WHEN serious fitness fanatics start talking about the best places to pump iron, one name always leaps out.
Muscle Beach in California, once used by a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, is famous with gym-goers the world over – but following hard on its heels is an Orchard Park fitness centre.
The Green Heart Outdoor Gym in Shaw Park has been named number two in a list of the five best places to train outdoors.
The claim was made in a news story on the WAYN online travel network.
"It's fantastic – Hull is right at the forefront of technology and fitness," said Georgie Delaney, creative director of The Great Outdoor Gym Company (TGO), which built the fitness area.
"It just really shows the city is so forward-looking.
"It made me so happy to see it, because it's brilliant to have somebody totally independent saying this is the second-best outdoor gym in the world."
Installed last year as part of a fitness drive, the gym has since featured on American news network CNN.
It generates electricity from users' workouts for lighting at night, allowing them to carry on training in the dark.
This was trailblazing technology at the time of its creation and after using Hull as a pilot, TGO now has orders for almost 70 similar gyms across the world.
Even the academic world took an interest.
Ling Ge, a research scientist at Imperial College London, said: "It's a really beautiful concept and it uses existing technology in a novel way.
"I think it's an excellent way to educate people about the concept of sustainability and changing people's behaviour without putting the S-word in your face."
The gym was commissioned by Hull City Council as part of a series of outdoor training centres across the city.
It is supposed to make it easy for families to exercise together.
People of any age can use it for free and without fees for building upkeep, staff or electricity, running costs are low.
"The beauty of it is, people can go with their dogs and then use the machines," said leisure portfolio holder Terry Geraghty.
"People get chatting there and make friends. Football and rugby teams train there and children use it as well.
"When parents bring their children after school to go on the swings in the summertime, they can go on the gym."
The gym cost about £70,000 to set up but Cllr Geraghty said the exposure it had given Hull in the half-hour CNN show was priceless.
The gym's technological innovations have since been televised in Japan, discussed at national NHS conferences and even mentioned in the House of Commons.
"It's so unique. It's free, it's family-friendly and it's green," Ms Delaney said.
"It's just got that whole feel-good factor. It's very inclusive and you're actually doing something good for the environment.
"It's about getting fit but it's also about doing something good for the environment as well."
In summer last year, the gym – along with seven others outside in Hull – was used by more than 5,000 people.
It has been such a success more fitness suites are being installed in parks across the city.
"The gyms, which are free to use and readily accessible to people of all ages and abilities, break down the barriers to physical activity and also act as a gateway to improving health," said Mitch Upfold, the council's economic regeneration manager.
"The eco-wellness zone at Shaw Park in Hull is wholly unique.
"Having been designed to be powered entirely by human movement it is lit up at night at no cost, enabling people to exercise around the clock."
Visit www.tgogc.com to find out more.
