XL Fitness — Attraction in Mount Laurel Township

I initially joined this Gym when they were "Planet Fitness" then Future Fitness before the well known Planet Fitness copyrighted the name. This was my first Gym and they got me really going on my Fitness Journey.

In a full circle moment I moved across the street from what is now XL Fitness and was looking for a change from my home workout routine. Wife learned that XL offers a discount through my medical insurance so I joined back up.

First the good: Some of the trainers are still there from like 20 years ago! Nice to see the longevity and I recall them being pretty nice folks. The gym is large with a fantastic amount of Strength training equipment, free weights and all the cardio equipment that exist in the U.S. Seriously, there is a lot of equipment here. I work out fairly late (8:30pm) so the gym is not crowded at all. My wife is in there during peak time at 6 and says it's not too busy then. My wife also loves the instructors for the classes she attends and though I don't interact with most of the staff, she seems to really like them all.

Now the Bad: The Gym and it's equipment was here 20 years ago. Not much has changed or been maintained. The paint from the celling is flaking off and you'll see it all over the gym. Stand there long enough and you can see it floating down from the ceiling as it falls. It's all over the floor. The cable station is not maintained at all. One of the pulley's is loose and the cable is frayed. The mechanism sticks a lot so some of the resistance you get is not the weight itself but friction. Makes for a not so smooth experience. The plates on this station have not been maintained so you can barely see the Weight amount on the plates. This is consistent with many of their machines where I can't tell how much weight it is. I have notes on my workout log that says 8 plates down because the number on the plate is worn off. Easily remedied with a label maker you can buy from amazon if you want to save costs! Many of the benches in the free weight area were original from 20 years ago and it shows. Some have broken handles, ripped padding and rust. The Dumbbells are a mismatch of different brands and styles and very worn out. I grabbed a set of 30's and the rubber was peeling off of it. Some of the rubber weight plates are gnarly dirty, specifically the 35 lbs plates for some reason. These are also a Hodge podge of different plate styles that have been collected over 20 years. The carpet is also original from 20 years ago and it shows. It's also not vacuumed nightly, unless the peeling paint from the ceiling is falling off at an alarming rate because I see it covering the floor every night I'm there (4-5 days per week). Compared to other gyms in the area, I'd have to say this one is the dirtiest.

Finally, while the members have all been nice, they have little gym etiquette. Many don't re-rack their weights. I feel bad for the lady at the front desk who is reaching over her head un-racking 45lbs plates that some entitled member left on the machine or bar. I try to help out between sets when I see weights on random bars etc. I've been a member of what outsiders may call "meat head" gyms and none of them were as self centered and thoughtless as the folks here. You literally go to the gym to pick things up and put them down. So pick up after yourself and re rack your dang weights people! I will however say that I routinely see members wiping down benches so that is awesome. Though none of these are the people that leave weights on machines.

All in all, because of the discount I get, the time of day I go and the fact that I walk across the street to get my workout in, I continue to attend this gym as it has everything I need equipment wise and it is convenient. If I were paying full price or had to drive there, there would be much better options in the area with regard to facility and equipment maintenance and cleanliness for the same price.

Given all the cleanliness complaints I see here, I'm hoping the current owners are coming up with a plan to reinvest into the gym....

So far my experience hasn't been that great. I really wish they would dispense with the hard sell. It is painful. My root canal was less annoying. The first time I went to get some information I had to leave because I could tell that the shenanigans were about to start. I just didn't have the patience to deal with it that day. All I wanted to know is what they have and what it costs. Pretty simple huh. I think I am old enough now to know how to make decisions and compare what different gyms have to offer. Used car salesmen are less irritating. I believe that when someone walks into a gym it is because they are interested in making a purchase. In essence that is what you are doing. So why do I have to be "sold". When I walk into the Shop-Rite it is because I want to make a purchase. There is no one trying to sell me. The product is one the shelf, I read the label, I look at the price, I make a decision. Done.

I was still interested in joining a gym so I started shopping around again. I went back to Future Fitness because it is close and it has a pool. I was hoping I could go in and get the information I needed to make an informed decision. I knew that I would have to be more patient this time since I really wanted to join if I thought it was worth it. I could tell that it wasn't going to be easy. I could go on and on, but I am sure that you are getting the picture. I was about to walk out again, but I think I finally convinced the salesman that I wanted the information I needed to make an informed decision. So we went back up to his office and I got the information I was looking for. I decided on the package that seemed to work best for me. Whew - why so darn difficult. I told the salesman that we never had to go through this. He asked me why I didn't say so. I replied that I was trying to. I also told him that there are probably a lot of people that would prefer it that way. He asked me how would he know. I responded,"Just ask".

I did notice that as soon as you give any perceived resistance to the sales pitch it becomes a debate. The whole process could have taken minutes, but it didn't. I wonder if corporate knew that they might close more deals if things weren't so combative?

I kind of wondered if a kiosk could be set up comparing what they offer compared to other gyms such as equipment, prices, etc. It would save money since you wouldn't have to pay a sales team which may reduce the fees or provide some nice bonuses to the CEO. I wonder if corporate would be willing to take such a chance and just present what they have to offer. By the way you never have to "sell" a good deal.

I plan on going to this gym as long as my wife wants to go. I really joined for her sake since she is not fond of going to the gym alone. I would also like to see her learn how to swim. I myself don't need a gym to work out. I have been working out without a gym for over 40 years. We didn't go to a gym during Marine Corps recruit training and we all got into some pretty good shape.

I am really hoping that my experience improves from here. So far it hasn't been fun and I resent the fact that I had to go through such nonsense in order to simply join a gym. Sunday is my first membership day. I will let you know...

My partner, brother, and I joined XL Fitness to work out and train. However, we unexpectedly learned that this gym does not tolerate us training together. It was this training policy and toxic staff that contributed to a negative overall experience. If you are looking for a gym to train with friends and family, avoid this gym.

Upon joining the gym, my partner and I immediately booked our free monthly training session with one of the trainers, named Anthony Defelice. During the training session he acted friendly, but at the conclusion of the session we discovered his intent to sell us his weekly personal training program. This ordinarily wouldn't be a problem, except that he became extremely pushy with his deal, repeatedly asking us why we weren't signing up for his program that day. When we told him that we just needed time to think about it, his attitude became immediately cold and passive aggressive. He rose from his chair and walked away without saying a word, leaving us sitting in our seats.

Later, my partner, brother and I were working out, checking each other's form, and teaching each other how to use the equipment when Anthony approached my brother. He asked my brother if he was training, to which my brother answered yes. He then threatened to revoke my brother’s gym membership if he continued to train with my partner and me, citing that only licensed trainers are allowed to train other people at the gym. My partner tried to explain that we were only learning the equipment together but was ignored. Anthony ended the interaction with an insincere fist bump with my brother before walking off.

Later that day, we reviewed the terms and conditions of our contract, and we found that there was a policy in the fine print that prevented members from teaching other members how to use equipment. It says "Members are not permitted to instruct other Members in or any XL premises". Practically, this meant that the only way to learn the proper usage of equipment would be to hire a trainer.

Since the entire point of our membership was to train together with the equipment, my partner and I promptly ended our membership later that day. To cancel membership, it needs to be in person or form sent via certified mail. As of writing this, there's no forms on the website for mailing. When we went in person to cancel, the manager asked us why. As soon as we mentioned teaching each other, he asked us if we were "training" and put that as the reason for termination in the form. He didn't seem open to listening to any other feedback we...