As obesity rates continue to rise, staying active is more important than ever. Unfortunately, paying for a gym membership and going to the gym a few times a week isn’t realistic for everyone. Even if people want to stay fit, they may not have access to the resources they need.
Outdoor fitness parks are becoming a popular solution when it comes to keeping communities fit. Installing an outdoor gym gives community members a place to come together and stay active, helping keep the community strong and healthy.
Want to learn more about the benefits of park fitness equipment and how you can get started? Check out this guide to learn how to choose the right equipment, set up an outdoor gym in parks, and keep your outdoor fitness equipment in good shape.
Benefits of Park Fitness Equipment
Staying active is always a smart move health-wise, but park fitness equipment offers some unique benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the ways outdoor park gyms can strengthen your community.
Health
Whether you hit the gym, go for a light jog, or play basketball, exercise always offers health benefits. Exercising regularly helps you maintain a healthy weight, which contributes to heart health and reduces the stress on your joints. You can even enjoy a better night’s sleep when you exercise regularly.
Exercising can also offer several mental health benefits. Spending around 30 minutes exercising each day gives you a chance to relax your mind and give yourself a mental break. As an added bonus, exercise boosts your endorphins which helps you manage stress and improve your mood.
Social benefits
Going to the gym isn’t just about staying physically fit — it’s also about the community experience. Adding an outdoor gym in parks gives everyone in your community a place to gather and work out together.
For many people, it’s easier to stay active when there’s a social element to exercising. With park fitness equipment, people can share workout tips, talk about recent community events, and encourage each other to keep pushing forward.
Accessibility
Most larger cities have a handful of indoor gyms to choose from. Unfortunately, these gyms usually have expensive membership programs that are hard to cancel. For some people, traditional gyms aren’t an option.
With park fitness equipment, everyone has access to the equipment they need to stay fit. Our collection of outdoor fitness equipment includes cardio machines, strength training equipment, plyo boxes, balance beams, and more.
When you add an outdoor park gym to your community, you’re giving everyone access to an essential health resource.
Choosing the Right Equipment
Choosing the right equipment is a crucial part of building an outdoor gym in parks. With the right equipment, everyone can get a full-body workout with cardio. Let’s take a look at some of the best park fitness equipment.
Accessible Multi-Gym
Our Accessible Multi-Gym offers four different workouts in one machine, making it easy to get a complete workout. A wheelchair-accessible design means anyone can use our multi-gym, and it’s safe for multiple users at once.
If you’re trying to build a complete outdoor gym, our multi-gym is a good place to start. For high-traffic parks and schools, you can install a second multi-gym to make sure everyone has access to equipment.
Four-person Modular Series
Our Modular Series is designed to combine several workouts in one simple machine, Our Four-Person Modular Series includes a pull-up station with various difficulty levels, a dip and knee raise station, a back extension station, and a plyo box.
The Four-Person Modular Series is ideal for parks and playgrounds thanks to its small footprint. Like our other equipment, our Modular series units are made with high-gauge steel and designed to withstand harsh weather for outdoor use.
Eight-person Modular Series
Our Eight-Person Modular Series is the second version in our Modular series, adding a handful of new stations to the four-person unit. This Modular unit includes a pull up station with varying difficulty levels, a dip and knee raise station, a back extension station, a plyo box, an inclined sit up board, a sit up station, and parallel bars.
The Eight-Person Modular Series is designed to accommodate a minimum of 7 users at once, so you don’t have to worry about one station being too crowded. If you have a minimal amount of space for park fitness equipment, the Eight-Person Modular Series is ideal.
Pull Up & Dip Station
Pull ups and dips are perfect if you want to work on your upper body. Our Pull Up & Dip Station features a dip station on one side with a pull up station on the other, offering a comprehensive upper body workout. Since both stations are on opposite sides, two people can use the Pull Up & Dip Station at the same time.
Combo Press & Pull
Our Combo Press & Pull is designed to accommodate two users at once with one seated chest press station and one seated lat pull down station. These are both great upper body workouts that help strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and back.
