Minimum age at gyms in Portugal in 2026: each chain's rules, parental authorisation, DGS and WHO recommendations, and when a private studio is the better option.
This guide clears up that confusion once and for all. You will see the legal framework explained in two sentences, the table of the main chains in Portugal and what each one requires, the official DGS and WHO recommendations on training for teenagers, the document checklist for signing up a minor and the cases where a private studio makes more sense than an open gym.
In Portugal, in 2026, there is no legal text setting a minimum age for attending gyms. The Decreto-Lei 141/2009 regulates sports facilities in terms of safety, equipment and responsible technical staff, but it is silent on who can walk through the door.
That is why each chain sets its own rule. The decision typically rests on three pillars: the minimum civil age for entering into a contract (which the Código Civil allows for minors with authorisation from a legal guardian), the coverage capacity of the club's insurance and the profile of the other users who frequent the space.
What this means for you in practice: the number you will hear varies by gym. The rule is not "14" or "16" across the board, it is "depends on the venue". The only truly universal requirement is that, below 18 you always need written authorisation from a legal guardian.
Minimum age at the main chains in Portugal
The table below sums up the rule at the five most relevant chains in the Portuguese market, cross-referencing minimum age and parental authorisation requirements. Sources are each chain's official FAQ or membership terms, consulted in April 2026.
The takeaway is straightforward: if your gym of choice is Holmes Place or Fitness UP, you can sign up at 14 with your guardian's authorisation. If it is Vivagym, GoGym or TTF, you have to wait until 16. In every case, someone of legal age has to sign the liability waiver.
What the DGS, the WHO and the science say
The Direção-Geral da Saúde, in line with the World Health Organization's 2020 recommendations, prescribes for children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, predominantly aerobic, complemented by muscle and bone strengthening activities on at least 3 days a week.
Strength training with external loads (dumbbells, machines, bars) is considered safe and beneficial from 14 or 15 years old, provided three conditions are met. First, appropriate loads: no attempts at absolute maxima (1RM), the work should stay in sets with perfect technique. Second, technical supervision from someone who knows their stuff. Third, no competitive peer pressure to "push more weight", which is where the overwhelming majority of injuries happen.
Before 14, the recommendation changes in nature. The focus should be on movement (running, jumping, ball games, calisthenics) and not on load. It is not a moral rule, it is a matter of effectiveness: at that stage of development, more is gained from coordination than from weight. Adding weight while technique is still forming creates movement patterns that are hard to correct later on.
In practical terms, the 60 daily minutes from the WHO and the DGS do not have to be done at the gym. For a 13-year-old, they can be a PE class at school, plus 30 minutes on the bike home, plus 15 minutes skipping rope. For a 16-year-old, they can be two weekly strength training sessions at the gym (45 minutes each) interspersed with running or team sport on the remaining days. The most recommended exercises in this age range are bodyweight or light-bar squats, technical deadlift, inverted row, push-ups and plank. The ones to avoid are bench press with maximum loads, Olympic lifts without a qualified coach and any sets to technical failure.
Documents and authorisation: what you need to bring
To sign a minor up at a gym in Portugal, bring the following:
The minor's Cartão de Cidadão (or passport, for foreign citizens).
The legal guardian's Cartão de Cidadão (a copy, in some cases simply showing it is enough).
Written authorisation: most chains have their own form which includes a health declaration and a waiver. Holmes Place and Fitness UP require an in-person signature; others (most of them) accept the form signed at home beforehand.
A basic medical certificate (not universal): some gyms ask for it before the first session. It is not universal, but it is worth asking before heading down to avoid a second trip to the health centre.
Before signing, ask the gym three questions: which zones or machines are off-limits while the user is a minor, whether there is a requirement for adult accompaniment during sessions, and what the membership cancellation policy is (some chains keep the lock-in term active even for minors). Getting the answers in writing (email, screenshot of the regulations) protects you if there is any disagreement later on. The two chains that accept members from 14 (Holmes Place and Fitness UP) open all areas of the club, including cardio, free weights and machines, under the same written authorisation.
When a private studio makes sense
Most cases are sorted with an open gym: you pay the monthly fee, bring your child along with the authorisation and it works. But there are three scenarios where a private studio, like MySelf Studio, fits better for a minor.
The first is the teenager under 16 with no chain that accepts them. Because the session is booked by an adult, the barrier of "you're not old enough to sign up yet" is bypassed, since the person signing up is the adult and the minor enters as a companion. Our model allows two people training plus a third non-training person (typically the personal trainer supervising), so parent and child training with a PT guiding them fits perfectly.
The second is the teenager who feels watched. For many young people in the middle of discovering their bodies, the audience of a crowded gym is the main reason they never train consistently. A private studio removes the audience: no one comes in, no one notices. We cover this in more detail in the benefits of private training.
The third is the unpredictable schedule. Teenagers with variable school timetables, exams stacked together, weekends away competing at a sport, or parents who travel often, resent a fixed monthly fee. With the private model you only pay for what you use, and a pack of sessions lasts weeks or months without the pressure of "making it worth it" before it expires.
It is worth repeating the rule we apply at MySelf Studio: the main account has to belong to someone aged 18 or older. The session allows up to three people in the studio, with a maximum of two training at the same time. The third person is only allowed when they are not training, typically a personal trainer supervising (parent and child training with a PT guiding them is the typical scenario). If you are comparing closed-space options in Lisbon, see our guide to private gyms in Lisbon. The benefits of private training cover in more detail why this format solves most of the barriers that teenagers point to for never getting around to training.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no minimum age set by law. In practice, it ranges from 14 to 16 depending on the chain. Holmes Place and Fitness UP accept members from 14, while Vivagym, GoGym and TTF start at 16.
Almost always no. Even at chains that accept minors from 16, written authorisation from a legal guardian is required. Sign-up happens with the adult present or with a form signed in advance.
Holmes Place and Fitness UP, both with a minimum age of 14 and mandatory parental authorisation. At private studios such as MySelf Studio, any adult aged 18 or older can book and bring a child with them to the same session.
The minor's Cartão de Cidadão, the legal guardian's Cartão de Cidadão and a signed written authorisation (the gym's own form). Some chains also ask for a basic medical certificate before the first session.
Yes, from 14 or 15 years old, with appropriate loads and supervised technique. The DGS and the WHO recommend muscle strengthening at least 3 days a week between the ages of 5 and 17. The risk is in pushing for maximum lifts without supervision, not in the exercise itself.
From the moment they can follow technical cues, typically from 12 or 13 years old with light loads and a focus on movement. Before 14, the PT's work focuses more on coordination, mobility and calisthenics than on classic weight training.
Yes, as long as the session is booked by an adult aged 18 or older. The minor enters as a companion, alongside any personal trainer. The absolute limit is three people in the studio, with a maximum of two training at the same time, and the third person must be non-training (typically the PT supervising). The account can never belong to the minor themselves.
Traditional gyms do not accept them. Below that age, structured sport is the recommendation: football, gymnastics, swimming, dance. At home or in a private studio, with supervision, they can do age-appropriate movement.
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TLDR: Key Points
There is no national law setting a minimum age; each gym decides its own rule
Holmes Place and Fitness UP accept members from age 14 with parental authorisation
Vivagym, GoGym and TTF accept members from age 16
For anyone under 18, written authorisation from a legal guardian is mandatory
At MySelf Studio the account must belong to an adult, but the session can include a minor
MySelf Studio
