Walk into almost any Planet Fitness on a weekday morning in July and you’ll notice something that wasn’t always there — teenagers. Groups of high school students were using treadmills, hovering close to cable machines, and learning how the plate-loaded equipment operated. Some look confident. Some clearly don’t. However, their presence is more significant than it may appear.
Now in its sixth year, Planet Fitness has revived its High School Summer Pass program for 2026. The deal is simple: from June 1 to August 31, teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19 can register online and work out for free at any participating location. No monthly fee. No commitment. Just have access. That’s a fairly large net to cast, with more than 2,900 locations in the United States and Canada.
The addition of Gymshark as a presenting partner is what gives this year’s program a slightly different feel. After signing up, all participants receive an exclusive discount to the gymwear brand. This small but noteworthy detail indicates that Planet Fitness considers the entire experience, not just the gym floor. Having appropriate workout attire can be more important than it may seem for an adolescent who has never visited a weight room and is unsure of where to begin. Arriving prepared has a psychological impact.
This initiative’s statistics are truly impressive. Earlier this year, Planet Fitness commissioned a nationwide survey of 1,000 teenagers, and the findings present an honest rather than concerning picture. Almost 95% of teenagers said they had struggled emotionally or mentally at some point. Over half of the respondents mentioned anxiety as the most prevalent. Around 49 percent said they wrestle with body image. These aren’t theoretical figures; rather, they represent what many parents already perceive to be going on at home, frequently with no obvious way to express it.

It turns out that one of the outlets that teenagers most identify with is exercise. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed said working out helps them manage life’s pressures. Two-thirds said it made them feel proud of themselves. That’s not a marketing statistic — that’s a teenager saying the gym made them feel better about who they are. It’s difficult not to find that significant.
Here, cost has always been the silent obstacle. Lack of funds was cited as a major barrier to increased exercise by about 70% of teenagers surveyed. Almost half stated that they are unable to prioritize fitness financially. However, 83% of respondents stated they would visit a gym if it were free. In its most basic form, the High School Summer Pass is a solution to that particular issue.
Since the program’s launch in 2019, Planet Fitness has reportedly invested more than $460 million in waived membership dues, with over 10 million teen participants during that time. It is more difficult to determine whether those figures correspond to long-term fitness habits. Building consistency in a three-month window is genuinely difficult. However, the groundwork is in place, and for some teenagers, summer is their only window.
This year, WNBA player Flau’jae Johnson and Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix are both involved, using their platforms to promote teen involvement. It’s a smart move — not because celebrity endorsements solve anything on their own, but because visibility matters to a 16-year-old scrolling through social media who isn’t sure the gym is a place for someone like them.
You can register at PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass right now. Teens under the age of eighteen must register with a parent or legal guardian, and they will work out at the designated location. It’s a simple process, and that simplicity is probably the point. A teen’s first workout should happen as soon as possible.
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