As we look forward to the reopening of Fresh Air Fitness park gyms on 29th March, we run through how you can use a combination of our outdoor gym equipment for a full body workout.
15th March 2021
Whether your focus is on cardiovascular exercise or strength training, there is a piece of equipment to suit your needs and below we run through three machines which when combined will build muscle, burn calories and offer a complete outdoor fitness workout for the upper body, core and lower body.
The Combination Pull Down & Chest Press is a strength building piece of equipment designed to offer the benefits of a Chest Press and a Pull Down Challenger on one frame.
Known as the Combo, the back-to-back seats allow two people to workout at once at a safe distance. The user can work the chest, shoulders and arm muscles on one side then switch sides to the pull down challenger and work the lats and arms.
A great upper body is incomplete without chest training and the Chest Press is a great way for men and women to build muscle mass. Similar to an chest press you could expect to find in an indoor gym, it uses your body weight to act as resistance. The multiple hand grips allow you to grip the handles as the optimum height for you and to use the equipment with a smooth flow in and out. The chest press provides an effective but straightforward way to work your upper body. With no weights to balance and no specific techniques to master, this piece of outdoor gym equipment leaves you free to focus on your training.
You're sure to feel the burn after multiple sets on the Chest Press, but for those used to adding larger amounts of weight to a chest press in an indoor gym, extra resistance can be added to ours with the use of training bands, simply looped from handle to hand around the back of the main frame.
The Lat pulldown is an excellent exercise to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscle which is the broadest muscle in your back. It promotes good posture and spinal stability. Form is crucial when performing a lat pulldown. See our Combination Pull Down & Chest Press video to watch one of our team demonstrating how to use the machine to get the most out of your workout.
A regular upper body workout improves endurance in your arms, back, chest, and shoulders. It also helps you burn calories, reduce your risk of injury, and build stronger bones. For the best results with this piece of equipment, Fresh Air Fitness recommends beginners to do 5 reps x3 sets, intermediate users to do 10 reps x3 sets, and advanced users to do 15 reps x3 sets.
10 minutes of exercise on a seated pull-down machine will burn approximately 36 calories and 10 minutes of exercise on a seated chest press machine should burn the same number of calories. However, it is important to remember that factors such as age, gender, body weight and intensity of exercise will affect the number of calories these exercises burn. You can test this out for yourself by using a fitness watch.
The Leg Lift station is a particularly versatile piece of the Fresh Air Fitness outdoor gym equipment range. It is predominantly designed to build strong abdominals.
With this outdoor gym piece, you use your own muscular tension to support yourself. When you use this machine, there are a number of exercise options for beginners all the way to advanced so you can keep challenging yourself.
The first option is the simple knee raise. Place your arms on the arm rests and grip the handles. Feet together, maintain a neutral spine, lift your legs a little bit in front of you first, then bring your knees up so they are at a right angle, this keeps up the tension in your abs. If you are a beginner, you may only be able to raise your knees a little initially and this is absolutely fine. The great thing about the leg lift station, for beginners is, as opposed to the parallel bars for example, the Leg Lift Station helps you maintain the correct position and reduces swaying.
The second and slightly more challenging option is the straight leg lift. Breathe out as you lift the legs up and breathe in as you bring them down. There should be no swinging and a fully controlled slow motion and the core will be engaged. You can also isolate each side by doing single leg raises. Do as many reps as you can and if your form starts to waive, you are ready to finish.
Good abdominal strength is so important. It helps reduce back pain, improves posture, builds functional strength, improves sports performance and gives us better balance.
Watch our Leg Lift Station video for more ways to use this excellent piece of equipment, including dips and pull-ups for the more advanced.
To conclude your full body workout, we move on to the lower body.
Striding on the Fresh Air Fitness Air Walker will raise your heart rate, burn calories, tone your legs, engage your core and improve balance and coordination.
Getting a thorough leg workout on the Air Walker engages all of the major muscle groups of your body, which helps to improve overall athletic performance and supports healthy movement patterns in your daily life. A strong lower body will also help to prevent injury and manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and diabetes. It is also incredibly low pressue on joints, perfect for those with joint problems or returning from injury.
To use the machine, take the handle at the front and place one foot on first, followed by the other foot, then gradually get the motion going by pushing the legs forward and back. To use it effectively, go at a good pace for you, you should start to get out of breath and feel your heart rate increase. Ensure you maintain a good posture throughout. To work the core a little more, you could lean forwards to rest your arms on the bar and push dual legs forwards and backwards and you will feel this through the abdominal muscles almost immediately.
For beginners using the air walker, Fresh Air Fitness recommends 2 minutes of exercise, 5-10 minutes for intermediate users, and 10 minutes or more for advanced users.
This is an excellent cardiovascular workout and 10 minutes of exercise using the Air Walker should burn approximately 50 calories, but remember factors such as age, gender, body weight and intensity of exercise will affect the number of calories burned. You can test this out for yourself by using a fitness watch.
See our Air Walker video to watch one of the Fresh Air Fitness team demonstrating how to use the machine to get the most out of your workout.
Working out in the fresh air is vital for our physical and mental health, never more so than now. Post-lockdown, outdoor exercise equipment offers whole communities the chance to exercise in the fresh air, for free, at a safe distance from others.
Follow our guidance and recommendations to ensure your outdoor gym equipment is kept clean and safe with our video on how to wipe down your equipment for Coronavirus, always check with the local council that your gym has re-opened and most importantly have fun and enjoy your workout!
Back to all blog posts