Saving space is key when you’re building an outdoor gym, and our Combo Press & Pull combines two stations in one smaller footprint.
Exercise Bike
Cardio is one of the cornerstones of physical fitness. Training for strength and flexibility is great, but cardio helps strengthen your cardiovascular system and build the endurance you need to stay active.
Our Exercise Bike is a simple solution if you want to offer cardio equipment at your park gym. This bike offers the same functionality as an indoor exercise bike, helping burn calories while offering a leg and arm workout.
Cardio is one of the biggest keys to weight loss and heart health, so we recommend offering some cardio equipment at your community park.
Elliptical Cross Trainer
While our Exercise Bike offers a seated cardio workout, our Elliptical Cross Trainer offers a slightly more intense standing workout. The Elliptical Cross Trainer burns slightly more calories than a traditional exercise bike, and its low-impact design puts less stress on the knees and ankles during long workouts.
Consider investing in a few cardio stations so people can decide how they want to work out. We also offer the Air Strider and Air Walker for low-impact cardio, so there’s a way for everyone to work out.
Rowing Machine
Rows are one of the most effective workouts because they target several muscles at once. If you want to help your community stay fit, a Rowing Machine is a great addition to your park fitness equipment.
Our Rowing Machine uses a portion of your body weight to create resistance, so it’s safe and effective. Rows offer a cardiovascular workout while also targeting the back, shoulders, and biceps.
Parallel Bars
Parallel Bars allow people to get creative, which means they’re essential park fitness equipment. You can use our Parallel Bars for dips and other simple exercises, or you can check out some parallel bar videos on YouTube to see how other people are using them. The possibilities are endless with Parallel Bars — and kids love them too.
Tri-Level Horizontal Bar
Horizontal bars are a staple at parks and playgrounds all over the world, giving kids something to hang from and play on. Our Tri-Level Horizontal Bar isn’t just an excellent piece of workout equipment — it’s also a fun way for parents and kids to play together at the park.
The Tri-Level Horizontal Bar offers three different heights, so they’re a great solution if you want to create an inclusive park gym.
Balance Beam
Walking on a balance beam might not seem like much of a workout, but balance plays an essential role in physical fitness. Not only that but trying to maintain your balance on our Balance Beam also helps you strengthen and develop your core.
Our Balance Beam is the perfect addition whether you’re building a playground for kids or an outdoor gym at a park. Kids can use the Balance Beam to play while working on essential motor skills.
Plyo Boxes
Diversity is key when it comes to park fitness equipment, so you want to offer something for everyone. Our Plyo Boxes are a simple way for people to incorporate plyometrics into their routine workout. Plyometrics are a key part of increasing power, speed, and strength through explosive movements.
With three sizes, you can use our Plyo Boxes for everything from box jumps and step ups to tricep dips and depth jumps.
ADA accessible equipment
Nobody should be excluded from exercising — especially when it comes to outdoor community gyms. At TriActive USA, we offer a wide range of ADA-accessible park fitness equipment to make sure people with disabilities have access to your gym.
Some of the option we offer include our Wheelchair Accessible Combo Press & Pull and our Accessible Multi-Gym. You can consult one of our experts if you need help finding the best ADA park fitness equipment for your community.
How to Find the Best Park Exercise Equipment
At TriActive USA, we work hard to make sure we’re bringing you the best park fitness equipment. Here’s what you should look for when you’re shopping for outdoor fitness equipment — and what you’ll find at TriActive USA.
Safety is crucial when it comes to park fitness equipment. Our equipment uses your body weight to create resistance, so you don’t have to worry about anyone dropping heavy weights and getting hurt. Some of our equipment even features grip tape to prevent slip and fall accidents.
