MoveStrong FitGround outdoor fitness area installed at Johnstone Park
From the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise...
Popular with military-style training, Cross Fitters and home workout enthusiasts, “functional” or bodyweight training — one of the oldest and most proven styles of training in existence — is all the rage again, and it’s coming to the city of Bartlesville park system.
The city recently purchased the Move Strong T-Rex Fitness Station Fit Ground, and parks department staff has been working to install the equipment at Johnstone Park before an April 1 grand opening.
“It might be ready before then, but we are planning a small ceremony at the site to officially dedicate the equipment for use on April 1,” said Community Development Director Lisa Beeman.
After months of research and obtaining input from local groups, including ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, personal trainers and other health providers, Beeman said she chose the T-Rex Fit Ground equipment because of its appeal to all adult age groups and levels of strength.
“I didn’t want to just go to the catalogue and pick some equipment out that you could find anywhere else. I wanted something that was new and innovative — cutting edge in fitness that citizens of all adult age groups could use, from the weakest to the strongest and everything in between,” Beeman said.
There were several factors to consider, though, including maintenance issues and durability, she says.
“I knew we couldn’t have anything outside that had a lot of moving parts, simply because of the maintenance and the potential for it to break down and become inoperable,” she said. “I wanted something that was going to last well outside.”
After working with several local groups to find the perfect match for Bartlesville, Beeman settled on the T-Rex Fit Ground Station.
“I started looking at Cross Fit equipment and I ran across this company called Move Strong. They had a piece of equipment that they were just starting to manufacture. That’s all they do — they don’t do playground equipment or anything like that. They just do Cross Fit equipment,” she said.
Beeman began working with the company and came up with the layout that was eventually purchased by the city, using discretionary funds leftover from the 2012 General Obligation Bond Issue.
“I started working with Move Strong, considering what the city could afford and what would be useful for all (adult) age groups. I looked at their specifications for this equipment — it holds up well outdoors and doesn’t have any moving parts,” she said.
According to Move Strong, the T-Rex Fit Ground is “specifically designed to weather tough outdoor conditions and allow for (year-round) functional fitness and bodyweight exercising for adults.”
Features of the equipment include climbing apparatuses and ropes, dip posts, ab board, pull-up bars, rings, parallel bars, plyo steps, over-and-under posts, a 10-foot cargo net and a Monkey Bar Bridge.
“It’s like an adult Jungle Gym, basically,” said Beeman. “I think it’s really cool. I’m excited, and I hope it gets used.”
- See more at: http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/outdoor-fitness-equipment-installed-johnstone-park#sthash.nuATMaSo.dpuf
Read the News on 6 article and see video news report here
