There are many places to purchase fitness equipment. However, they’re usually overly complicated, surprisingly expensive with many moving parts and with a price that’s rather shocking. Also, almost all fitness equipment is designed for indoor usage only. Very few are created for permanent or semi-permanent outdoor use during the summer months.
The equipment that is designed for the outdoors tends to be metal monstrosities that are an eyesore to everyone who casts a look in their direction. They don’t fit into the environment whether they’re placed in the garden or the local park. When used in parks where some councils might install them as free outdoor fitness equipment for the local community, the metal clashes with the surrounding green environment, even when the metal is painted green.
A newer alternative is fitness equipment mostly made from wood. If it’s new to you, read on to learn more about it.
Looking Good in its Surroundings
Whether it’s a local parish council wanting to install a set of monkey bars in a park for the kids to play on or adults wanting to make use of outdoor gym equipment, workout areas tend to be blots on the landscape that put people off using them.
What’s needed is a set of monkey bars that feature a natural wood finish that’s pleasing to the eye. Some meaningful design put into the product would be an added bonus too. Wood such as oak comes with an attractive natural grain that fits seamlessly with a green environment. Outdoor gym equipment supplied by bespoke playground constructors PlayEquip is also made using locally supplied timber that is FSC certified, so the impact on the environment is minimal.
A wood stain coating can also be applied to further protect a set of wooden monkey bars or a double outdoor sit-up bench from the famous British weather. Choosing wisely can enhance the beautiful wood finish to ensure it still looks appropriate in a park area filled with turf, walkways and woodlands surrounding it.
Encourage Community Fitness Regardless of Gym Affordability
In communities that recognise the merits of health and fitness and understand that not everyone can afford a gym membership along with their other bills, it makes sense to provide some wooden fitness equipment in a public area.
Set around a designated spot for people interested in exercising in attractive surroundings but away from the glare of the lights, music and copious mirrors in a gym reflecting back their discomfort, an outdoor exercise area is decidedly more low-key. For people who aren’t used to exercising in public or with others, a community area to try walking a balance beam without falling off or to climb on some easy monkey bars holds greater appeal.
Not everyone is a gym enthusiast! Many people haven’t exercised since physical education at school. The idea of going to a gym nauseates them. But give them a chance to take some tentative first steps and they might surprise you. That’s because, instead of metal monstrosities filled with too many confusing features and electronic control pads, wooden gym equipment harks back to a simpler time, and that makes it more comfortable to get started. For community leaders wanting to inspire local people to give exercise a go, that’s music to their ears.
Pull Up Bars That Don’t Fall Down
Whilst self-installed pull up bars are great for your arms, chest and shoulders, if they have a common failing, it’s that they tend to fall down. Hanging suspended in the air, the bar becomes dislodged during use and is what we’d call a fundamental product failure. Unfortunately, this can cause people to injure themselves if they fall unexpectedly.
The problem is in the design of these bars. They’re usually made from metal and designed to fit between a door frame. The bar is supposed to push outwards on either end to create a suspension force. The only problem is that with enough weight applied to the bar, or when some momentum is added by someone moving towards the bar and grabbing onto it, the bar’s suspension system fails.
Outdoor pull up bars are different. They’re created from a wooden frame either from robinia or oak for strong beams. The bars are made from stainless steel for strength with stainless steel fixings to ensure they stay in place. A premium finish is added to make the steel look more attractive.
These types of wooden-based products look very apt in a natural setting like a park or other open area. There are no moving parts, so they’re durable and long-lasting through repeated use too. Almost zero maintenance is required to keep them in good working order.
Outdoor Sit Up Benches without Needing Someone to Help You
When wanting either equipment for a park or as some home gym equipment, you cannot go wrong with sit up benches. Usually, performing sit ups is difficult. They’re not like doing push ups in the bedroom in the morning. When you get into position and perform a sit up, your feet tend to rise up when you give it a try. How can you hold your feet down? If there’s someone to help you out, you can take turns performing a few sit ups to get your abs back in shape, otherwise you’re out of luck.
One solution is a solo sit up bench. Whilst it’s designed to be used outdoors, it works perfectly well indoors too. The solid wooden plank to lie on along with the stainless-steel bar to keep your feet in place ensures that you cannot cheat. Every sit up will be earned the right way from now on.
Garden Fitness Equipment for the Perfect Home Gym
If you’re not sure whether you want to create a home gym in the bedroom or a fuller one in your garage, then why not try some garden fitness equipment instead? It will save you time travelling to the gym and money in the long run, compared to the cost of a yearly gym membership.
It’s possible to purchase individual pieces depending on which stations you want, or a complete garden gym if you need everything. The individual stations might be some dip bars that will look just right on the patio or on the garden area. Or you can include a set of garden monkey bars to work on your hand/eye coordination, flexible movement, and arm and shoulder strength.
You can even find an outdoor squat and pull up combined station if you want to lift some weights in a garden setting while listening to the birds chirping on a Saturday morning.
Merging Exercise Equipment with Nature
In a world filled with huge skyscrapers, steel fixtures everywhere and fewer unspoilt areas to enjoy (especially in urban environments) it’s great to see that there’s a choice to try out wooden framed exercise equipment now. While wood is often overlooked for bland-looking composite materials instead, these look completely out of place in a park or a garden.
There is something natural about using wood. Trees have a calming effect on us, and they clean the air too. It makes perfect sense to use oak and other wood species to produce beautiful pieces of equipment to use to improve our bodies. We usually feel better when amongst nature, so it only makes sense to combine the two.
Using a set of wooden fitness equipment in a natural surrounding just feels right. It removes the eyesore and provides convenient access to keep fit at any time.