Durability is another huge factor when you’re choosing outdoor fitness equipment. Your park gym equipment needs to be able to stand up to heavy rain and snow, wind, and direct exposure to sunlight. TriActive USA equipment is made out of 4” x 4” high-gauge square steel tubing, offering support that stands the test of time. All of our equipment also features a 6-8 mil powder coating that’s tested for 1,000 hours of salt spray resistance, ensuring it can stand up to rain and wind.
All gym equipment requires maintenance, but quality equipment is easy to maintain. Thanks to the rugged design of TriActive USA fitness equipment, maintaining your equipment is as simple as wiping it down to clean it regularly. When your park gym isn’t being used, you can cover it up to prevent unnecessary damage. That’s about all you have to worry about when it comes to maintaining our equipment.
Lastly, look for equipment that’s easy to use. At TriActive USA, we keep things simple to make sure our equipment is accessible to everyone in your community. You shouldn’t have to be an expert to get a decent workout, so look for basic equipment that anyone can safely and comfortably use.
Building an Outdoor Park Gym
Now that you know the basics, you’re ready to start building your outdoor gym space and setting up your park fitness equipment. As simple as it may seem, there are a few key things to consider when you’re choosing a space and installing fitness equipment. Let’s walk through the three basic steps of building an outdoor park gym.
Finding a space
The first thing you need to do is find a space where you can set up your equipment. Think about how many people are going to use your park gym and how much equipment you plan on investing in. Once you know how much space your equipment is going to take up, make sure you have some extra space so there’s room between stations.
You also need to think about where you want to set up your gym within your park. Do you want the gym to be the main attraction near the entrance? Maybe there’s a pond your outdoor gym can overlook. No matter how you decide, choosing the right location is key.
Laying the foundation
Now that you know where you want to install your park gym, it’s time to start preparing the area. Park fitness equipment should be installed on firm, level ground to keep it from tipping over or rocking around during use.
If you have a solid grass area or a paved section where you can set up equipment, you should be good to go. If you don’t have an area for your equipment, choose a spot and start leveling it. Once the area is level, you can pour concrete or use compacted gravel to create a solid foundation for your equipment.
Installing equipment
Once your outdoor gym is ready to go, it’s time to install your equipment. Most of our equipment can be installed with concrete anchors, so you can bolt equipment to the ground for increased safety and theft prevention. You’ll need a drill to install these concrete anchors.
If you have any questions about installing park fitness equipment, feel free to reach out to one of our experts.
Finishing touches
You can invite your community to start using your park gym once all your equipment is installed, or you can add a few finishing touches to create an even better space.
For colder climates where rain is more common, consider covering your park gym so people can exercise in any weather. A covered outdoor gym can also be a nice way to provide shade during the peak of summer.
Park gyms are all about accessibility, and that means working out at night for some people. Install a few lights around your park gym so people have access to a gym during the late night and early morning hours.
You can also install a few benches around your gym for seating. These benches give people a spot to keep their bags and towels and a place to rest between stations.
Park Fitness Equipment Maintenance
At TriActive USA, we do our best to develop simple equipment that’s easy to maintain. You don’t have to do a lot to keep our equipment in good shape, but we do have some important park fitness equipment maintenance tips.
Start by cleaning your equipment regularly. This helps keep built-up dirt and grime from damaging your equipment while making it more sanitary to use. While you’re cleaning, check high-traffic areas and wear spots to see if there are any signs of rust or damage.
If you notice any scratched or damaged paint, touch it up to prevent corrosion. You can also remove rust to keep it from getting worse.
Check any moving parts of your equipment to make sure there’s no damage. If you notice any damage, you can call us to request replacement parts.
Conclusion
Physical fitness is an essential part of maintaining a happy, healthy community. Park exercise equipment is a simple way to make sure everyone in your community can come together to stay active.
At TriActive USA, we’ve developed an entire catalog of outdoor gym equipment to help communities like yours stay active. High-gauge steel tubing and a durable powder coating offer premium durability and weather resistance. Plus, all our equipment is safe to use since there are no free weights.
Want to learn more about how park exercise equipment can help your community stay active? Contact us our check out our catalog to start building your park gym today.
