Now You Can Set Up a Kid’s Gym in Your Basement
Fun & Fitness Kids is a line of exercise machines for children.
Everybody agrees that raising active kids is important. Whether they should hit the gym, however, is still open to debate. Not every parent is cool with their six-year-old doing deadlifts three times a week, even if it does help clear their heads after a particularly stressful day of first grade. For parents who are into it, though (and/or want to turn the basement into a Planet Fitness franchise for kids), there’s Fun & Fitness Kids Exercise Equipment.
An honest-to-God line of real exercise equipment for children, Fun & Fitness Kids was originally created by Indiana-based W.C. Redmon Company at the request of Nieman Marcus, says company President Peter Redmon. Recognizing that kids like to mimic their parents, even when they work out, the idea was to build a gym full of gear that “inspires kids to move and have an active lifestyle” and makes children’s exercise “fun, exciting, and safe.” Also, to keep them busy while dad gets his workout in.
Whether it’s considered a kids toy or real workout equipment, however, remains something of an open question, notes Redmon. Considering kids have such short attention spans, it’s unlikely they’re going to put in 45 minutes on the old treadmill but rather bounce around between machines until their parents are done. And in doing so, the argument goes, they’ve at least engaged in active play as opposed to sitting on the couch wailing on video games. Then again, there’s obviously nothing stopping some hardcore parent from using it to train his kid to dominate Field Day.
The Fun & Fitness Kids fitness equipment operates pretty much like its adult counterparts. The self-propelled (non-motorized) treadmill and stationary bike even having a working timer and odometer, respectively. There are seven pieces in all including a rowing machine, air walker, trampoline, and rotating exercise dish for a “full body workout.” There’s also, of course, the adjustable weight bench. It allows kids to do three exercises ⏤ bench press, leg curls, and leg lifts ⏤ using a 2-pound bar and dense foam weights. The total weight is 4.25 pounds. You can also buy a set of two dumbells and a jump rope separately.
The Fun & Fitness Kids machines are sold online at Amazon or Walmart and prices range from $60 for the trampoline up to $110 for the treadmill, which Redmon says is the most popular of the group. The whole gym will cost you about $500. Then again, if you charge the neighbor kids $10 a month plus membership fee, you’ll recoup that cash in no time.
