Teens aged 12 to 17 in Canada can go to the gym this summer for free, thanks to the return of GoodLife’s Teen Fitness summer program.
Teens can access nearly 200 GoodLife Fitness clubs in communities across the country for free, seven days a week, starting July 5 up to September 4.
Since its launch in 2010, the program has helped young people become more active at the gym. It has also evolved and developed over time based on what teens want and use the most, such as access to more equipment and weights, group fitness classes, fitness experts and digital workouts.
Vice President of Experience & Safety with GoodLife Fitness Tracy Matthews says the program provides an invaluable incentive for teens.
“Teens are getting into fitness in a big way. In the early years, teens mostly used cardio equipment, but now we’re seeing them using more free weights and weight machines,” she said in an email statement to Now Toronto.
“They’re trying workouts from the GoodLife app and researching workout ideas online….and they’re also sharing fitness moves and programs with each other. We’re noticing teens are recognizing the mental and physical health benefits and they’re enjoying the social aspect,” she added.
This year, the fitness company has introduced some new upgrades to the program, such as GoodLife on-demand teen fitness workouts, more equipment including weights, kettlebells and suspension trainers, and lastly, hours with GoodLife fitness experts to provide them with tours and additional insight.
Furthermore, the company recruited an advisory panel of teens consisting of both former and first-time members. The teens are of different ages with varying interests and experiences to provide input about ways to improve the program. The group also got the opportunity to star in a new virtual orientation video where they explained the guidelines of the club.
When asked about their “go to” fitness moves, teens on the panel chose functional exercises that involved strength and cardiovascular benefits with minimal complexity.
“Favourite teen moves included declined dumbbell presses, bent-over dumbbell rows, incline push-ups on a bench, kettlebell squats, TRX rows and pull-ups,” reads a statement from GoodLife.
Maddie Klein is 14 years old and has played hockey since she was three. She looks forward to her first summer in the Teen Fitness program. Her goal is to improve her cardiovascular endurance and strengthen her leg muscles to be better at her favourite sports.
“I want to stay fit over the summer months so I can be good at hockey. I’ll go with my friends and figure things out with some advice from the team there. I really want to feel good about myself and improve my strength and abilities for when I get back to hockey and other sports in the fall,” she said in a written statement.
Matthews says in 2022 more than 28,000 teens registered for the GoodLife Teen Fitness program in the GTA alone, and it is expecting even more new recruits this year.
“Fitness helps teens build healthy exercise habits that will help them stay on top of their physical fitness beyond their teen years. It’s also proven to positively impact mental health, an area many teens struggle to deal with or talk about,” she explained.
To join the program, teens can register now on teenfitness.ca.
