29th September 2026
The mental and physical benefits of exercising outdoors are well known and documented, from stress reduction and mood lifting to enhanced vitamin D intake and better sleep. Being outdoors also gives you the opportunity to vary your surroundings by taking a different walking or running route, even when you’re heading to the same outdoor gym, rather than exercising within the same four walls of an indoor gym.
What’s more, outdoor exercise is free, with no joining or membership fees, and natural surroundings can add an extra challenge to your workout. Tackling hills, uneven terrain or windy conditions can make exercise more demanding, while the outdoor environment can make it feel more enjoyable and less strenuous, helping you stay motivated and maintain a regular routine.
Using park exercise equipment doesn’t mean compromising on the benefits of a traditional gym workout either. Outdoor gym machines can support cardio, strength and flexibility training, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a varied, effective full-body workout in the fresh air.
Strength training is vital to protect your joints and bones, increase bone density and lessen the risk of osteoporosis. With stronger muscles, you also support joints and minimise the risk of injury. Not only that, but you raise your resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn calories even when you’re not working out, helping weight management.
Strength training supports healthy ageing and enhances mental health while helping manage chronic conditions. In terms of park exercise equipment to use in your strength-training regime, consider:
With a Resistance Chest Press, such as this one from Fresh Air Fitness, from a seated position, you grasp the handles and push the weight away from the body. The resulting compound movement engages multiple muscle groups, which develops mass and strength more efficiently while burning more calories. It’s a low-impact, upper-body workout.
This piece of outdoor gym equipment for adults suits all ages and abilities – it has an inbuilt weight stack, just like one you'd find in an indoor gym. To select the desired weight, simply turn the dial. You can have a lower weight to start off with, upping it as you progress.
Fresh Air Fitness’s Resistance Seated Row is a new addition to the market leader’s resistance range, and comes with an adjustable weight stack. It’s designed to develop strength and definition in biceps, forearms and back. Again, you adjust a dial to choose the weight you want, thereby accessing varied difficulty levels.
The Seated Leg Press again suits all abilities from beginners upwards, from age 11+. Work the thigh, hips and buttocks with this one. And it’s user-friendly – just push with your legs to move the seat away from the frame. Unlike standard squats, there’s no pressure on the knee joints. Plus you improve balance and flexibility as well as strength. What’s more, one or two people can use the Leg Press at once, making it potentially highly sociable.
To increase the resistance simply loop a resistance band around the frame and handles and feel the burn!
Train for flexibility and you make certain daily tasks easier, from reaching up or bending down to standing up. As with strength training, you minimise the risk of injury, while posture and balance also improve.
Finally, you reduce general body aching, so it’s great for overall stress and pain relief. Here are some ideas for machines which are ideal for al fresco flexibility training:
The multi-functional Leg Stretch machine is great as part of the warm-up or cool-down element of your workout. It has three levels, allowing you to choose the best height for leg muscle stretching. Additionally, the piece has multiple options for push-ups and dips during an exercise session proper.
The Leg Stretch is suitable for those aged 11+ and improves balance as well as flexibility.
The Twist & Step improves flexibility by encouraging hip-twisting exercises, while the stepper feature means you also get a cardio workout. Set your own pace with this fun machine and strengthen the leg muscles and buttocks while improving balance.
And, as with all Fresh Air Fitness equipment, you get suggested exercise routines for maximum benefit.
These exercise the shoulders and arms, as well as the brain, promoting flexibility, mental agility and coordination in a user-friendly way. (You can also use them to help warm up.) This piece is suitable for up to two users at once. Hold the handles loosely with your palms and turn the wheels in smooth, circular movements.
The wheels move independently, while your arms work clockwise or anti-clockwise.
Cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercises raise the heart rate, keeping it elevated for a particular length of time so that your heart and lungs work harder to supply the muscles with oxygen. This boosts endurance and burns calories while improving heart health. You also reduce the risk of chronic diseases while bringing down your blood pressure and enhancing your mood.
Some examples of this kind of workout include swimming, running, cycling and walking. But you can also get in a great cardio workout at your local outdoor gym.
Pieces Fresh Air Fitness supply for cardio exercise include:
The Cardio Combi fits four users at any one time, combining the Double Air Walker with the Air Skier. Build heart strength, as well as balance, control and flexibility, while exercising the whole body and enjoying a thorough cardiovascular workout. Plus this highly sociable piece is ideal whatever your current fitness level, whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced exerciser.
Designed to enhance cardio fitness and core strength, this machine for adults allows you to set your own pace, so it’s great whatever your fitness or ability level, from age 11 onwards. Cycle using both arms and legs at the same time or separately, in a forwards or backwards motion – you’ll be working your core, too. There’s a low impact on joints, while balance, coordination and flexibility all improve.
The Resistance Bike features a progressive resistance system that naturally responds to your effort—the harder and faster you pedal, the greater the resistance, eliminating the need to manually select resistance levels before starting a workout.
Designed to support a broad range of abilities and fitness levels, the Resistance Bike provides an effective way to incorporate cardiovascular exercise into outdoor workouts, primarily working the legs and heart while also engaging the core.
What’s more, the height-adjustable seat allows maximum user comfort during use.
Fresh Air Fitness supplies a wide range of products for a diverse client base, from schools to local authorities, the NHS and residential settings, including outdoor fitness equipment for the disabled and elderly. An outdoor gym fitted with our pieces will provide cardio, strength and flexibility training in one facility in the fresh air.
Get in touch to learn more about installing a gym in your own community, and to ask any questions you may have.
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