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Clubs Fit for Kids

Joe McGowan

Three days a week, Max Wiederholt goes to his favorite hangout. There, he works with a personal trainer, exercises and lifts weights. But Max, 15, does much more than just break a sweat. He shares snacks with friends at a teens-only lounge, plays video games and, sometimes, scales a climbing wall. Max's hangout is a health club in Mountain View, California, called Overtime Fitness. It is one of a growing number of fitness clubs across the country catering to kids.

A recent report on health-club memberships shows that around 3.4 million kids between the ages of 12 and 17 joined clubs in 2005. That was up from 2.6 million in 2004.

Gym owners want to keep those numbers healthy. They are creating kids-only exercise areas and social programs. The gyms appeal to parents who want to encourage physical activity. Club owners say that kids just want a space they can call their own. Membership dues range from $59 to $79 per month, plus an initiation fee.

In addition to exercise classes and machines, the new kid-friendly gyms offer high-tech equipment. At XRKade in Denver, Colorado, kids work out in interactive fitness rooms with flashing lights and loud music. "Kids want 'exer-tainment,'" Laura Tauscher, an owner of Overtime Fitness, told TFK.

Many clubs offer flat-screen TVs and computers with Internet access. And the benefits of membership are more than physical. "It's much easier to concentrate on homework after I've worked out," Max says. That's an exercise plan that should please kids and parents alike.

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