The Kids Are All Pumped

• Share

Victor Scotti wasn't feeling quite as agile as he wanted to be. So like more and more fitness-conscious Americans, he joined a gym, diligently showing up five times a week for a circuit-training regimen that included a cardio workout on the cross trainer, push-ups, crunches and weight training to target his biceps, triceps and quads. Now, Scotti says, "I've definitely gotten faster and a lot more limber." An added benefit is that it makes his mom happy too.

Her opinion counts because Scotti is 12. The weight machines he pushes are mini-size, designed especially for the Children's Health & Executive Club (CHEC), a kids-only gym in Chicago. (The "executive" membership is for those who stay to do homework for two hours after the daily supervised two-hour physical routine.) "Schools have cut back on physical-education classes," says Sherry Drake, the owner of CHEC, which now has two other franchises. "Both the parents and the kids, some of whom are heavy and some of whom just want to move around, are looking for an outlet."

LATEST COVER STORY Mind & Body Happiness Jan. 17, 2004 Past Issues Tsunami Jan. 10, 2004 ----------------- Person of the Year Jan. 3, 2004 ----------------- Secrets of the Nativity Dec. 13, 2004 ----------------- The Stealth Killer Dec. 6, 2004 ----------------- Coolest Inventions Nov. 29, 2004 ----------------- Battle for Fallujah Nov. 22, 2004 ----------------- Four More Years Nov. 15, 2004 ----------------- The Joy Of Sox Nov. 8, 2004 ----------------- The Morning After Nov. 1, 2004 ----------------- The God Gene Oct. 25, 2004 ----------------- The Vote Battle Oct. 18, 2004 ----------------- Visions of Tomorrow Oct. 11, 2004 ----------------- The Tragedy of Sudan Oct. 4, 2004 ----------------- CBS Controversy Sept. 27, 2004 ----------------- America's Border Sept. 20, 2004 ----------------- Struggle Within Islam Sept. 13, 2004 ----------------- World of George Bush Sept. 6, 2004 -----------------   SPECIAL REPORTS  Coolest Video Games 2004  Coolest Inventions  Wireless Society  Cool Tech 2004 PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS  At The Epicenter  Paths to Pleasure  Quotes of the Week  This Week's Gadget  Cartoons of the Week More graphics >> More photos >> MORE STORIES Advisor: Rove Warrior The Bushes: Family Dynasty Klein: Benneton Ad Presidency More Stories >> CNN.com: Latest News

Though CHEC, with its smaller-scale equipment and children-only policy, is not yet the norm, Scotti is just one of a rapidly growing group of teens and preteens who regularly hit the health club to lift weights, run on treadmills, take spinning classes and relax in the hot tub. According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), membership among teens and preteens has jumped 65% in the past five years. Kids ages 6 to 17 now make up 12% of all club memberships, and about a quarter of IHRSA's member clubs have some kind of family program.

Children sweating it out on stationary bikes and hip abductors may seem counterintuitive, even unsafe, to earlier generations brought up on neighborhood kickball games. Yet in recent years, pediatricians have dismissed the old idea that weight training could stunt growth by harming areas within young bones that are still developing. Indeed, in 2001 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a paper outlining the benefits of such activity when performed properly (see box). And so with childhood obesity at all-time highs, rising parent concerns about letting their kids play unattended and a growing desire by athletic teenagers to train for organized team sports, health clubs are becoming all-purpose family havens.

"Family friendly is the buzz phrase now," says Sandy Franco, co-owner of the 15,000-member Franco's Athletic Club in Mandeville, La., a suburb of New Orleans. "A lot more owners are realizing it's good business. Parents love it. And if you're a teen or preteen, your friends are there or you can be on your own. It's hip. And there are a million things to do."

Many clubs offer family days — a day when everyone, regardless of age, is welcome. Some, like Bally — where a new aerobics class is called Get Your Body Started, a play on Get the Party Started, the hit song by pop-artist Pink — are just starting to ramp up efforts to target teens. But others are instituting ambitious programs built around high-tech equipment and cool instructors. The Michigan Athletic Club (a.k.a. the MAC) in East Lansing, with some 800 kids on its rolls, features an expensive, theme park — style water slide for its youngest members. Sports Clubs for Kids, a spin-off of Town Sports International's chain of 130 adult clubs in areas around New York City, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia, offers a particularly popular version of spinning, in which a giant 7-ft. screen displays music videos or clips from old action films like Independence Day and Top Gun, while 10-to 15-year-olds whip themselves into a biking frenzy in a dark room.

At Franco's, the youth program includes a sports-training academy, a class for obese youngsters, instruction for children on the etiquette and mechanics of using the workout room, and a media center for kids in need of downtime. Chad Ferguson, 12, is proud of completing the four-week-long Junior Fitness Instruction course that teaches kids, among other things, how to use cardio and weight machines safely and considerately. ("It's a privilege," instructor Jason Angelette, 24, tells them.) Ferguson likes to wear his new blue T shirt — his ticket to use the club independently — at home, school and other extra-Franco's venues. "Normally," explains Ferguson, "you can't go upstairs on your own unless you're 14."

The biggest challenge for clubs is figuring out how to reach out to kids without alienating adult members, particularly those who don't have children. Some clubs cordon off junior classes; others designate "adults only" areas for those who want peace and quiet. At Eastern Athletic in Brooklyn, N.Y., no one under 18 is allowed on the floor, but classes for kids include weight training, cardio kickboxing, fencing and in-line skating. Town Sports International launched its first Sports Club for Kids, a studio within the adult club, in 2000. There are now 18.