Changing the Standard of Outdoor Fitness Equipment
It is common for landscape architects and park planners to prioritize the look and appearance of an outdoor gym instead of focusing on how it functions for the community that will be using it. In municipal RFPs, we see specifications for outdoor fitness equipment saying it cannot look "industrial" and that it needs "to be constructed of the same wooden materials as the wood play structure to blend in with the surrounding environment." Industrial-looking equipment is typically constructed from heavy-duty steel and materials, and a certain level of durability and longevity is associated with that. This quality can decrease the equipment's lifetime costs and future maintenance. Additionally, have you ever seen indoor fitness equipment made of wood materials? For an outdoor gym to deliver real exercise results and withstand any environment, the equipment has to look different.
To maximize your project's success and return on investment, RFPs should prioritize specifying durable and functional equipment rather than appearance features. In an indoor fitness center, fitness equipment is chosen based on its construction and how well it functions. The priority in an indoor commercial fitness center is to provide real fitness equipment that delivers real exercise results – so we ask, why is this not the mindset when designing an outdoor gym? When creating an RFP for an outdoor fitness park, consider including these elements to increase your projects success rate:
- Warranty that doesn't exclude certain locations and environments
- Compact footprint
- ASTM F3101-21a compliant
- Multi-user design
- Painted with super durable polyester powder that's resistant to extreme weather conditions
- Biomechanically correct exercise stations
In a current world where grocery prices are inflated, and kids are expensive, many people just don't have excess monthly income to spend on gym memberships. Installing an outdoor gym is a great way to provide accessible and free fitness solutions to the community. When designing an outdoor gym, it is essential to remember that people want equipment that delivers the same exercise effectiveness as using indoor equipment.
Outdoor gyms are commonly installed in a park or near housing developments, and the planning department or landscape architect wants the gym to blend in with its surrounding environment. An outdoor gym that blends in with the community may look good at first glance, but if the equipment doesn't receive frequent use, this can diminish the site's appearance. Outdoor fitness equipment that does not get used becomes a waste of space and an eye-sore to the community as it stops being maintained and the chance of vandalism increases.
It is time to change the public perception of outdoor fitness equipment and start emphasizing its function rather than its form.
Outdoor-Fit is changing the standard of outdoor fitness equipment. We don't build playground equipment for adults; We bring the proper exercise biomechanics of commercial indoor fitness equipment to the great outdoors. And to do this, the equipment has to look different.