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August 8, 2018 2:06 PM   Subscribe

You may have seen those metal fitness ... things in your local park, found around the world from Brisbane to New York City, but how do you use them? San Antonio Parks has tutorial videos on YouTube and Fit Trail provides (smallish) illustrations for 20 stations, including some that don't require installed features. And if you're not sure which to use, Shape has the best and worst of fitness playground equipment. Don't have any of that gear? Benches and tire swings can be used. Find a sturdy beam and you're on your way to doing 25 pull ups. Or skip the gear and get started towards 100 push ups, 150 dips, 200 squats, 200 lunges and 200 sit-ups. Or mix it up and check out Darebee's workout routines and challenges.
posted by filthy light thief (16 comments total) 41 users marked this as a favorite
 
Inspired by seeing weird metal structures in parks and having no idea how to use them, and then seeing this AskMe question about working out without exercise equipment, where I stole some links from tiger tiger, thebots and nightrecordings.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:08 PM on August 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


Awww, it doesn't have my couple favourites, the horseback rider and the leg press station. Wanted to try the rower thingies, but I think it was always out of service.

(why, yes, for me all days were leg days)
posted by lmfsilva at 2:50 PM on August 8, 2018


I love these things!

Did you know it's the 50th anniversary of the invention of Vita Parcours? (Because I may have just learned that a moment ago.)

(And, just to tie in to another post from today, the Vita Parcours is also a--wait for it--expensive sneaker.)
posted by box at 3:08 PM on August 8, 2018


Whenever I'm at the playground with my kids, I think, "I could climb up these ladders and go down the slides for a while and get a pretty good workout but the only equipment that's socially acceptable for me to use is this 80's throwback sit-and-reach bar."
posted by Ralston McTodd at 4:33 PM on August 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


What kind of psycho is outside in San Antonio exercising. This is why God and Dr. John Gorrie gave us Air Conditioning!
posted by Megafly at 4:45 PM on August 8, 2018 [4 favorites]


100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run. Every day.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 5:02 PM on August 8, 2018 [4 favorites]


Be careful of the ones in Brisbane, a lot of them have wee on them.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:50 PM on August 8, 2018


Mr.Encyclopedia: But I like my hair.
posted by Grimgrin at 5:56 PM on August 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


turbid dahlia: Be careful of the ones in Brisbane, a lot of them have wee on them.

*raises eyebrow*

And you know this how?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:59 PM on August 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


Do the slides have wheeeeeeee! on them?

I love this type of equipment -- it was everywhere in Beijing in the 90s (and probably earlier).

BUT I think it would be even better to have adult-rated kids playground equipment! Big slides, big swings, etc.
posted by batter_my_heart at 8:25 PM on August 8, 2018 [6 favorites]


Oh no everything outside has been pissed on game over man
posted by benzenedream at 8:48 PM on August 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


I work in a warehouse and pick up 30-70 lbs and carry it a good distance and put it down again about 400 times a day (not an exaggeration). I can't possibly imagine actually exercising beyond what I get paid to do.
posted by hippybear at 2:37 AM on August 9, 2018 [3 favorites]


You probably don't need to, a friend of mine once told me her brother had all sorts of exercising equipment at home but used them with little effect. Then he started helping at the family factory floor, and started losing weight and building muscle almost immediately.
posted by lmfsilva at 6:16 AM on August 9, 2018


San Antonio has done a really nice job over the last 10 years or so of improving their green spaces. They created this really nice 65-mile system of greenway trails that goes all over the city and has lots of places to get on and off it, and people actually use it! It's awesome.
posted by aka burlap at 6:28 AM on August 9, 2018 [1 favorite]


lmfsilva: You probably don't need to, a friend of mine once told me her brother had all sorts of exercising equipment at home but used them with little effect. Then he started helping at the family factory floor, and started losing weight and building muscle almost immediately.

One of my friends talked about doing physical work to work out, primarily in response to people paying big bucks for gym membership. And I've mentioned this before, but when we got our dog from the shelter, she was young and full of energy, so I ended up taking her running twice a day just to wind her down. With her setting the pace (and trying to keep her from chasing rabbits and cars by running even more), I got in pretty good shape. Unfortunately, she relaxed and I got lazy, and now I can't run like that any more.

But if you don't have an energetic dog or work at a factory, you can volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or at local parks or on trails, or at a food bank. There's always a need for additional people to aid moving things. If you don't know where to start looking, United Way has a list of volunteer opportunities, and if you don't see anything in your region, there are United Way groups around the world, and they usually know a good bit about other local volunteer groups efforts.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:12 AM on August 9, 2018 [1 favorite]


100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run. Every day.

Don't forget breakfast, even if it is just a banana.
posted by 445supermag at 12:01 PM on August 9, 2018


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