The National Fitness Campaign is bringing a fitness court to Forest Park, with its opening set for June 1.
“They came to us in September or October of last year and put out their concept, which is free fitness for all,” said Jackie Iovinelli, executive director of the Park District of Forest Park. The new fitness court will be located east of the soccer fields at 7501 Harrison St., between the tennis courts and day camp building.
Iovinelli said she wasn’t sure how officials from the San Francisco-based National Fitness Campaign saw an aerial view of the park district property, but they “loved our location” and encouraged the park district to apply for a fitness court grant. Iovenilli said Forest Park’s fitness court will be just the second in the state — the other is in northwest Belvidere.
“The idea of it is to not use weights, it’s about using your body weight to do difficult circuits,” Iovinelli said.
The outdoor court will consist of seven stations, with the corresponding seven movements intended to work out residents’ core, test their agility, teach them to lunge and more. Each movement is intended to be done for just 45 seconds, with a 15-second rest in between. The National Fitness Campaign claims that its seven-movement system “allows you to get a full body workout in just seven minutes.”
Once the court is open, attendees can download the “Fitness Court” mobile application, which will guide them through the movements, personalize workouts and allow them to compete with their best times and other app users. The National Fitness Campaign is funding all of the court’s construction, and officials will also train park district staff on the seven elements of the court.
“It’s free fitness for all,” Iovinelli said. “The community was selected and it gives an opportunity to all of our residents to have this unique feature [which] promotes health and wellness in the community.”
