Fit, Fun, and Free: Outdoor Gyms for All

Fit, Fun, and Free: Outdoor Gyms for All

Committee: Facilities, Parks and Recreation

Total Cost: $125,000

Potential Locations: Danehy Park & near CRLS Tennis Courts

Short Description:

For those who wish to use gym equipment while breathing fresh air, these fitness facilities offer two outdoor gyms as alternatives to paid indoor gyms, and make working out accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

Long Description:

Exercise is critical to enhancing people’s physical fitness, mental health, and overall well-being. It is important to offer public open-air exercise options to Cambridge residents so that they have alternatives to expensive commercial gyms or far-away facilities.

One of the most popular recreation facilities in Cambridge is the outdoor gym at Magazine Beach Park on Memorial Drive close to the BU Bridge. A new PB5 project -- recommended by multiple people during the Participatory Budgeting nomination process -- would add outdoor gym areas to two other areas in Cambridge.

A 10-12 piece outdoor gym would likely be built in Danehy Park, the largest and most used park in Cambridge. This area could accommodate approximately the 25’ by 25’ space similar to the outdoor gym area at Magazine Beach Park. For a 4-6 piece fitness area, the renovation of the outdoor tennis courts next to the Main Cambridge Library Building and the elimination of the basketball half court area allows for an outdoor gym apparatus to be installed. This will help cover the mid-Cambridge area, which has fewer playgrounds and public athletic facilities than other parts of Cambridge.