Getting exercise, and quality time with mom and dad

CANTON -- Michelle and Bailey were facing off in a competition that required each to run to the center of the long AstroTurfed room in the Canton gym, grab weights, and dash back to their home base, which they repeated a few times. Both were sweating from exertion, but in the end, Bailey won. Next up were Lynn and Christie; Christie got the final edge over Lynn.

But give Michelle Millerd and Lynn Donovan of Hingham credit. Bailey and Christie are their daughters, with lungs and legs decades younger. As Lynn, 48, prepared for her sprint, she said to 14-year-old Christie: ''Remember, my left knee hurts, so Mom gets a little bit of a break."

Not much of one. For more than an hour, a trainer put the mothers and daughters through a series of rigorous paces at the Competitive Athlete Training Zone, or CATZ for short. They stopped only for an occasional sip of water between squats, sit-ups, push-ups, obstacle courses, hurdles, weights, and other tortures dictated by training coach Meredith Stewart.

Those in the multibillion-dollar exercise business say they're seeing more and more parents working out with their children. The sessions serve a dual purpose: strengthening the body and the parent-child bond. In a fast-paced society, such multitasking appeals to parents who want to stay fit but feel guilty taking time away from their kids while they exercise.

''Athletics for a lot of kids is part of the family dynamic," says Todd Ducharme, executive vice president of CATZ, which has four training centers in the Boston area. ''To have an environment where parents can actually share that rather than just be a spectator is something special."

At his facilities, it was parents who pushed for the idea. ''They watched their kids and said it looked like fun, so we said, why don't you jump in?" he says. At the Canton CATZ, a group of mothers come with their daughters, or occasionally, their sons. ''It's awesome," says Lynn. ''The girls don't want their moms to beat them. But you better believe I try." She also works out with her 16-year-old son.

Michelle, who is 35, considers herself a jock. She swam on her high school and college teams, and she and her husband belong to a master's swim group. She also runs with her 10-year-old daughter and last year took up ice hockey because both of her girls play. So when Bailey, her 14-year-old, began working out last year, her mother asked if she could join her.

''I'm definitely more competitive when I work out with her," says Michelle. ''She pushes me, she teaches me." Bailey says she, too, works out harder when her mother is there: ''I really want to beat her."

Halfway through the recent workout, the mother-daughter teams have worked up a sweat. ''Has anyone ever passed out doing this?" Lynn asks after completing a set of one-armed pushups on a raised box.

''Passed out, no. Thrown up, yes," replies their coach. Stewart, who has a master's degree in exercise science, especially enjoys the parent-child sessions she directs. ''It's always a good time," she says. ''It makes the dynamic a little different to throw a parent in there."

Based on the trend that trainers noticed at CATZ, the company has started Family Fitness Saturdays, where families can work out together for $15. The children must be at least 8 years old, and the sessions are available in Canton, Needham, Acton, and Woburn.

Jerry Shafir is 53, his daughter Kate 18. At 6 feet 6 inches, Jerry played basketball at Yale. Kate, who is 6 feet tall, has been recruited to play basketball next year at Mount Holyoke College. Father and daughter go to the Boston Sports Club in Allston and work on basketball fundamentals, take spinning classes, and do strength training. For Jerry, a businessman who lives in Newton, the commuting time to and from the gym is almost as valuable as the workout itself.

''Teenage girls push their parents away," he says. ''In the car, we get one-on-one time. After a workout, my daughter is more animated, energized, and positive. She's much easier to engage, to talk to about things that are more serious. It gives me some really good parenting time."

Still, the dual workouts reflect the reality that parents like spending time with their teens more than the teens appreciate it. ''Initially, I didn't like it because I felt my father was watching me at the gym," says Kate. ''He had all these aspirations for me. Sometimes it's really fun to play pickup basketball with him. Sometimes I just want to do my own thing and work at my own pace." But Kate knows how much the workouts mean to her father: ''He works all day and this is his one chance to do something with me."

Lindsay Arnold of Milton can relate. A varsity rower at the University of Virginia, the sophomore often goes to the gym with her mother whenever she's home. ''To be honest, I used to get really embarrassed," says Lindsay. ''But when I think about it now, it's really impressive that my 56-year-old mother is running 3 or 4 miles and cares about staying fit. It sets a good example for me as I get older."

And that is one of the goals Ann Moritz had in mind when she first approached her daughter about training together. ''I kind of have the same attitude I had when I first made the decision to go back to school," says Ann, who is working on a PhD at Lesley College. ''I thought that would be a pretty good example for my kids. I have this real 'use it or lose it' attitude."

Still, Ann doesn't pretend to compete with Lindsay in the gym. ''I love having something that we both enjoy, but she's a Division I athlete."