Plan for QR-guided workouts in parks
A proposal to turn public parks into open-air workout grounds, with calisthenics kit and QR signs showing people how to train safely, has been put forward by Southern Municipal Council Chairman Abdullah Ebrahim Abdullatif.
The plan calls for monkey bars, pull-up bars, parallel bars, dip bars and low training bars. QR signs beside workout areas would take users to videos and illustrated guides in Arabic, English and Hindi.
Abdullatif said calisthenics had drawn growing interest since the Covid pandemic, when people began shunning crowded gyms and taking their workouts outdoors.
And there was no need to start from scratch, he said. Parks and public spaces improved in recent years could be fitted with extra workout stations and clearer instructions for users.
Al-Estiqlal Walkway in East Riffa and Buhair Housing Park were among the sites he said showed what could be built on.
‘It is a great sport that helps build muscle and needs flexibility, but some parks still lack even basic facilities and enough care over safety,’ Abdullatif told The Daily Tribune.
He wants the QR signs to give beginners a simple way to learn the moves, train at the right level and work their way up as they gain strength and skill.
A scan of the code could bring up short videos or pictures showing how to perform each exercise, warm up properly and avoid injury.
The idea would extend to children’s play areas.
Abdullatif wants QR signs there too, giving parents safety advice while their children play. The guidance could show which age group each play feature is meant for, how it should be used and what parents should watch for.
Older park users could be given simple exercise guides of their own. Offering the material in Arabic, English and Hindi would also help expatriate visitors use the parks safely.
Abdullatif said growing numbers of calisthenics fans now chose parks and open spaces over indoor gyms, training alone or in groups.
Better park workout areas, he said, could draw young people into sport, give older users an easier way to exercise and get greater use out of spaces people already visit.
The aim is to make outdoor exercise safer, easier to follow and part of everyday life.
Abdullatif said the idea also fits Bahrain’s sporting vision and the work of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa to develop sport and spot sporting talent.
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