Aerobic
Support cardiovascular activity, endurance, and movement that keeps people engaged over time.
Best Practices for Community Health
Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks
A planning resource for communities that want to increase physical activity, support social engagement, and create outdoor fitness spaces people can actually use.
Why This Matters
Design fitness spaces that move people, not just equipment.
Outdoor adult fitness parks can help communities make physical activity more accessible, visible, social, and sustainable.
The guidebook helps planners, parks departments, landscape architects, advocates, and local leaders understand how to align equipment, layout, programming, marketing, and measurement around a complete outdoor fitness experience.
Built for Community Impact
Use this resource when your project needs to serve real people, real goals, and real public health priorities.
- Support adults at different fitness levels
- Plan a well-rounded fitness routine outdoors
- Connect fitness spaces to parks, trails, campuses, and civic destinations
- Promote the space with clear programming and community outreach
- Evaluate outcomes and communicate impact to stakeholders
Request the Resource
Request a Copy of the Guidebook
Use the Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks guidebook to plan a stronger, healthier, more active outdoor fitness destination.
Complete the form to request the guidebook and connect with GameTime for support planning an outdoor fitness park in your community.
- Design around a well-rounded workout
- Plan with community health and wellness outcomes in mind
- Build a stronger case for funding, advocacy, and long-term impact
Guidebook Request Form
Complete the form below to request your copy of the Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks guidebook.
What You Get
A complete resource for planning, programming, and proving impact.
The comprehensive program gives communities the guidance to move from idea to installation to long-term use.
62
Page educational and design guide
5
Elements of a well-rounded workout
NDS
Eligibility pathway for recognition
- Guidance on outdoor fitness park benefits, history, and community health value.
- Strategies for aligning equipment with total-body fitness and user needs.
- Planning support for site context, location, audiences, marketing, and utilization.
- Implementation, sustainability, programming, outcome evaluation, reporting, and case examples.
- Access to companion resources, professional development, and National Demonstration Site opportunities.
Backed by Research
Five Elements of a Well-Rounded Fitness Space
The guidebook organizes outdoor fitness around five key activity types that work together to support total-body wellness.
Balance
Help users practice stability, coordination, control, and confidence through purposeful movement.
Core
Strengthen the center of the body with activities that support posture, function, and mobility.
Flexibility
Create opportunities for stretching, recovery, range of motion, and long-term movement health.
Muscle
Promote strength, resistance, and functional fitness with equipment for different ability levels.
National Recognition
Become a National Demonstration Site
Communities that follow best-practice principles for outdoor adult fitness may be eligible for National Demonstration Site recognition.
This designation helps showcase your community’s leadership in health, wellness, evidence-based design, and measurable impact. It also gives your team a stronger story to share with residents, leaders, funders, and partners.
- Recognize your project as a model for best-practice outdoor fitness design
- Support public awareness, community pride, and press opportunities
- Use outcome tools and reporting to communicate project value
Planning Roadmap
From Guidebook to Built Environment
A successful outdoor fitness park is more than equipment. It is a planned experience with the right location, design, programming, and community story.
Plan
Identify user groups, site context, community goals, safety considerations, and long-term maintenance needs.
Design
Select equipment and layouts that support aerobic, balance, core, flexibility, and muscle-strength activities.
Promote
Use programming, signage, events, partnerships, and communication to help people know how and why to use the space.
Measure
Evaluate participation, outcomes, community satisfaction, and impact so stakeholders can see the value clearly.
Research and Resources
Design, Activity, and Advocacy Tools From PlayCore and Their Partners
Explore additional evidence-based resources that help communities plan, fund, design, activate, and measure outdoor play and recreation spaces.
Start Planning
Ready to plan an outdoor fitness park?
GameTime can help you select equipment, plan the layout, connect with a local representative, and create an outdoor fitness space designed for real community use.
Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks
Best Practices for Promoting Community Health by Increasing Physical Activity
Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks
The purpose of the Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks guidebook is to inspire communities to advocate for and utilize Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks as critical health solutions for increasing physical activity and social engagement. PlayCore, along with a variety of industry professionals, fitness experts, organizational advocates, and local champions across a variety of communities, offers an educational and design resource to help promote community health and capital through innovative fitness solutions.
Five Elements of a Well-Rounded Fitness Space
Aerobic
Balance
Core
Flexibility
Muscle
Comprehensive program includes:
- 62 page educational/design resource:
- History and benefits of outdoor fitness parks
- Aligning equipment for total body fitness
- Planning context and locations
- Targeting and marketing to user groups
- Implementation and sustainability
- Programming to expand utilization
- Evaluating and reporting outcomes
- Best practice case study examples
- A website dedicated to benefits, exercises, a full database of Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks, and more
- Professional development training modules
- The Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks National Demonstration Site program, where you can get national recognition and press exposure for sites that follow the best practice guidelines
Become a National Demonstration Site!
Armed with the information in the Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks Guidebook, your community can build an outdoor adult fitness park that will be recognized for implementing the best practice principles that integrate health and wellness into your community. Your community will be awarded an esteemed National Demonstration Site designation to promote your leadership and gain national awareness.