Fitness al fresco
Outdoor gyms are gaining in popularity as more municipalities jump on board
Outdoor gyms aren’t new. California’s Muscle Beach, arguably the world’s most famous outdoor gym, was established in the 1930s and has a long and storied history of attracting bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.
Today, outdoor gyms are trending once again.
This time around they’re not designed for bodybuilders, but the average Joe or Jill looking for a gym with a blue sky instead of fluorescent lighting and the sounds of nature versus the cacophony of banging weights and rolling treadmills. The fact that most outdoor gyms are free of charge and without opening and closing hours makes them even more accessible, and appealing, to the general public.
Most large and many smaller Canadian cities have installed outdoor gyms, which puts us in good company with countries such as Chile, Australia, Brazil, the U.S. and Taiwan, which have thousands of these gyms available to their citizens.
What constitutes an outdoor gym? The equipment tends to be simple and durable in design, doesn’t require electricity and is open to the elements, without any walls, a roof or doors. The gyms are designed for adult use, which puts them in a different category than a playground. But as more and more cities invest in outdoor gyms, it’s worth examining their use and whether they help build a fitter community.
A group of Australian researchers reviewed studies looking at usage trends in outdoor gyms, as well as the impact they had on the fitness and health of local residents. Interestingly, most municipalities don’t keep statistics on gym usage. And the stats that have been gathered, either by the cities or by researchers, have shown very little in the way of clear-cut trends. That said, some details stood out in the collected data.Most outdoor gym users live near the setup, and workouts tend to last 15 to 30 minutes. As for when the gyms are most likely to be used, mornings, late afternoon and early evenings are the busiest times. What the data doesn’t tell us is whether more men or women use the gyms, and what age group is more likely to use the equipment.
Eric Tomeo is founder and president of TrekFit, one of the most popular versions of outdoor gyms in Canada. He installs 80 to 100 outdoor gyms annually and says most municipalities don’t try to define a specific set of needs or users when installing one. Their focus is simply to jump on the outdoor gym bandwagon.
West of Montreal, the city of Beaconsfield recently installed two outdoor gyms. Michèle Janis, director of culture and leisure, and her associate, Annie Bouthillier, say they’re anxious to see whether the parks entice people to be more active, but have no concrete plans to monitor who exactly is using the gyms.
“All our neighbours were doing it,” Janis said of the city’s reason for installing the gyms, “so everyone just sort of expected that we would jump on board.”
Janis wanted a gym that was easy to maintain and equipment with no movable parts
— no benches, pull-up bars, monkey bars or hurdles — a checklist Tomeo says is typical for most municipalities. Still, some cities want their outdoor gyms to resemble indoor ones, with equipment that looks and moves like the cardio and strength-training machines found in most fitness clubs.
Perhaps more important than the equipment in an outdoor gym is the location. The most used gyms are in high-traffic areas, as users encourage more users. Lots of municipalities install outdoor gyms close to recreation centres, hoping to capitalize on an already active population. Others locate their gyms close to the segment of the population they most want to reach — seniors, young professionals or adolescents — or in areas with high-density housing.
As at any gym, not everyone knows how to use the equipment. And without any staff on hand to provide tips or answer questions, novice users may not be able to take full advantage of the municipality’s investment. To help educate its citizens, the city of Beaconsfield has hired a fitness professional who will offer a free orientation to the new equipment. Other cities have done the same in hopes of encouraging more use.
As for Tomeo, he’s taking the outdoor gym business a step further and is starting to install urban obstacle courses, similar to those used for challenges on the popular American Ninja Warrior TV series. He wants to install equipment that appeals to all ages, and on which people can be challenged physically but still have fun.
“The outdoor gym of tomorrow will be an adult playground,” said Tomeo.
Maybe the goal of a good outdoor gym isn’t to replicate its indoor cousin, but rather to take full advantage of what the outdoors has to offer.