Outdoor fitness consists of

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

undertaken outside a building for the purpose of improving

physical fitness Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate ...

. It contrasts with exercise undertaken inside a

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

health club A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, health spa, and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise. In recent years, the number of fitness and health se ...

for the same purpose. The activity may be undertaken in a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, in the

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

, or other outdoor location. The popularity of outdoor fitness grew rapidly in the second-half of the twentieth century and grew as a commercial consumer market in the twenty-first century.

History

In nineteenth-century Germany, ''Turnplatz'', an outdoor space for gymnastics, were promoted by German educator Friedrich Jahn and the

Turners Turners (german: Turner) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gy ...

, a political and gymnastic movement. After the Second World War, as people did less exercise in their daily and work lives, individualistic, health-oriented physical and recreational activities such as

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

began to prevail.Fit Bodies. Fitness Culture and Gym
Sassatelli, Roberta. 2006. The

Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans The Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans are two exercise plans developed for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) by Dr. Bill Orban in the late 1950s, first published in 1961. The 5BX plan (Five Basic Exercises) was developed for men; a corre ...

, developed by Dr. Bill Orban and published in 1961, and Kenneth Cooper's book "''Aerobics''" (1968) and mass-market version "''The New Aerobics''" (1979) helped to launch modern

fitness culture Fitness culture is a sociocultural phenomenon surrounding exercise and physical fitness. It is usually associated with ''gym culture'', as doing physical exercises in locations such as gyms, wellness centres and health clubs is a popular activit ...

. There was a running boom in the 1970s and outdoor fitness trails were developed in the USA and Europe. However, most of the growth in the fitness industry was through indoor

gyms A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

and

health clubs A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, health spa, and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise. In recent years, the number of fitness and health se ...

. Outdoor fitness boot camps developed in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1990s and Canada in 2001. In the twenty-first century, outdoor fitness grew as a commercial consumer market. Outdoor group fitness classes led by a

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...

or a fitness professional became a popular form of outdoor exercise. A variety of training courses for fitness professionals and certifications for companies specialising in outdoor fitness developed. Outdoor fitness can be studied as a specialism of

exercise physiology Exercise physiology is the physiology of physical exercise. It is one of the allied health professions, and involves the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. Exercise physiologists are the highest qualified exercise ...

. The trend towards outdoor fitness led to a proliferation of

outdoor gym The outdoor gym is a gym built outside in a public park, with the all-weather construction of its exercise machines somewhat modeled on playground equipment. It is similar to the 1960s–1970s proliferation of fitness trails, which continue to ...

s. Growing participation was seen in organized events that expanded internationally such as Parkruns,

Tough Mudder Tough Mudder is an endurance event series in which participants attempt obstacle courses. It was co-founded by Will Dean and Guy Livingstone. The obstacles often play on common human fears, such as fire, water, electricity and heights. The fi ...

and

Be Military Fit Be Military Fit, or BMF, is a private company which runs outdoor group fitness classes in 140 public parks and outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom. The classes are predominantly led by former or serving members of the British Armed Forces. B ...

and sports such as

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

and

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

. Street workouts have also become a popular outdoor fitness activity is some countries, with a world championship taking place since 2011.

References

External links

Code of conduct for outdoor fitness training

The Royal Parks The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...

Mundschutz – Gesichtsmaskenpflicht im Fitnessstudio: Was wir bisher wissen
Evgenios.ch {{DEFAULTSORT:Outdoor Fitness Physical exercise Outdoors

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links