Planet Fitness offers teens free gym access nationwide throughout summer

Fitness center chain Planet Fitness is renewing its “High School Summer Pass” for a third year allowing those between the ages of 14 and 19 to exercise for free throughout this summer at any U.S. or Canadian location.

Starting this week, high school students can visit Planet Fitness’ website to register for the program and begin gaining free access on Monday, May 15 through Thursday, Aug. 31, Planet Fitness said in a news release.

Teens under the age of 18, or under the age of 19 in Canada, must also register with a parent or guardian online or in-club to gain the free access, the company said.

The move is meant to not only help young people keep up their physical health, but also their mental health — with Planet Fitness citing data it commissioned in a national survey which indicated 61% of teens admitted they struggle with mental health and that 93% appreciate how fitness can have a positive impact on their lives and lifestyles.

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The company also cited data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends youth up to 17 years old get an average of least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.

Additionally, citing 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) commissioned Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Planet Fitness said 29% of high school students experienced poor mental health and that there has been a “steady biannual increase” since the survey was first fielded in 2011 — suggesting youth “consistently — and increasingly — face mental health struggles.”

Planet Fitness, which has 2,400 locations across the U.S. and Canada, said by opening up its gyms for free to teenagers that it allows them to stay active during the summer months in a “fun, safe and Judgement Free environment.”

The company said it comes at a “critical time” for teenagers when school is out and important academic and extracurricular programs like sports, gym class and after-school activities are out of session.

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The company also pointed to research which shows students who meet recommended amounts of physical activity “experienced greater academic achievement compared to those who did not.”

Last year, the free summer pass offered by Planet Fitness encouraged 3.5 million high school-aged students to complete 17 million workouts at the company’s gyms over the three-and-a-half-month-long period, it added.

Notably, students can only exercise for free at the location they sign up for and are not permitted to use other locations with the offer, according to Planet Fitness. Once signed up and a parent or guardian has signed Planet Fitness’ waiver, students under 18 can also work out alone and do not need their parent or guardian present to use the facilities.

For all participants who sign up for the free summer workouts, Planet Fitness is also offering $10,000 individual academic scholarships to 10 teens in the U.S. and Canada — who can enter via a TikTok video submission contest.

Teens are asked to post a TikTok tagging the company @planetfitness and using the hashtags #contest along with #HSSP23US for those in the U.S., the company said, with a separate #HSSP23CAN for Canadian entrants, who are also asked to tag the company’s Canadian account @planetfitnessca.

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Entrants can submit their videos until the end of the free workout period through August 31.

On top of that, schools can also cash in, with the top 10 schools on the company’s leaderboard across different tiers each receiving $10,000 which can be used to fund athletic equipment, fitness classes, facility renovations and health and wellness initiatives, the company said.

Planet Fitness was founded in 1992 in Dover, New Hampshire, and has 17 million members across its over 2,000 locations — also found in the countries of Panama, Mexico and Australia.

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