“You get closer – and closer. Nobody is too young or too old for a sporty weekend,” announces the cheerful advertising voice, while a highly motivated cartoon man runs through the green, past a cartoon bikini beauty, who smiles at him admiringly : A huge TV advertising campaign by the German Sports Association from the early 1970s was supposed to achieve the feat of selling the Germans the keep-fit culture as a leisure activity. With constantly new advertising clips that showed changing feel-good sports scenarios – and one constant: the grinning mascot “Trimmy”, who cheers on the athletes with a thumbs-up. The clips give the viewer a strong dose of entertaining, advertising-typical euphemism: In one sequence, for example, “Ms. K., who has been quite exhausted from household chores, suddenly knows exactly: now only a long run will help her”. She sprints off like stung by a tarantula and comes back full of new energy – ready to continue cooking and ironing.
The history
With a new fitness culture, people wanted to get the obesity under control, with which the post-war generations had to struggle: within a few years, one fitness path after the other was laid out. By the mid-1980s, 1,500 free facilities had been built in Germany, most of them fitness trails, but also fitness facilities. To clarify the terms: fitness parks – also called calisthenics park today – offer a similar selection of equipment as fitness trails. Only the running tracks between the devices are missing, so the training ultimately takes place on an outdoor sports field. Fitness trails, on the other hand, extend over a few kilometers and are therefore often located on the edges of forests or in large parks. In recent years, outdoor fitness has also experienced a revival due to the pandemic restrictions. Municipalities all over Germany got their systems up and running again and installed new ones.
At that time, the simplest “equipment” provided support for the exercises. And jogging suits have also become socially acceptable thanks to trim-you.
(Photo: imago/Werek)
trimming today
While well-kept and well-maintained, the facilities always feel a little dated and spartan. This is also due to the fitness studios that have emerged in recent years, to which many have become accustomed. No wish is left unfulfilled in the fitness temples, everything is perfectly clean, perfectly illuminated and the perfect volume is played with lounge music. The city’s exercise trails and fitness facilities do not meet these standards. But something that no gym can deliver: the facilities are not overcrowded, even at peak times. In addition, the paths and facilities are based on a concept: They do not offer a fitness plan tailored to the individual, but a well-rounded program that combines muscle training for the whole body with endurance training through running units between the stations. Why not simply follow a clearly defined training path instead of having to struggle through the equipment jungle of “Fitness First”? The devices are usually provided with short, understandable instructions: If you follow them carefully, you can no longer make any serious mistakes. And the most important thing: you simply feel better after exercising outdoors than after exercising indoors.
fluffy
Hobby athletes doing fitness training in the open-air gym in the Isar meadows between Freibadbächl, Candidstraße and the Isar in Untergiesing.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
A facility in a prime location in the south of Munich is the Parcours am Flaucher. The classic obstacle course equipment is on offer here at Candidstraße: rings, rungs, sit-up benches, squat platforms and so on. Being able to train directly on the Isar is really a luxury: in summer you can reward yourself with a cool down after you have completed your training. There are particularly beautiful bathing spots down on the southern banks of the Isar.
Fitness facility at Candidstrasse 30
Fitness facility in Obersendling
Those who train in the Südpark are surrounded by a lot of greenery.
(Photo: Magdalena Zumbusch)
Obersendling offers great fitness facilities with a fitness facility on Saarbrücker Straße. There are around a dozen devices here. The facility on a green area in the middle of a quiet residential area is particularly good for fitness enthusiasts. The devices are divided into five categories: warm-up, coordination, strength and flexibility are trained here on yellow (easy difficulty), green (medium difficulty) and blue (very difficult) devices. The last category: Endurance is covered by running laps around the green area.
Fitness facility at Saarbrücker Straße 15
Olympic Park
At the opening of the movement island in Munich’s Olympic Park, the show group Ykings demonstrated the exercises on the fitness equipment. In the picture: squats on the wobble plate.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Unfortunately, the many well-remembered keep-fit devices north of the weir in the English Garden no longer exist. This means that the second most beautiful fitness address in the north of Munich has slipped into first place: on the exercise island in the Olympic Lake, you are surrounded by greenery and water. There is a slackline here, the well-known back stretcher as well as rungs and rings for arm training and a small hard court for free exercises. You get the special training effect that the mixture of endurance and muscle training on the equipment offers if you pull yourself together for a few laps in the Olympic Park.
Fitness facility on the AOK exercise island in the Olympic Park
Oberschleissheim
Even further north and already outside the city limits of Munich, a “real” keep-fit path starts in Oberschleißheim’s residential area. The path is called Vita-Parcours – the name reflects the origin of the keep-fit culture: the keep-fit trails in Switzerland are still called that to this day. The trail extends over two and a half kilometers and offers 21 fitness stations.
Fitness trail at Jahnstrasse 11 in the “Berglwald”
Perlach Forest
The path in the Perlacher Forest is also called the Vita-Parcours. The start and end point is the Giesinger Waldhaus, a picturesque house on the northern edge of the Perlacher Forest, which is used as an event location. A pole for balancing, horizontal bar, rings, rungs and many other classics of the fitness trail are available, even the wooden trunks for lifting are still available here – this strength exercise is not often found on modern trails because there is a certain risk of injury are. Especially when it’s wet, the “weight” can easily slip out of your hand, so be careful!
Fitness trail in Oberbiberger Straße on the northern edge of the Perlacher Forest
Michaelmas Anger
The Michaelianger fitness facility is located on a small hill with a beautiful view over part of the facility.
(Photo: Magdalena Zumbusch)
The calisthenics park in Michaeli-Anger is a good address for those who want to keep fit in the east of Munich. The Michaeli-Anger here means the green area at the Michaeli-Gymnasium, not the Michaeli-Anger in Oberschleißheim. In the green area, the devices can then be found in the west, right on the Hüllgraben. The complex is situated on a small hill with a nice view over part of the complex. Partly built on a springy hard court, partly on woodchips, there shouldn’t be a muddy surface even in bad weather.
Fitness facility at the Hüllgraben in the Michaeli-Anger
Riemer Park
The selection of equipment for the course in Riemer Park is one of the largest in the city.
(Photo: Magdalena Zumbusch)
A nice address in the east of Munich is in Riemer Park. The park has a reputation for being a rather unfavorable place to stay in the evenings and at night. During the day, however, it can be recommended without reservation: The extensive park area offers plenty of space to warm up, for example around the Riemer See, which with its clear water and pebble beach is also nice for swimming in summer. With more than 20 devices, the selection of devices on the course is one of the largest in the city.
Fitness facility in the south of Riemer Park between Rappenweg and Zugspitzstrasse
south park
Trimming professionals can do their pull-ups here on the rings and horizontal bars at different heights.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
In the western part of the south park is the calisthenics facility with a large sand court that offers a variety of options for arm and upper body training units. Die-hard trim professionals can do their pull-ups on the rings and horizontal bars at different heights. The balancing pole, an old keep-fit classic, is included, as well as a rope scaffold for climbing.
Fitness facility in the west of the Südpark on Einhornallee