Going to the gym is slowly becoming one of the most popular activities, especially in the United States. According to many surveys, the number of gym memberships that have been recorded in the U.S during 2021 is close to 80 million which makes up about 25% of its entire population, and that number is increasing year after year. In addition to that, more than half of those memberships are owned by people between the age of 18 to 54. This begs the question, surely kids and teenagers under that age will be interested in knowing what the fuss is all about? With that being said, can they join the gym at that age, or more specifically, can a 16-year-old go to the gym alone?

It depends on the gym since each one has its own unique policies, but most popular ones allow 16-year-olds to join and train alone as long as a parent or guardian agrees to it and signs a waiver.

In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth if a 16-year-old can go to the gym alone as well as all the popular gyms that allow it.

Can a 16-Year-Old Go to the Gym Alone?

In order to answer this question in more depth, we’ll talk about the case of each popular gym and see if they allow 16-year-olds to go to the gym alone:

24 Hour Fitness

16-year-olds may use the 24 Hour Fitness facilities at any time without the need to be accompanied by a parent or a guardian as long as the teen is a member or a guest and their parent or guardian signed a financial guaranty as well as a membership agreement.

Although it’s not likely to happen, 24 Hour Fitness reserves the right to require that a parent or guardian accompany the teen. 

Planet Fitness

16-year-olds can visit any Planet Fitness location in the United States and work out for free and alone as long as a parent or guardian signs a waiver. However, when as soon as you sign up at a certain location, you’re only allowed to train there for free and you are not permitted to use a facility that’s located at another location. In addition to that, the sign-up must be made at the facility and not online.

Gold’s Gym

This one is pretty straightforward, Gold’s Gym allows 16-year-olds to attend their facilities as long as they own a membership. They can use the facility alone without the need of being accompanied by a parent or guardian and the sign-up can be even made online.

If you’re looking for a gym that allows 16-year-olds to attend without a ton of paperwork, then gold’s gym is your best option. 

Crunch Fitness

Over at Crunch Fitness, it’s just as straightforward as gold’s gym, you can easily get a membership if you’re 16 years old since they allow them starting from 14. However, the only problem is that the sign-up can’t be made online if you’re not 18 and you need to be present at the facility to get your membership. 

Anytime Fitness

When it comes to Anytime Fitness, it really depends on the location of each of its 3000 facilities. There isn’t really an age limit and each Anytime Fitness Gym complies with state laws on age requirements and age restrictions.

In other words, your best option to find out if you can train at Anytime Fitness as a 16-year-old is to contact the local gym that’s near you to learn about their age policies. 

Equinox

If you’re a 16-year-old, you can access and use the services provided by Equinox but only with the consent of a parent or guardian and strictly under their supervision which means that you can’t go alone. You’re only allowed to go alone if you’re 18 years old or the age of the majority that’s dictated by your jurisdiction where you live. 

L.A Fitness

L.A Fitness is just as accessible as Gold’s Gym and Crunch Fitness since it allows 16-year-olds to get a membership with ease. If you want to access its facility, just head on over to their websites, fill out your information, and schedule a time to grab your membership without much paperwork involved. 

Lifetime Fitness

If you’re a 16-year-old, you’re allowed to access the gym under the supervision of an adult as long as your parent or legal guardian submits an online consent form that contains information about the parent/guardian, the supervising adult/accompanying member, visited location, and information about you. 

Here is a visual representation of everything we said so far:

Conclusion:

As you can see, as a 16-year-old, there are plenty of options for you to choose from and they’re all popular gyms. If you have a gym near you that isn’t mentioned in this article, the best way to find out if it allows teens of your age is by contacting them directly and asking for their age policies.