How Outdoor Gym & Fitness Spaces Contribute to Community Health and Wellbeing
What are the benefits of outdoor fitness equipment?
- It removes the cost barrier. Outdoor fitness equipment is free to use, which is one of the main ways it widens participation.
- It supports a broad range of fitness. Regular use has been linked to improvements in aerobic fitness, strength, balance and flexibility, depending on the equipment and intensity.
- It suits many people at once. Teens, adults and older residents can share the same space, and circuit-style clusters encourage social use.
- Outdoors adds something. Research says that exercising in natural outdoor environments is associated with greater feelings of revitalisation and positive engagement than indoor exercise.
- It can be inclusive. Accessible and senior options let more people take part.
- It’s a low-barrier addition to the open space mix. Fitness equipment hasn’t had the same planning priority as playgrounds or skate parks, even though it offers a different, free option for participation.
Active communities are healthier communities. As councils across Victoria increase their focus on health and wellbeing initiatives, we’re seeing a rise in the provision of outdoor fitness and gym installations. These spaces not only bring people together, they provide opportunities for activity that serve the whole community.
We’ve pulled together the Australian-specific data about why it matters, what the user groups look for, what the research says about use, and what to plan for when you specify, install and look after a fitness space.
Why is outdoor fitness important?
Fitness stations at a local park or council reserve are a high-value community asset that does a lot of heavy-lifting. Free to use, they need no booking or supervision and work for a wide range of ages and abilities.
The first group that benefits is probably not the one you first expect – it’s teens. This is important, because activity falls sharply as kids get older. The ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2023 measured how many Australian children met the recommendation of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day:
- 30.8% of 5-8 year olds met the recommendation
- 23% of 9-11 year olds
- 8.2% of 12-14 year olds
- Only 7.6% of 15-17 year olds met the recommendation
Source: ABS, Children’s physical activity, screen time and sleep (NNPAS 2023).
It’s a sharp and alarming drop off. Teens are also less likely to be getting crucial muscle and bone strengthening activity: 78.0% of 12–17-year-olds met that recommendation, against 89.7% of 5–11-year-olds.
The 2022 Active Healthy Kids Australia Report Card grades Australia’s community and built environment A-, noting that most children have access to parks, playgrounds and sports grounds. That’s a great score – but it doesn’t mean that these spaces are serving them all well.
Findings from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report that fun and enjoyment is the top reason 15–17-year-olds take part in physical activity (71%), ahead of fitness (64%), with social reasons third (38%). By the time they’re in the 18-24 bracket, physical health and fitness takes over as the main motivator.
Teens are an under-served group in most parks, so providing spaces where they can work up a sweat – and hang out with friends while they do it – is likely to encourage adolescents to visit and be active. Teens respond to physical challenge, choosing their own level, and to inviting, social spaces that look cared for. Fitness equipment ticks those boxes, especially when it’s combined with higher-challenge elements like a ninja course or climbing structure.
Who else benefits from the provision of outdoor fitness spaces?
Teens aren’t the only group a fitness space can reach. The same free, always-open equipment can help several other groups who are often missing out on regular activity.
Older adults. Australia’s 24-hour movement guidelines for people 65 and over recommend muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week, and functional activities that target mobility, balance and coordination on three or more days.
In the ABS 2022 National Health Survey, about one in three (33.4%) people aged 65 and over met the physical activity guidelines. Balance and strength work is also the best-supported approach to preventing falls in older people, according to Exercise and Sports Science Australia. Low-impact stations designed for balance, mobility and gentle resistance suit this group better than pull-up bars or heavy strength equipment.
Communities with fewer options. In ABS 2022 data, adults in the most disadvantaged areas were more than twice as likely to have done no physical activity in the past week as those in the least disadvantaged areas (17.2% vs 7.8%), and adults in outer regional and remote areas were more likely than those in major cities (18.2% vs 10.5%). Because outdoor fitness equipment is free and open at any time, it removes cost and access barriers.
Parents and carers. The Active Healthy Kids Australia 2022 Report Card found only 18% of parents met the physical activity guidelines themselves. It suggests adult-sized equipment and workout equipment near sports grounds and playgrounds, so parents can be active while their kids play.
People of all abilities. Our inclusive and accessible fitness range is designed so people with a range of physical abilities can take part, including wheelchair users where specified. Instructional signage with pictures and braille, as suggested in the Victorian guidelines, helps too.
The community as a whole. Users of outdoor gyms in a 2018 systematic review described social connectedness, affordability and health as major themes. Group sessions run by local trainers, like the free YMCA sessions in Wodonga, help people start and connect.
What is outdoor fitness?
The Victorian Government’s guidelines for outdoor fitness equipment (Sport and Recreation Victoria, 2018) describe two main types:
- Static equipment has no moving parts: pull-up bars, parallel bars, dip bars, balance beams, step-up boxes and benches. It offers a wide range of exercises, has fewer moving parts to maintain, and suits beginners and experienced users alike.
- Dynamic equipment has moving parts that guide the user through a movement: cross trainers, rowers, bikes and press machines. It’s easy to use, but needs more maintenance and can offer less room to progress.
Installations are usually either:
- A cluster – equipment grouped in one spot, good for circuit training and for groups
- A trail – equipment spaced along a path, best suited to larger parkland and recreation spaces with an active path network.
