Make Long Beach Your Gym

Long Beach is well-known for producing elite athletes as well as active locals who can regularly be seen cycling, swimming, skating, running, etc. Adding to those activities, the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department created “Fitness Zones” throughout the city; easy-to-use outdoor gyms, walking paths and exercise instruction stations located in and around local parks. They’re free, fun and never far.

CENTRAL

One of the most popular features of this jewel of a park is exercise equipment positioned along a walking path. Orizaba Park (1435 Orizaba Ave) arranges the equipment so that each area focuses on particular types of exercise. One area focuses on cardio and plyometrics, another is for lower body, one is for chest and back, another for abs. ADA accessible equipment is also available.

NORTH LONG BEACH

One of the most innovative fitness zones is located at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave), where its half-mile Fitness Loop contains bilingual fitness activity signs with a QR code linking to an instructional video that can be scanned from mobile devices. The Coolidge Park Fitness Zone (352 E Neece St) has numerous pieces of exercise equipment located in close proximity to its playground so people can workout while they keep an eye on their kids.

EAST SIDE

Bixby Park (130 Cherry Ave.) is not only one of the most popular park’s in the city–home to a skatepark, activities such as yoga and tai chi classes, concerts and a twice weekly farmers’ market–it also has incredible ocean views. Winding itself through the park is the Bixby Park Fitness Loop, a walking path with distance markers that connects six different stations, each with its own fitness equipment.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown Fitness Loop, the city’s longest fitness zone, is a 4.8-mile walking/running path bordered by Alamitos Avenue, Shoreline Drive and Ocean Blvd. It has distance markers connecting five active equipment stations–pull-ups, dip bars–and six passive stations–balance and stretching equipment. Within its cozy four acres, Lincoln Park (101 Pacific Ave) has a skate park, dog park, and turf sports fields as well as a variety of ADA accessible outdoor fitness equipment.

WEST SIDE

The Admiral Kidd Park Life Trail (2125 Santa Fe Ave) runs through the 12-acre park with various stops at posted fitness activities or stationary exercise equipment, appropriate for all ages. In a section between its playground and picnic benches, Cesar A. Chavez Park (401 Golden Ave) features a loop with half a dozen distinct pieces of self-use exercise equipment including three that are specifically ADA accessible.

About the Author

Steve Lowery

Steve Lowery is a longtime local. Over the years he has written for the Los Angeles Times, ESPN, and others. If you're looking for the hidden gems of Long Beach, Steve is your go-to.