A fitness trail, outdoor exercise equipment, or parcourse, consists of a path or course equipped with obstacles or stations distributed along its length for exercising the human body to promote good health. The course is designed to promote physical fitness training in the style attributed to Georges Hébert. In general, fitness trails can be natural or man-made, located in areas such as forest, transportation rights-of-way, parks, or urban settings. Equipment exists to provide specific forms of physiological exercise, and can consist of natural features including climbable rocks, trees, and river embankments, or manufactured products (stepping posts, chin-up and climbing bars) designed to provide similar physical challenges. The degree of difficulty of a course is determined by terrain slope, trail surface (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.), obstacle height (walls) or length (crawls) and other features. Urban parcourses tend to be flat, to permit participation by the elderly, and to accommodate cyclists, runners, skaters and walking. The new concept of an outdoor gym, containing traditional gym equipment specifically designed for outdoor use, is also considered to be a development of the parcourse. These outdoor exercise gyms include moving parts and are often made from galvanised metal.
History
The original parcours was invented in 1968 by Swiss architect Erwin Weckemann with support from Swiss life insurance firm Vita. The first course was built in Zurich, Switzerland. Hundreds of courses were built in Europe by 1972.
Courses built in ensuing years included:
- [US] 1976 "Parcour" exercise trail in County Farm Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- [US] 1977 Bruce Jenner Trail in the Lake County, Illinois Forest Preserve District.
- [US] El Estero Exercise Course at Lake El Estero, Monterey, California
- [HK] 1977 Lion Rock Country Park, New Territories, Hong Kong, featuring 15 exercise stations.
Examples
United Kingdom
Fitness Trails can include stations for the upper body, lower body, balance & coordination and climbing/jumping equipment designed to test the whole body.
Australia
Installations are found across AU.
Canada
- Sunnybrook Park in Toronto, Ontario has a Vita Parcours Exercise Trail, along with sports facilities.
- Seeley's Bay, Ontario has a 4km Vita Parcours trail through Haskins Point
- Bay of St. Lawrence Park, near Gananoque, Ontario
Luxembourg
- Among pedestrian trails there is a fitness trail in the village of Steinfort.
New Zealand
- Blockhouse Bay Recreation Reserve, City of Auckland New Zealand.
United States of America
California
San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco
- Near the bathrooms at Crissy Field Beach there is a Parcourse body curl station
East Bay
- There is an asphalt parcourse (remodeled in 2012), that projects into the Bay in Marina Park in San Leandro.
- Section Two of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail is an asphalt paved parcourse in Moraga.
- A dirt parcourse trail surrounds Bishop Ranch 7 office complex in San Ramon. Although the parcourse is on private property, it is open to public use.
- Under the BART right-of-way along Masonic Ave., in Albany.
- There are two parcourse trails in Pleasanton; one borders the northern side of Bernal Corporate Park, paralleling the Arroyo Valle, and the second is on the Owens Drive loop west of Johnson Drive.
North Bay
- A parcourse is located around Spring lake in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, adjacent to Howarth Park.
Peninsula
- The first parcourse trail built in the USA still exists in the Mountain Lake Park of San Francisco's Presidio. The parcourse begins at the beginning of 9th Ave, just north of the intersection of 9th Ave and Lake St.
- The Perrier parcourse is at the site of the former Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This course is open for public use.
- There is a parcourse that borders the Marina Green in San Francisco.
- There are several exercise stations (some new and some from an original Parcourse), on the south side of Millbrae Ave. between S Magnolia Ave. and Palm Ave. along the Spur Trail in Millbrae.
- An asphalt paved parcourse trail begins at the 5.9Â mi. mark of the Bay Trail, around the perimeter of the Oracle Corporation office complex in Redwood Shores. Although the parcourse is on Oracle property, it is open to public use. There is another parcourse on the opposite (south) side of Marina Parkway, but it has fallen into disrepair.
- A parcourse is located along Marina Parkway beginning near the intersection of Bridge Parkway and Cork Harbor Circle and ending near the intersection of Bridge Parkway and Portwalk Place in Redwood Shores.
- There is a Parcourse with fitness stations clustered along a trail in the Holbrook-Palmer Park on the south side of Watkins Avenue between Dinkelspiel Station Lane and Middlefield Road in Atherton.
- There is a Parcourse inside the NASA Ames Research Center. However, an official NASA ID is required to access it.
South Bay
- There is an "outdoor exercise park" in Santa Clara's Central Park.
Los Angeles Area
- A paved parcourse trail is available at Rynerson Park in Lakewood on Studabaker Road parallel to the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. This parcourse has 6 stations along a 1-mile loop.
- Johnny Carson Park located in Burbank features a parcourse circuit with a dozen stations along a dirt path loop. It also includes a warm-up area with equipment designed to facilitate stretching.
- The Whittwood Towne Center offers a small short vita course set up next to eh 24 Hour Fitness Gym.
- In the unincorporated part of South Whittier at Adventure Park all around the baseball diamonds there are numerous stations.
