Overview

Fresh Air Fitness installed a 30+ user outdoor fitness zone, complete with vibrant surfacing to clearly define workout zones, for pupils at Thamesmead School in Shepperton to enjoy on site as part of its enrichment programme.

As part of the secondary academy school's mission to support healthy and happy pupils, the senior leadership team wanted to broaden its provision of exercise options across the school by introducing a range of state-of-the-art outdoor gym equipment.

Challenge

The new outdoor gym needed to provide an engaging exercise facility for young people aged 11–16, enhancing the school’s enrichment programme by providing inclusive exercise equipment for all pupils to enjoy.

As well as looking dynamic and being fun to use, the equipment needed to be safe and easy to operate by teenagers who may not have used gym equipment before.

To ensure correct use, each piece required hard-wearing permanent signage with clear instructions and workout suggestions for all fitness levels and abilities.

Most importantly, the Fresh Air Fitness outdoor gym facility needed to be eye-catching and appealing to use, and the team had to come up with a creative solution for placement and surfacing.

Solution

The outdoor gym equipment chosen included a full range of fitness options from cardiovascular and strength to resistance options.

Allowing 30+ users at once, pupils can use the equipment to warm up or cool down, or as part of a PE lesson to engage all muscle groups, for overall fitness and a full body workout.

To support pupils’ understanding of the different types of exercise equipment and how they affect the body, different coloured zones (blue for cardio; green for strength and resistance) were incorporated into the design, along with a vibrant pink area for warming up and cooling down the body, or for floor work. The labelling incorporated clear diagrams to show which muscle groups are being activated to enhance the educational element around physical literacy.

Benefits

  • Accommodates up to 30 users at once.

  • Multi-use exercise zone is fun and engaging to encourage regular and enthusiastic use by all students.

  • Equipment chosen covers the full cross section of physical fitness from cardio and balance to flexibility and strength.

  • Includes static and dynamic equipment for variety, development and enjoyment.

  • Equipment installed is designed for ages 11+, so suitable for all pupils attending the school and teaching staff.

  • Can be used during PE lessons, for research, and as part of general break and leisure time during and after school.

  • Will also improve physical literacy, social interaction and confidence across all abilities.