Our Outdoor Gym range covers calisthenics, cardio, cross training, weighted strength, inclusive and accessible fitness and senior fitness, in all-stainless steel construction designed for high-traffic public use
For higher-energy challenge, Ninja Flow courses and multi-purpose courts can sit alongside an outdoor gym to make a full fitness zone.
Our outdoor adult fitness space, installed in Creswick for Hepburn Shire Council is proving to be “a great community asset in providing active health and wellbeing opportunities for our community.” It’s terrific feedback that perfectly supports what we’re talking about here.
How to ensure your outdoor gym facilities get used
Good planning really matters here. Where and how you install your outdoor fitness equipment makes a big difference.
The Victorian guidelines, which were developed with councils, Parks and Leisure Australia and industry, point to a few consistent factors:
- Start with need. Use consultation, site observation and local demographics to decide the type, location and mix of equipment. If teens are the target, ask them.
- Put it where people already are. Locating equipment near existing activity, such as playgrounds, courts, paths, skate parks or leisure centres, helps it get noticed and used. Avoid major roads, which can deter people who prefer to exercise out of public view.
- Make it visible and feel safe. Apply crime prevention (CPTED) principles: clear sightlines, passive surveillance, maintained surrounds and lighting where use after dark is expected.
- Add the basics. Detailed instructional signage (with QR codes linking to exercise videos), drinking water, a sealed path, seating, shade and nearby toilets and parking all appear in the guidelines’ site features table.
- Give people a reason to start. Come-and-try sessions, boot camps and group programs help. The guidelines highlight Wodonga’s free sessions with local YMCA trainers.
- Cater for different levels. A mix of static and dynamic equipment, with beginner to advanced options, keeps more people coming back.
- Plan for maintenance. The guidelines include a case study of Port Phillip’s Moran Reserve fitness site, which fell out of use because of old and damaged equipment, no seating or path access, and the wrong under-surfacing. The council rebuilt it with static equipment only, partly to reduce corrosion near the bay.
Safety, standards and risk
Outdoor fitness equipment is made for adult-sized bodies, so age and size matter. Most manufacturers recommend users be over 12 years old and at least 1.4m tall, and point out that younger children are often drawn to the equipment because it looks like playground equipment. Siting near playgrounds can mean mixed-age use, so zoning and signage are worth planning for.
The relevant Australian Standard is AS 16630:2021, Permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment: Safety requirements and test methods, published in January 2021. It covers things like entrapment and crush points. Where surfacing is required, it should be tested to AS 4422. Playground equipment, including ninja courses and climbing structures, is covered separately by AS 4685.
The Victorian guidelines also recommend a formal risk management plan. It covers the site assessment, clearance between equipment, crush points, inspection schedules, insurance for theft, damage and injury, and ongoing maintenance costs in your asset plans.
What should you budget for?
Equipment is the biggest line, but it isn’t the only one. As a rough guide, equipment can make up 50–75% of the project cost, and then there’s under-surfacing, construction, supporting infrastructure (signage, water, shade and landscaping), activation, and maintenance and repair in the first five years.
Commercial and developer projects
The same principles apply beyond council parks. For commercial clients, durable, low-maintenance equipment, a clear compliance pathway and a supplier who can work to a build program matter as much as the equipment itself. Safe Play has worked on projects in residential estates, at leisure and hospitality precincts, prisons, workplaces and school campuses.
How Safe Play can help?
For over 30 years, councils, landscape architects and commercial clients have looked to us to design, supply and install outdoor fitness and play spaces that hold up to the Australian climate and serve the whole community. With Victoria as our home base, we also service projects in South Australia and Tasmania.
We’ll help you work out where equipment should go, which mix suits your community, and what supporting features and surfacing you’ll need. You’ll get design support, compliance documentation and ongoing support after installation.
FAQs about Outdoor Fitness & Gym Equipment
What is outdoor fitness equipment?
Outdoor fitness equipment is exercise equipment installed in a park, reserve or public space for free public use. It includes static items like pull-up bars, parallel bars and balance beams, and dynamic items like cross trainers and rowers.
Is outdoor gym equipment suitable for teenagers?
Yes. Outdoor fitness equipment is designed for adult-sized users. Manufacturers typically recommend users over 12 years old and 1.4 m tall. Equipment should be matched to the users you expect and sited with this in mind.
What Australian Standard applies to outdoor fitness equipment?
AS 16630:2021 covers the safety requirements and test methods for permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment. Surfacing is covered by AS 4422, and playground equipment by AS 4685.
Does outdoor fitness equipment get used?
Definitely. Australian studies show use tends to be higher when equipment is near other activity, well signed, well maintained and supported by programs or someone to exercise with.
Where should outdoor fitness equipment go in a park?
Near existing activity such as playgrounds, courts, paths or skate parks, with clear sightlines, a sealed path, seating, shade and water close by. A visible, well-used location helps it feel safe and gets it noticed.
How much does an outdoor gym cost?
It depends on the equipment, surfacing and site. Equipment and signage are typically the largest part of the budget, with surfacing and construction making up much of the rest. Contact us for a quote.
What’s the difference between an outdoor gym and a ninja course?
An outdoor gym is built for fitness training: strength, cardio, balance. A ninja course is a progressive obstacle course that combines climbing, swinging and balance. Many spaces use both.
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