Its no wonder so many of us fail miserably to attend the gym with any regularity, even when were piling on the pounds and forking out at least £40 a month in membership fees. After all, who but the most devotedly body-conscious would choose to go regularly to a sweaty, airless white box, neon-lit with blaring MTV?
But this year the gym is getting a facelift and relocating to the great outdoors. In the wake of pioneering countries such as the United States, Australia and China, the UK is about to get outside gyms which means you can bask in the sun, get back to nature and pump up your biceps, all in the leafy environs of your local park.
Two companies, the Great Outdoor Gym Company and Fitness Trails, have created gyms for outdoor conditions. Ranging from the high-tech machinery found in a regular gym to a series of basic, stripped-back bars and benches set up within a ten square metre (108 sq ft) area and complete with step-by-step instructions, these outdoor gyms offer a mix of cardiovascular, weight-loss and core stability exercises for different body types and levels of fitness.
They also suggest warm-up, cool-down and stretching routines. The idea is that the user moves from exercise to exercise while following instructions to work out in a safe, effective way.
According to Paul Smith, the director of sport science services at the English Institute of Sport, outdoor training offers a more functional, varied workout, boosts mood and lets you avoid all the germs that fly around in gyms.
The Great Outdoor Gym Company has established its first UK pilot site at the University of East Londons Docklands campus in November. The site, which is free to use, has been so popular that there are now plans to install dozens more outdoor gyms across the country in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics in a joint venture between local authorities, Sport England and the National Lottery.
One recent convert to the UEL site is media studies student Anton Garder, 22. Im not particularly sporty and hate the whole gym culture, but the outdoor gym is great. The kits durable and works using your own bodys resistence.
As with all gyms, safety is an issue. However, the company claims that no induction is needed and someone with no exercise experience can use the equipment.
I have taken quite a few personal training sessions at the UEL outdoor gym, and there are none of the safety issues you might expect, says personal trainer Jon Halfide. Its non-slip and you only use your own body weight so theres no danger of over-doing it. You can get the same workout here as in a first-rate indoor gym, and without the membership costs.
And its the outdoor exercise regime that the weather cant spoil. Rain doesnt affect the equipment and its as safe to use when its wet as it is when dry. Its popularity in other rainy climates such as New York is testimony to its year-round appeal.
The inspiration for outside exercising comes from the East. Activity rates in China rocketed after the government installed more than 4,000 outdoor gyms in just six years before the Beijing Olympics, says Matt Delaney, the director of the Great Outdoor Gym Company.
According to the Shanghai Sports Bureau, China now has more than 37 million square metres of outdoor gyms, while in Shanghai 45 per cent of adults take part in exercise compared to 21 per cent in the UK.
