CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin testing his strength on some pull-up bars at the University of Charleston Wednesday.
He joined them in welcoming the university’s new state-of-the-art Outdoor Fitness Court.
The event kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by Manchin joining some student athletes at UC in breaking in the new court, which not only includes pull-up bars, but squat and lunge boxes, bend and push-up stations, among various other workout stations.
Manchin said it only adds to the contributions UC has been making for the Capital City.
“University of Charleston has just been so accommodating to this great city of ours and now to be able to do this for the health industry, you can have a walk here, you can have the exercises, it’s really really a tremendous thing for the community,” Manchin said.
The new outdoor fitness court is designed to provide a full-body workout in 7 minutes and is open for the whole public to utilize.
And Manchin said it’s easily accessible for about anyone to use.
“You have a QR code here and all you have to do is scan it and it tells you basically what type of a workout you want, if you’re a beginner like me and like most of us, or you’re more advanced, it will tell you what you should be doing and what the reps are and how many times,” Manchin said.
The user can scan the QR code on the court which will give them access to guided instructions with video tutorials that will comprehensively take them through each of the various exercises and skill levels. People also have the option to go the course alone and work through the exercises on their own.
UC Director of Athletics and Vice President of the Athletics Department Dr. Bren Stevens said the new court will be particularly beneficial for those involved in campus sports as it provides them with more equipment options to train on.
“We have really limited weight-training space, so they can go here and do really a weight-training workout using their body weight for all of these different exercises, so I think that’s going to be something that’s going to be highly sought after by our coaches and teams,” she said.
She expects coaches from the various UC sports teams will want to at least encourage their athletes to use the course.
Stevens said using the workouts to utilize their body weight is good for athletes across all sports to practice.
“It helps to stabilize joints, it helps to build up, you know additional muscle mass and also, if you’re doing it pretty quickly as a circuit it can enhance your cardiac system, so it’s a very positive thing for the university,” said Stevens.
Installation for the court became available to UC through a program known as the National Fitness Campaign which aims to make exercise and fitness courts more accessible throughout the country.
UC President Marty Roth said the court should make a big impact in the area.
“Health and wellness are so important today not only for our students, but for all of our employees and for our entire community, so to be able to offer this free, easily accessible outdoor fitness court I think it’s going to be a real asset to the community and to something that’s important to us as Charleston’s university,” Roth said.
The new outdoor fitness court is located between the indoor fitness center and the Boat House next to the river on UC’s campus.