Outdoor green gyms are catching on in the United Kingdom and Dubai. So what are they and why should the Australian fitness industry pay attention to developments in this niche?
The fitness industry is witnessing the rise of green gyms: outdoor gyms fitted with sustainable exercise cardio machines which harness the kinetic energy generated during a user’s exercise session. The more people who use the cardio machines, the more power produced.
One of the emerging players shaking up the green gym space is The Great Outdoor Gym Company. The firm produces green energy fitness machines including cross trainers and spinning bikes among others. Their long-term vision is for these green machines to eventually power buildings, or feed the National Grid.
Each of their sustainable machines can generate around an average of 50 to 100 watts. The amount varies depending on the user’s fitness level.
A console in the middle of the outdoor gym gives people a clear picture of the fruits of their labour, allowing a user to check how much ‘human energy’ they have generated during their fitness session.
A ‘bod pod’ within the gym also lets users weigh themselves and measure their BMI.
The company has also released ‘Cardio Charge’, green gym equipment which charges-up mobile phones while you work-out.
The Great Outdoor Company’s sustainable gyms can be found in:
East London at Sir George Monoux College.
The City of Hull, England.
Soon in Dubai, a city perched on the smart technologies front. The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) announced earlier in August this year a new corporate social responsibility initiative.
Green gyms form the cornerstone of this initiative and DEWA has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gebal Group, representatives of London-based The Great Outdoor Company, the firm who will execute and run the project.
“Dubai is a world pioneer in harnessing Smart technologies for the happiness and welfare of its residents, and we are proud to have the opportunity to partner with DEWA to provide Dubai with such a new and exciting concept,” stated Gebal Group.
Our gorgeous climate and the abundance of sunshine for most of the year round makes Australia a prime location to test whether outdoor green gym equipment will catch-on in popularity.
Fitness is becoming a bit of a buzz-word down under, with the explosion of outdoor based exercise CrossFit & personal training groups along with decked-out gyms popping-up across the country, now is an ideal time for fitness industry players to consider testing sustainable green gym equipment within their businesses.