muscle, but you can build a pretty solid body by working out there. I’d say you can certainly look above average/get that ‘shredded’ look most of us want anyways.
But if you do end up being in that category where your arms are 23.5 inches, you might want to consider a different 24/7 gym. (read: Anytime Fitness review, SNAP Fitness review)
Hours?
No need to worry, as the vast majority of planet fitness locations are 24/7. In fact, I think you would have a hard time finding one that isn’t 24/7.
Bottom Line – Is Planet Fitness For Truckers?
So, here’s the bottom line- is Planet Fitness For Truckers?
Yes! You’ll just need to find a different place to park, and you’ll probably need to bike or walk. But overall, you’ll get a pretty decent workout suite, with showers, a massage bed, and more. I’d say it’s pretty worth it.
Tell me if you like planet fitness, or what gym you use when you’re OTR!
