FREE Gym Miami – My Equilibria, South Beach
*Currently called Calisthenics Public Gym on Google maps.
Address: Ocean Drive, level with 9th Street, by the beach.
Open: All the time!
Cost: Free!
FREE Gym Miami – My Equilibria South Beach
Sounding good, isn’t it? A beach workout at a free gym in the great outdoors, enjoying the fresh sea air. Indeed, life could be worse. Miami is stunning and generally sunny with blue skies…
Back to reality, we have a workout to do. So, what have we got?
Facilities
Well, don’t expect it to be a fully equipped weights gym, the only weights you’ll find are a couple of 20kg discs. What do you mean, you want other weights? Well too bad, that’s your lot. But if you’re on a budget and don’t want to spend the high casual rate fees of gyms nearby then it’s time to accept you’ll need to adapt your workout somewhat. Yep, it’s time for some body-weight exercises using the props we have. And to be fair, they are pretty cool once you work out what to do with them!
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There are a couple of hard benches for ab work including foot support; one is at an incline. Perfect for avoiding lying the sand. But don’t expect to leave without being covered in it – I didn’t manage to anyway!
The disc weights came in handy for me for shoulder pressing and for squats, although they are a little awkward for the former. Lunges might be similarly awkward. Depending on your strength you may be able to find you can do some similar exercises with them to your usual workout.
The good news is that there are numerous bars around at varying heights and therefore suitable for most people wanting to do pull pull-ups. Can’t do a pull-up? Try them eccentrically – ie jump up and lower yourself down as slowly as you can. Repeat: that’ll work those lats.
More good news for lats if you are strong, there’s a monkey style climbing frame that you can swing along, one arm at a time.
There is also a narrow set of rings above shoulder height if you’d prefer to use these for your (underarm) pull ups. Additionally there’s a wider set elsewhere if you fancy yourself as an Olympian. But if you are tempted to try out any fancy acrobatics on this equipment, do check your travel insurance first.
There are a couple of boxes/platforms at different heights – one at a lowish stepboard height and one considerably higher. I used the higher one for tricep dips as well as doing some controlled single-knee knee lifts on the higher platform. Other options are using the step/s aerobically or for inclined/declined press-ups. There’s also a set of parallel bars, good for tricep dips or anything else you fancy trying out.
Press-ups: you don’t even need to touch the ground; there are various sets of slidable handles on the floor which you can adjust the width of and do press-ups on – perfect if you have a wrist problem and don’t want to extend them.
New To These Gyms?
I have to admit, it was actually my first time attempting a proper workout at one of these free outdoor gyms, so there was a considerable element of watching others for ideas and inspiration of what to do on the various pieces of equipment available. Upon seeing a flat metal circle just above the ground on its own, I was at a loss what to do with it – until someone came along and stood on it. I realised then that it rotated; by twisting from the waist you can get a great abs workout. Don’t fall off.
Cardio
There’s a set of big heavy battle ropes just waiting to be slammed repeatedly into the ground – that’ll get your heart-rate up, as will the punch bag. I didn’t see any gloves around but by all means take some along.
Failing all the above, there are numerous volleyball courts around – grab a ball and find some friends. 🙂
Do you travel with Resistance Tubes or a TRX? If so, here would be an ideal place to train with them. For more ideas, check out my feature on How to Look Ripped on Your Travel Adventure – For Free!
Summary – Free Outdoor Gym Miami
I wasn’t expecting much in terms of actual facilities at My Equilibria, and of course, aircon is off the menu. Given the heat and humidity, you’ll probably want to go early or late. I went at 820am and by 9am the sun was fully out and I could hear a Brit whinging they were too hot. There is however a water supply with a shower, though it is open air so you might wish to keep something on in the way of clothes. I’m not sure what the policy is in Florida regarding nudity…
As for cardio, you can’t beat a good run along the beach, or if you’re like me and don’t like running on sand, run on the path or better still, across the bridge between South Beach and downtown for great views all the way, and although the bridge is not entirely flat it’s not steep either. You won’t be alone; I saw several runners in different places each morning of my stay. Exercise is a big thing here, as it should be everywhere! Enjoy your beach workout at the free gym in Miami!
Want an Overview of Gyms in Miami?
I went to several different gyms here and I’ve summarised, compared and recommended my favourites in this article! Check out Gyms in Miami.
