The City of Aiken has teamed up with the National Fitness Campaign to bring local residents a new means of outdoor exercising they can experience at Generations Park.
Fitness Court is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Complete with seven stations focusing on pushing, core strength and more, the Fitness Court was created with adults of all ages in mind and is adaptable for all fitness levels.
The Fitness Court opening day launch event in Aiken will be held Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. Residents are invited to attend and learn about upcoming community wellness events and programming.
“Join the launch party where we will showcase the Fitness Court with a ribbon cutting and exercise demonstrations,” said Jessica Campbell, director of the City of Aiken’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.
The manufacturer’s recommendation for the use of the equipment is ages 14 and older; however, children are allowed to use the equipment if they so choose.
New users can also download the free Fitness Court app that has a “coach-in-your-pocket style” platform, transforming the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem. The app, titled “Fitness Court,” is available for iOS and Android.
The idea for the court and app was launched after the City of Aiken and dozens of other select recipients from around the country were awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign to help support the program in 2019.
In addition to grant funding, a city match contributed to make the project possible in Aiken.
“On Oct. 22, 2018, Aiken City Council signed a resolution to implement construction of an outdoor fitness court at Generations Park,” said Jessica Campbell, director of the City of Aiken’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. “We are excited to be able to make fitness free to the community and challenge everyone to get outside and be active.”
The National Fitness Campaign is a social enterprise – founded in San Francisco in 1979 – that offers grant funding, project management and master planning services to cities, schools and sponsors to promote healthy infrastructure. The Fitness Court is a trademarked system created by its founder, Mitch Menaged, that was designed to be the world’s best outdoor gym.
The organization developed the trademarked seven-station system in 2012 hoping to inspire municipalities to transform public spaces into community fitness hubs. There are currently 100 active Fitness Court locations across the country, and the campaign will reach a total of 250 cities and schools by the end of 2020.
