Health Club operator Planet Fitness is offering high school students aged 15 to 18 years the opportunity to work out for free at any of its 1,700 locations throughout the US.

The offer will be available from 15 May to 1 September 2019 as part of the nationwide Teen Summer Challenge initiative.

The initiative is designed to offer a solution for teenagers to stay active during the summer when school sports programmes, gym classes and after-school activities wind down.

"Teens today are under ever-increasing pressure to succeed academically and socially, battle a growing list of responsibilities both inside and outside of the classroom and become well-rounded members of their community," said Chris Rondeau, Planet Fitness CEO.

"At Planet Fitness, a healthy and active lifestyle should never be a challenge – which is why we're flipping that notion on its head with the launch of the nationwide Teen Summer Challenge.

"We want to give teens across the US the chance to stay active when school is out – a time when they may not otherwise have access to organized fitness or athletic programs, which is why we're offering a safe space to exercise for free and spend time with their friends all summer long."

The Planet Fitness offer comes shortly after The US Department of Health & Human Services released new physical activity guidelines, which recommend young people aged between six and 17 to undertake a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day.

According to figures from the Department of Health, 80 percent of Americans do not currently meet the recommended amount of physical activity.

Planet Fitness currently operates 1,742 stores in 50 US states, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico.