Gym access for young people

If you know a young teen who has expressed interest in starting to workout, improve their fitness or train for a sport they play; joining a gym can help get them started. Here at Leisureactive, we are one of the only providers in Dundee to offer gym access to teenagers under 16. Until recently we allowed those aged 14+ to use our gyms on completion of a Youth Induction, and we are pleased to announce that we have recently expanded this offering to 12&13 year olds. As part of our commitment to help get more kids more active more often, we have opened up the gyms at our community facilities – Grove, Harris and St Paul’s Swim & Sports Centres to our youngest teen members when accompanied by a responsible adult over 18.

3 simple steps to get started

Create an account with us in order to book a Juvenile Induction. Teens can pay-as-you-go for £4 per gym session and accompanying adults for £5.30. Create a pay-as-you-go account here to get started. Alternatively, why not explore one of our low-cost monthly memberships? There's no yearly commitment, just a rolling monthly Direct Debit. Teen memberships start at just £16 and provides access to all of our centres. If you only plan to use Grove, Harris or St Paul’s Swim & Sports Centres for 12+ Gym access then our new CommunityFit Teen membership costs just £10 per month and also includes access to Family Fun swimming sessions and more.
Complete a Juvenile Induction. Currently available Grove on Fridays at 6pm and Harris on Mondays at 6pm. To book, head to the ‘Teen Fitness’ section of the Leisureactive App on your chosen facility page and select ‘Juvenile Induction Bookings’. Once you’ve decided on a time, make sure the teen in question is logged in to make the booking. They will need to be accompanied to the induction by an adult, who will also learn how to supervise and monitor their gym usage. You will both be allocated a special sub on your accounts on completion of the induction. If there are any other adults who intend to accompany them in future, they will also need to attend a Juvenile Induction in order to obtain the relevant subscription on their account.
Enjoy attending the gym together (at least until they turn 14 and can start going unaccompanied!) Please note that all 12&13 years olds must be supervised at all times in our gyms. You should not swipe in with them and then leave them alone in the gym. Monitor what equipment and particularly what weights they are using.

The benefits of using the gym for young people

Most adults know why working out is good for them but you may not realize how beneficial it can be for children as well. The benefits of working out for kids and teens include:

Increased bone mineral density
Improved concentration and energy levels
Reduced risk of disease
Improved confidence and mental health
Help with regulating sleep cycles

The recommendations for physical activity for children and teens are slightly different than it is for adults. Adults should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, but children and teens need at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity every day! This is because exercise is essential for the development of fine motor skills and

strong bones and muscles. While most children and teens should be exercising every day - most of that should, and likely does, come from cardio activity such as running, dancing, swimming or playing sports. Ideally though, two days a week should involve some form of weight or resistance training.

There is however some stigma around the topic of children and lifting weights, though current medical and scientific research confirms that age-appropriate resistance training is beneficial for children and teens. The belief that lifting weights is dangerous for children stems from old research studies claiming that lifting weights can damage a young person’s growth plates and that strength training is ineffective for children until they have enough testosterone to stimulate muscle growth. However, additional research has revealed that injuries that occur in pre-teens and young teens from strength training are most often due to improper use of equipment, using weights that are too heavy, and working out without being supervised by an adult. Furthermore, recent research shows that strength training in pre-adolescent children produces significant improvements in muscular strength and fine motor skills. Current fitness industry guidelines also support supervised access to gyms to those over 12 years of age.

Things to consider:

We want to encourage any of our 12+ member who are interested in using the gym to get involved - as long as they’re using equipment properly and not pushing themselves past their limits. But beyond safety, happiness should also be a concern since everyone – including young people - are more likely to stick with a workout routine if they genuinely enjoy it.

Here are 5 tips for keeping those under 14 both safe and happy while working out:

Don’t let them work out unsupervised
Make sure they eat enough
Make sure they get adequate rest and recovery
Help them find an activity or routine they enjoy
Ask for help and advice from one of our fitness instructors if you need it – our 1:2:1 Training Sessions are available for all members, including teens, where they can get a personalised gym plan, extra coaching tips and more support. Alternatively, check out our library of teen tailored training programmes HERE.

12+ Gym Access is available from Monday 5th June at Grove, Harris and St Paul’s Swim & Sport Centres (links) on completion of a Juvenile Induction for both the teen and accompanying adult members/users. If you have any questions please contact the Membership Team via email: leisureactive@leisureandculturedundee.com or by phone: 01382 432328. Find out more about our CommunityFit facilities and memberships here.