Outdoor Gym Equipment in Seoul

There has been a lot from the past two days that I’ve loved. For now, though, I’d like to share just one simple observation. Public gym equipment in South Korea. It is pretty awesome. Of course, this is likely an extreme over-generalisation, given I have only seen a very limited area of Seoul and literally nowhere else in the country. Nevertheless, cool stuff.

In my five kilometre run starting in Hangang park this morning, I encountered perhaps the same number of outdoor gyms as kilometres run, each equipped with spotless, fully-functioning machines, in surprising variety and quantity. They also had free weights! Multiple bench press set ups with a barbell. Some light dumbbells.

Most of the all, the atmosphere was great. Koreans young and old got their morning workout in amongst full sunshine, with a panoramic view across the water. Some use the free weights or calisthenics set up to challenge their strength, other used simple machines for gentle exercise, stretching, and movement. This is nothing revolutionary, but I enjoyed seeing it.

I was actually going to post about the gym equipment this morning regardless, but my love for this infrastructure was further solidified when we stumbled across a similar setup in Namsam Park and gave it a crack for ourselves. First, the park itself is wonderful. It sits squarely in centre-city Seoul and offers immense tranquility and relief from the nearby chaos in Myeongdong. The beautiful foliage and birdsong welcomes you with open arms when you need a nature break, and quickly leads you to forget about the steep incline you’re walking up. Fortunately, this incline affords you a sweeping city view. One that was particularly special this evening as the skyscrapers basked in orange sunlight. And yes, nestled along the trail was a gym of the same ilk as those by the river. It felt great to do a couple of pull ups, test a few odd-looking machines, and to bend and twist a little. The stunning vantage point didn’t hurt either. In my mind, these gyms are just a good idea all around, and they’re presented in a way that feels perfect here in Seoul.