What Is a Fit Park? Where to Find One in Michigan
Becky Harris
| 3 min read
What do you get when you mix the great outdoors with free, public workout machines? Detroiters will soon have a chance to experience the answer firsthand with the opening of the city’s first Fit Park.
The Fit Park is located by the Woodbridge entrance to the Dequindre Cut near the Detroit RiverFront. A map is available here.
Bring your sneakers and join the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in celebrating the grand opening on June 24 at noon.
So, what is a Fit Park anyway?
A Fit Park is a free, outdoor workout space with permanent fitness systems open to public use.
Fit Parks became a popular trend when the adult obesity rates began steadily rising in the 1980s. There was a need for accessible, communal spaces that encouraged physical fitness. PlayCore is one organization that jumped on this fitness trend and began developing and tracking Fit Parks across the country.
Michigan is home to another Fit Park located in North Higgins Lake State Park in Roscommon, which features exercise devices, walking paths, playgrounds and sports fields.
Detroit’s very first Fit Park will feature six new exercise devices, focusing on strength training, endurance and cardiovascular activities. Many of the stations can be customized to meet a person’s desired resistance levels. They are:
- Parallel bars: The parallel bars are a wheelchair-accessible station that accommodates beginners and advanced users, well as physical rehabilitation patients.
- Pull-up bars: The pull-up/dip provides multiple, highly effective strength-building exercises for the upper body.
- Ab crunch/leg lift: The ab crunch/leg lift area lets users work both the upper and lower abdominals, and provides two different activities in one fitness station.
- Cardio stepper: The cardio stepper provides a cardiovascular step aerobic workout.
- Squat press: The squat press builds leg and hip muscle endurance. This exercise is a great way to build lower body strength and balance.
- Chest/back press: The chest/back press builds equal endurance for opposing muscle groups at one fitness station.
The Detroit RiverWalk and Dequindre Cut Greenway are open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Fit Park is intended for individuals 13 and up.
Join the Healthier Michigan team on June 24 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by the first-ever fitness class on the equipment. If you can’t make it to the grand opening, stop by the Fit Park on your next visit to see how it can help you reach your fitness goals!
If you are interested in seeing pictures from the opening of Detroit’s first ever Fit Park, click here.
Photo Credit: Detroit RiverFront Conservancy
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Have you visited a Fit Park before? Do you know of any other free outdoor workout facilities? Let us know by leaving us a comment.
