A military training area has drastically different requirements than your average gym. Put commercial gym equipment in your military yard, and you’re sure to end up with constant maintenance, costly repairs, and equipment failure.
When selecting outdoor fitness equipment for your military gym, it’s essential to choose the toughest equipment. Read on to learn about the best equipment for these demanding settings.
What to Look for in Outdoor Fitness Equipment for Military Training
When building an outdoor gym for military training, most commercial gym equipment simply won’t cut it. The conditions are harsher, the strain is greater, and the demands are higher. Look for the following when selecting outdoor fitness equipment for military training areas.
Simple Design
Keep in mind that the fewer moving parts, the fewer opportunities there are for failure. Commercial gym equipment includes cables, hydraulics, and plastic parts. In a military setting, each of these presents a new thing that can break, deteriorate, or fail. A fitness yard used by hundreds of service members each day can’t afford to have machinery that’s constantly out of order.
Instead, look for equipment that uses bodyweight for resistance, rather than parts that can wear out, rust, or snap under constant use and exposure. Your equipment should be built from heavy gauge steel instead of plastic and feature fully welded parts, rather than those that are simply bolted together.
Weather-Proof Construction
Outdoor military training rarely happens in a mild climate. Equipment may be exposed to sand, salt air, and extreme heat, all of which can put serious strain on fitness equipment. It’s vital to choose equipment that’s specifically treated with protective coatings to withstand the harshest conditions. Simple “powder coating” typically won’t cut it. Inquire about coating thickness in millimeters, as well as salt-spray rating.
Multi-User Equipment
The military lifestyle is a communal one, and fitness is no different. Physical training typically happens as a group, which leaves plenty of opportunity for congestion. Equipment that can only support a single person at a time is destined to result in long waits as soldiers move from machine to machine. Not only can it be frustrating, but it’s hard to train endurance with 10 minute waits between each exercise.
Rather than choosing individual pieces of equipment, look for multi-user machinery that supports several people at once. These multi-gyms make the most out of limited space by creating several places to train in a compact footprint.
Pull-Up and Dip Rigs
Pull-ups and dips are central to fitness training in every branch of the military. That means a pull-up and dip rig is one of the most important pieces of outdoor fitness equipment for military areas. These exercises work the back and biceps, engage the core, and even improve grip.
For greater accessibility, add in a few sets of horizontal bars to benefit beginners who need a bit of assistance. These can support wide, narrow, and neutral grip positions for assisted pull-ups, dips, and even stretching.
Chest, Shoulders, and Arms
Pull-ups train the back of the arms, but pushing exercises target the chest, front of the shoulders, and triceps. Push-ups are a great place to start, but they aren’t sufficient alone.
Pressing stations like the seated chest press build pushing strength using bodyweight as resistance for functional strength. The overhead shoulder press also targets the shoulders and triceps with a vertical pressing motion. This enables balanced strength throughout the arms, shoulders, and chest.
Core and Lower Back Stations
A strong core and lower back are essential in the military. They support service members with heavy packs and body armor, protect the back when moving casualties or heavy equipment, and come into play when climbing, throwing, and even scrambling up uneven terrain.
To ensure your outdoor fitness equipment in your military gym supports a good core workout, add sit up boards and benches. These provide a dedicated, supported station to work out the abs and obliques. Then, a back extension station trains the rest of the muscles, including the lower back and glutes. The hinging motion improves posture and wards off lower back strain.
Legs and Lower Body
Military life puts the highest demand on the lower body. Sprinting, carrying, and climbing all require strong quads, hamstrings, and glutes. To train these muscles, make sure your military gym has a strong selection of leg and lower body equipment.
Start with leg presses and leg extensions, which isolate the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Add in a solid core workout with a squat press, which targets the same muscles but builds core stability. Learning how to do a safe squat is essential for any military member. Otherwise, they risk a poor lift putting them out of commission for days.
When it comes to the legs and lower body, bodyweight resistance is the best type of training you can find. It builds practical strength that can support them no matter where deployment takes them.
Cardio Equipment
Running may be the go-to in military fitness training, but it isn’t the right exercise for everyone. Running puts extreme strain on the joints, which can be a challenge for service members with joint issues or those who are recovering from an injury.
For these service members, provide low-impact cardio equipment. Air Walkers and Air Striders offer low-impact exercise, while the Elliptical Cross Trainer brings in the arms for a full-body cardio workout. Those who need seated support can benefit from an exercise bike, which offers an excellent cardio workout from a seated position.
Shop TriActive USA for Outdoor Fitness Equipment for Military Settings
A military fitness area has a defined set of demands. Equipment must be able to hold up to repeated use, withstand the elements, and provide a full-body workout. With this selection of equipment, your military gym can build strong service members equipped for wherever their service takes them.
For the best selection of outdoor fitness equipment for military settings, shop TriActive USA. Our equipment is built to withstand the toughest environments, whether exposed to extreme heat, salt spray, or sand blast. Like our service members, our products are proudly made in the USA. Contact us today to start selecting your equipment.
