Outdoor Exercise Equipment: Lose the Garden Furniture Grandpa, make way for the Outdoor Gym.

There are a number of firms making outdoor exercise equipment, and a quick glance at their catalogues reveals similar ranges of sturdy basic machines. Obviously, their main markets are schools or local government, but there’s an argument for investing in some of these machines for personal use if you have the space and the money.

Having grown up in the days when a stand of swings and a potentially lethal roundabout were considered suitable furniture for the local playground, the stuff on offer in the pages of the online catalogues I looked at came as something of a revelation. I was particularly impressed with the airwalkers offered by several firms. Sturdy, built to last, free standing machines made from tube steel and powder coated in a choice of colours. Just from the photographs you can feel the heft and quality of the machines. It stands to reason that outdoor equipment needs something extra in the way of build quality, with the added factor of the weather and regular heavy use thrown into the mix, and these items seem to have it. Having seen how ordinary gym customers can wear down expensive and solidly built equipment over time, just by showing up and using it, you have to wonder what the lifespan of some of this gear might be. When you stock open park land with machinery, you have to factor in vandalism and misuse. Making sure the equipment is built like a brick outhouse seems to have been a major design influence.

So what’s on offer? One catalogue I looked at offers many different stations intended to promote either strength, flexibility, cardio-vascular fitness, or balance. That’s a whole body total fitness workout right there. Most are simply constructed, with no moving parts: horizontal or parallel bars, my personal favourite the horizontal ladder, a pull up station. Some feature a rotating plate on which to stand and twist while maintaining a grip, to provide a flexibility workout for the waist and other parts. Some, like the air walkers, are as complicated as these machines tend to get, which is to say not too complicated at all. In every case, the emphasis is on simple function and build quality. If you’ve room enough, and the cash to spare, you could do worse than install one or two carefully chosen stations in your garden. While wear and tear might be a factor in open parks, one of these machines would last a lifetime in the possession of a sole user.

What’s my verdict on open air exercise equipment? If I had the money and enough space in my garden, I’d be on the phone now. As to working out in public, in a park, I’m not so sure. Great for kids in a school playground, a little less enticing for grown ups. Maybe that’s just me.

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