Riverside Area
- A dirt fitness trail, including stations with scaling walls, pull-up bars, and other activities, runs around Lincoln Park on Lincoln Avenue in Corona.
Lake Tahoe Area
- There is an 18 station par course at North Tahoe Regional Park, which is located at 6600 Donner Road, one mile west of Highway 267 and one mile north of Highway 28 in Tahoe Vista.
San Diego Area
- Morley Fields Sport complex - Perrier Parcourse Fitness Circuit. This fitness circuit was donated by the Groeat
Waters of France Company, distributor of Perrier water. The circuit includes eighteen exercise stations spaced over a 2.5 mile path.
- Downtown San Diego, Embarcadero Marina Park South. Fitness course with various stations. Incorporate the Convention Center stairs into the course for a killer workout. NOTE: Area is closed frequently in the summer for concerts: Access during this time is limited to the morning - late afternoon.
Colorado
- Waneka Lake Trail, Lafayette, Colorado - 10 fitness stations along 1.2-mile lake perimeter trail, most of which is soft surface (crusher fines)
- Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado has a 1.6-mile cross country fitness course with 19 exercise stations beginning at the Pelican Point parking area
Georgia
Waycross
- There is a parcourse located in the woods surrounding Waycross College.
Kentucky
- Giles Conrad Park in Boone County, KY features a 1.3 mile trail dotted with fitness stations.
Maryland
- Prince George County Parks and Recreation Chernikoff Fitness Trail, Maryland, US.
- Downs Park in Pasadena, Anne Arundel County
- NCR TRAIL. Parkton Md
Michigan
- Macomb County
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- In Washington Township, MI there is a fitness trail at Stony Creek Metropark
- Marquette County
-
- In Marquette, MI there is a fitness trail located along the Fit Strip adjacent to Park Cemetery.
- Washtenaw County
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- Ypsilanti, MI North Bay Park.
- Delta County, Gladstone, MI VanCleve City Park
New Jersey
- In Jersey City there is a parcourse trail with 15 stations in Liberty State Park
- In High Bridge there is a 1 mile parcourse trail with 10 or so stations in Voorhees State Park
Ohio
- In Hamilton County, OH, Embshoff Woods, Miami Whitewater Forest, Sharon Woods, Triple Creek, Winton Woods, and Woodland Mound county parks have parcourse trails.
- In Summit County, OH, there are two parcours trails as part of the Metroparks system. A 1.8 mile trail is at Goodyear Metropark, and a 1.4 mile trail is part of the Sand Run Metropark. Both are well maintained dirt trails in hilly, wooded settings. Both are located in Akron, OH.
Pennsylvania
- In Frick Park, Pittsburgh, there's a paved parcourse trail starting at the intersection of Beechwood Boulevard and Nicholson Street with 18 stations. The signs along the trail date from 1975.
Tennessee
- In Franklin, TN, Pinkerton Park, located near downtown, has a 1-mile fitness trail.
Texas
- In Austin, the Shoal Creek Trail features a three-station parcourse near its intersection with 30th St, Texas, US.
- In Sugar Land, A parcourse is located adjacent to Highlands Elementary School at the intersection of Williams Trace Boulevard and Edgewater Drive, Texas, USA.
- In Missouri City, A more compact course is located behind the LA Fitness at 5402 Texas 6, on Cross Lakes Boulevard.
Virginia
- In Richmond, Byrd Park has a 1-mile fitness trail.
- In Vienna, Nottoway Park has a 3/4 mile fitness trail.
- In Winchester, Jim Barnett Park has a 1-mile, 18 station parcourse.
Washington
- Maintained list of Fitness Trails in the Puget Sound area, Washington State, US.
Wisconsin
- In Madison, Wisconsin The Parcourse Fitness Circuit begins on the west side of the UW Natatorium and encircles the far west fields, some stations along the Lakeshore Path. Eighteen stations are spread around the approximately 2.5 mile course. http://recsports.wisc.edu/documents/parcourse.pdf
- In Peninsula State Park The Vita Course circles the amphitheater in a 1 mile loop featuring 13 station.
South America
Colombia
- In Sendero las Brumas, Valle del Cauca has a 4.3 mile fitness trail
See also
- Chin-up bar
- Free running
- Parkour
- Obstacle course
- Outdoor gym
References
- Parcourse Redux - Outdoor fitness tracks ... Mike Grudowski. Outside Magazine, May 2000. Photos, examples. Retrieved February 4, 2010. (no longer available online).
- Parcourses - Where have they gone? Heather Long, Families.com, July 28, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2007.
- Old-school exercise is par for the course Jeff Nachtigal, Bakersfield.com, December 11, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2007. Archived at web.archive.org, retrieved December 28, 2009.
- Par Course Exercise - Outdoor Fitness for Everyone James M. Evans, American Senior Fitness Association, January 19, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2007.
- Outdoor fitness equipment [1] Guy Chaham GreenGym
- Hamilton County Park District Trails Retrieved March 18, 2011.
Notes
External links
- Calisthenics Parks - find one near you.
