Outdoor gyms mean that you can avoid the crowds in regular gyms and exercise in a green environment, surrounded by nature.

In a beautiful, quiet corner of West Ham Park, next to the cricket nets and the ornamental garden, surrounded by a hedge and high trees, is the outdoor gym. It’s free, there are no gym charges, and you can go there whenever the park is open.

The gym includes eight pieces of equipment with 13 stations designed and manufactured in the UK, and was installed by the Great Outdoor Gym company, Faversham. Costs were covered by the park with some financial help from Tesco’s Bags for Life fund.

Each bit of gear has a QR code to show you how best to use it, but it’s pretty straightforward. Just the names can be a bit scary – leg press, chest press, the bench, treadmill, shoulder press, cross trainer, seated row, recumbent bike, hand bike, oblique pull up, assisted pull up and lat pull down!

Outdoor gyms, which have sprung up in many outdoor spaces, are a fantastic way to get some fresh air and a great workout without having to fork out for expensive memberships in sweaty, overcrowded indoor gyms.

It’s the perfect way to add something new to your workout regime. A cardiovascular session in the park would complement a park run nicely.

The result can be a dramatic improvement in your lifestyle by lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, helping you top up with vitamin D when the sun shines – and it will even help avoid insomnia so you get a good night’s sleep!

The gym can also help you in your regular workout and allow you to vary your regular training environment. It may offer the chance to train together with friends or family. Last but not least it will even put you in a better mood!

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.