Are you heading to the gym for a workout? If you like to lift heavy and make some noise when you exercise, it’s probably a good idea to avoid the Planet Fitness chain of gyms. If you push your limits at these gyms, you could set off the “Lunk Alarm.”
This post unpacks everything you need to know about the origin and meaning of the lunk alarm and how to use it in conversation.
Lunk Alarm Meaning
The “lunk alarm” is a device used by the Planet Fitness gym franchise. If you set off the lunk alarm, it’s because you’re lifting heavy and making a noise in the gym.
While this is common behavior in many gym franchises, Planet Fitness views it as rude and obnoxious. If you set off the lunk alarm, the Planet Fitness team will ask you to leave the gym for the day. Repeated violations could result in the gym revoking your membership.
Planet Fitness promotes a “judgment-free” workout zone where newcomers don’t have to deal with the intimidation of other more advanced trainees. Essentially, Planet Fitness uses the lunk alarm to weed out people they feel don’t fit the Planet Fitness brand image, otherwise known as the “lunks.”
Lunk Alarm Example Usage
“I went into Planet Fitness for my back workout. I had to leave after I set off the lunk alarm while I was deadlifting, and the attendants at the gym got upset.”
“Can you believe those idiots at Planet Fitness use a lunk alarm if you lift too heavy?”
“I won’t bother training at Planet Fitness; I always set off the lunk alarm.”
“Planet Fitness isn’t for people that want to train for powerlifting, you’ll set off the lunk alarm, and they’ll ban you from the gym.”
“Oh boy, he comes that juice monster. I bet he sets off the lunk alarm when he drops the 140lbs dumbbells on the mat.”
Lunk Alarm Origin
The “lunk alarm” is a tool used in Planet Fitness gyms, typically in the weight area. Planet Fitness brands itself as an all-inclusive gym and a safe space for people that want to work out and enjoy their health.
As a result, they don’t market the gym as a place for hardcore bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts to train. The lunk alarm is a 110db tornado siren, and it sits on the wall, usually somewhere above the mirrors.
If a sensor detects a thud of a heavy barbell or dumbbell landing on the floor, the alarm sounds, and the attendees at the gym will approach the offender and ask them to leave the premises. Planet Fitness management views these noisy workouts as a threat to the well-being, confidence, and safety of other people that don’t have the same attitude to training as those other individuals.
The lunk alarm first appeared in Planet Fitness gyms around 2006/7 when Planet Fitness implemented its all-inclusive training policies.
Phrases Similar to Lunk Alarm
- Bodybuilder bell.
- Juice alarm.
- Lame alarm.
Phrases Opposite to Lunk Alarm
- Hardcore gym.
What is the Correct Saying?
- Lunk alarm.
Ways People May Say Lunk Alarm Incorrectly
Some people may use “lunk alarm” in a conversation with others who don’t go to the gym and have no interest in fitness. If that’s the case, the other people in the discussion are unlikely to understand what you’re talking about when using the term.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Lunk Alarm
You can use “lunk alarm” in conversation with other people that enjoy fitness. Most people that attend a gym understand what the lunk alarm is, even if they don’t attend Planet Fitness. In most cases, advanced fitness athletes and bodybuilders like to make fun of the lunk alarm and Planet Fitness training policies surrounding it.