No Gym Class? No Sweat. Teens Can Go to Planet Fitness for Free This Summer

Summer’s here, which means it’s time for your teenager to sit on the couch all summer long, scrolling through their phone and doing absolutely nothing.

No, wait, that’s not right! You’ve got to get that kid moving this summer — it’s important for their own physical and mental well-being.

So what if there’s no gym classes in June and July? High schoolers aged 14 to 19 can go to any Planet Fitness gym this summer for free. Sign up here for the offer, which is good for all 2,400 Planet Fitness gyms throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The free gym access runs from May 15 to Aug. 31, and kids under 18 can sign up with a parent or guardian. Planet Fitness touts the annual offer as a way to keep kids physically active during the summer in what it describes as a “fun, safe and judgment-free zone.”

Included in the offer: Access to free fitness training from certified trainers, as well as workouts designed specifically for high schoolers.

Why Activity Over the Summer Is So Important

Even if high schoolers don’t do the Planet Fitness thing, they really should do some kind of regular physical activity over the summer, health officials say. It can get tougher when school is out and extracurricular programs like sports, gym class and after-school activities aren’t there anymore.

Planet Fitness offers up two statistics:

• Youths up to 17 years old should get an average of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity to boost their physical and mental health, according to the World Health Organization.
• Nearly 30% of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health in a sweeping 2021 survey commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you’re thinking, “No high schooler is going to go to the gym,” Planet Fitness says that last summer, 3.5 million high school-aged students completed 17 million workouts in its gyms.

Oh, and there’s a TikTok video contest, too. Teens can share an online clip describing their summer experience at Planet Fitness. Ten of them will win $10,000 scholarships. Rules can be found here.

Normally, monthly dues at Planet Fitness are $10 for just one location or $23 for any location. Annual fees are $39.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.