LA Fitness parent Fitness International is offering free gym access for Gen Z teens this fall, while praising Trump’s decision to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test
Fitness International, operator of LA Fitness and City Sports Club, will kick off a youth-centric initiative this fall, offering high school students free after-school and weekend access to select locations, aligning with the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test.
The health club operator, which operates hundreds of gyms nationwide, will collaborate with local high schools to invite students aged 16 and older to participate at select times during the 2025-2026 school year.
Pilots will start in September at select locations, with a broader rollout planned in the months ahead.
The initiative follows President Donald Trump’s late-July executive order to reinstate the Presidential Fitness Test, a fixture in U.S. schools for decades before being phased out during the Obama Administration and replaced with the Youth Fitness Program.
While details of the revamped version remain unclear, past iterations measured sit-ups, push-ups, shuttle runs and other physical benchmarks. The White House framed the move as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” push to address declining youth fitness, with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tasked with administering the test.
“We are committed to ensuring that our high school students have greater access to fitness and fun,” Fitness International president of club operations Jill Hill said. “Our support of the national push for youth fitness, nutrition and the reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test reinforces our company’s longstanding commitment to health and wellness for all. We look forward to welcoming more students to our gyms and assisting the administration in their mission to help our young people build stronger, healthier lives.”
School administrators can learn more and register their schools by completing the interest form on the LA Fitness or City Sports Club websites.
While Fitness International’s initiative aligns with national youth fitness goals, similar efforts have also proven to be effective growth drivers for the industry.
Planet Fitness, for instance, has reported strong Gen Z adoption in recent years. Notably, it offers a free High School Summer Pass program, which invites teens to work out in its clubs for free during the summer months. The high-value, low-priced giant ended Q2 2025 with 20.8 million members, a 13% year-over-year increase, and remarked that Gen Z remains its fastest-growing segment. This year’s High School Summer Pass program is already outpacing prior-year sign-ups and utilization, Planet Fitness execs shared on its recent earnings call.
24 Hour Fitness also joined the youth fitness push with a seasonal offer providing discounted memberships to high school students aged 14 to 18, as long as a parent or guardian was a current member. The program ended earlier this month.
Boutique fitness brand F45 Training has also targeted younger consumers with a nationwide summer promotion offering high school and college students 20% off unlimited memberships and 10- or 20-class packs through September 1.
