5 more places to get free fitness in Canberra

Posted on 15 April, 2015

Last week I brought you five of my favourite outdoor fitness facilities in Canberra…today, I reveal five more!

As I mentioned, since I agreed to come on board as one of the ambassadors for the ACT Government’s ‘Find Fitness Outdoors’ campaign, a whole new flexible world has opened up for me. Filming the videos for the campaign took me and celeb trainer, Lee Campbell, from one end of Canberra to the other and uncovered the free fitness facilities that we have in our neighbourhoods. There’s one near you…I promise. And they’re open 24/7.

Here are five more of my favourite spots and some ideas for what to do there!

THE CENTENARY TRAIL

If you did the CBR 100 Challenge, you’ll be familiar with the Centenary Trail – an amazing 145km self-guided trail that weaves its way around iconic sites, hidden treasures and national institutions (you can download the map here). It’s a wonderful way to get out, get fit and explore parts of Canberra you may not have seen before  – and it’s a lot more interesting than just walking around the block!

The Centenary Trail is divided into daily sections, spaced for walkers and bike riders. It follows fire trails, walking tracks and shared paths in urban and natural areas and is open to everyone. The video above was filmed at Mount Ainslie – just at the back of the Australian War Memorial, and is a great section to check out.

DEAKIN FITNESS STATION

If you live or work near Deakin, Deakin Fitness Station is a great facility to add into your fitness routine. It’s right near parkland and walking trails, so it’s easy to add in some strength work mid-run or work, or even to make a bit of a circuit. Do a few sets of bodyweight exercises and then go for a short run; then repeat. There are handy boards showing you how to use the equipment just nearby, and some good stretch instructions, too.

GLEBE PARK

Glebe Park is a great option for those looking for an outdoor lunchtime workout – most days you’ll see packs of joggers making their way through its leafy environs, and small bootcamps doing their thing. But it’s easy to make your own workout here – you can walk or run its trails, do some shuttle runs (like in the video above), some walking lunges, grab a park bench for some modified press ups (check out this video for technique) – there are heaps of options! Oh, and it’s great if you’ve got kids – they can play on the equipment while you work out nearby…

WESTON FITNESS STATION

Weston Fitness Station is a beauty – it’s a little tucked away (which is good if you suffer from performance anxiety) but right near other recreation facilities in Dillon Close neighbourhood park. This station has equipment for one of my favourite exercises – the corkscrew – this may be because it’s the closest you get to dance in a fitness circuit! It’s a great way to work your abs, bum and thighs…and it’s fun! You’ll also find lots of other equipment nearby, so the rest of your body can join the party.

KAMBAH FITNESS STATION

Kambah Fitness Station is a compact facility, well kitted out with modern equipment like a chin up bar (don’t freak out – you can do jump chins if you can’t quite get the full movement), a sit up bench and horizontal bars. These pieces of equipment may sound basic, but they lend themselves to a whole array of exercises – check out how to do dips and pull ups in this video.

GET INVOLVED

Share the cardio, strength and stretching exercises you undertake at your favourite outdoor fitness site by posting a photo or short video to the ‘Find fitness outdoors’ website or uploading it to Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #CBRoutdoors by Monday 20 April 2015. Free personal training sessions are available for the people whose #CBRoutdoors posts generate the most likes or shares on social media.

OUTDOOR GROUP FITNESS SESSIONS

Free group training sessions are being held throughout April at various outdoor fitness sites to allow the community to explore a range of activities to get fit and have fun. Come join us!

Date: Wednesday 22 April 2015
Time: 12 noon
Meeting point: Nguru Beach along Mortimer Lewis Drive, Greenway
Ambassador: Lee Campbell

For more information and to start your outdoor fitness journey visit www.act.gov.au/outdoorfitness

This is just a small selection of the free outdoor fitness facilities that we have all around Canberra. Find one near you or watch the workout videos to remove the mystery from the equipment!