The AP recently ran a report on one of the first gyms specifically for teenagers in the US, Overtime Fitness.   Considering that 1 out of 3 children, ages 6-19 is either overweight or at a risk of being overweight, a fitness facility targeted at a younger age group. 

As the AP reports, the gym focuses on attracting teenagers and showing them how to exercise properly.  

"At other gyms no one would sit down and teach me how to use the weights or the machines," said Wallace, a junior at Palo Alto High School. "Here, you get a lot of personal attention and that gives you motivation."

Wallace's mom pays the $59 monthly fee at Overtime, a Mountain View gym with about 100 teen members and ambitious plans for regional and even national franchises.

It's a mix of conventional training equipment - treadmills, free weights, yoga mats - and kid-friendly features like a rock-climbing wall and cheerleading conditioning sessions. Experts offer nutritional counseling and academic tutoring.

Personal trainers give one-on-one lessons, while "floor trainers" roam at high-traffic hours to make sure kids are using the equipment properly. Classes include sparring, spinning, cardio boxing and the popular "Butts and Guts," led by a 26-year-old Stanford University alum who's also a 6-foot-6 professional volleyball player.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, which used to be a privately owned virtual reality flight simulation center, takes inspiration from its Silicon Valley surroundings. An arcade features video games requiring kids to box, dance and jump. Riders race against each other on stationary bikes networked to a server.

Cutting edge technology, check.  A staff dedicated to training teens, check.  A pretty hefty price tag, double check!  $60 a month for a gym membership isn't cheap.  Clearly, this is an upmarket facility (there is a $109 initiation fee).  And yes, in most major cities, this isn't that expensive.  But, keep in mind that 1) We are talking about children who should be playing sports and participating in phys. ed already, and 2) these are children!

Granted, when I was growing up, not too, too long ago, kids did strength and endurance training, but it was for the sake of sports.  Not instead of.  Times are different now, though.  

One of the reasons why parents send their kids to Overtime Fitness is because of a cut in funding for phys. ed programs, according to the article.  However, the price tag for the Teen gym is probably too high for lower income households.  

Overtime's buisness model is not proving successful, as targeting teens has not led to a profit.  The gym is expanding its membership base to include adults now.  This probably won't affect whether or not teenagers come.  In fact, it seems the plan is to use revenues from adult memberships to subsidize youth memberships.  While it still won't be cheap, at least attempting to ingrain a healthy lifestyle into the younger generation should still be seen as a positive.