Everyone needs regular exercise, but not everyone can afford to get a gym membership. The good news is that a new fitness trend is making workouts more accessible for everyone: outdoor gyms.

These facilities offer various fitness equipment just like a regular gym, but they are usually installed in public parks and other recreational areas where anyone is free to use them. The equipment are often made of weather-resistant materials and resemble those found in playgrounds, which is why outdoor gyms are sometimes called “playgrounds for grown-ups.”

This alternative venue to gyms and fitness centers has quickly gained popularity around the world. But why exactly are more and more cities investing in them?

Goodview Heights, Kajang, Malaysia

Advantages of Outdoor Gyms

Outdoor gyms democratize fitness, allowing anyone to put in a solid workout at any time they wish. Arguably, outdoor facilities help promote public health, enabling everyone to start their fitness journey without requiring a major financial investment, since such facilities are absolutely free to use.

Aside from the obvious benefits of having healthier citizens, outdoor fitness gyms also provide important economic benefits to the cities and municipalities who install them.  Public amenities increase real estate values by virtue of offering residents additional recreational activities. An outdoor gym also brings the community together, and helps deter vandalism and other crimes as public spaces are occupied more frequently and for longer periods of time.

A Look at Outdoor Gyms Around the World

Muscle Beach Gym (California, USA)

Regarded by many as the world’s most popular outdoor gym, Muscle Beach Gym provides the perfect place to work those muscles, and serves as an ideal spot for flexing and posing as the gym is literally beside the Venice Beach boardwalk. Famous figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger also used to work out here, which is why it continues to be a popular tourist destination.

North Bondi Gym (Sydney, Australia)

Like Muscle Beach Gym, North Bondi Gym is also famed for its scenic location: right beside the iconic Bondi Beach. But what truly differentiates this gym is its adherence to functional training. There are no equipment installed here—just bars and benches, which encourage users to experiment with the different bodyweight exercises.

Green Heart Gym (Hull, UK)

Green Heart Gym is arguably the greenest outdoor fitness venue in the world. Its equipment aren’t just weather-proof, they also allow users to generate electricity while they’re using them, making it a sustainable facility. Most of the equipment, like the free-to-use stationary bikes, have an energy display unit installed, which indicates the amount of energy produced during one’s workout.

Landscape Park (Hainan Province, China)

Who said working out outdoors can’t be comfortable? As you can see in Landscape Park—just one of the 600,000 outdoor gyms in China—each of the workout stations has a canopy over it to protect users from the sun and rain.

Outdoor Gyms are coming soon to Manila!

E-Sports believes in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, and through our close partnership with Park Games Equipment—one of the world’s leading providers of high-quality outdoor gym equipment—we’ll soon be unveiling the Philippines’ first-ever outdoor gym in Taguig City!

Head over to the E-Sports page for the latest news and updates.

Photo Credits:

Images are from Flickr, New Atlas, Concrete Playground, From The Grapevine, and Park Games Equipment Facebook Page.