Something to exercise all ages on the promenade in Clontarf

WITH ITS views of Dublin Port and Poolbeg power station, Clontarf promenade is hardly Venice Muscle Beach, the famous stretch in Los Angeles where the body beautiful go to preen themselves.

Nevertheless, the promenade is hoping to attract its share of the fitness-conscious with seven new pieces of brightly-coloured exercise equipment, turning the length of the promenade into a free-of-charge gym.

There is a cross-trainer, a pulldown trainer, some parallel bars, a shoulder exerciser, a Tai Chi pushing apparatus and, most popular of all, a piece of equipment which will massage your back while giving your arms a good workout.

The pieces have been commissioned by Dublin City Council and have been supplied by a Clontarf-based company called DynamX which hopes to interest other local authorities, schools, hotels and nursing homes around the country in them.

They were put in place at the end of last week.

The price has not been disclosed, but the full set of equipment with 11 different pieces of machinery costs around €12,000.

DynamX technical director Colin O'Callaghan said it is hoped that those who use the equipment at Clontarf promenade will get a full body workout for nothing.

"We're all aware of the problems with obesity and the hectic lifestyle. The point of these is to make it as simple as possible for people to use them, and also to make them available for free so you cannot use the excuse of not being able to afford to use the gym," he said.

Promenaders out walking yesterday in unusually mild weather were unsure whether the pieces, which were designed in Spain and made in China, were gym equipment or art installations.

John Touhy said: "They are aesthetically pretty nice. They seem to be hardwearing and to blend in with the surroundings."

Grainne Kelly said: "They are a great idea, especially as a lot of people go running and walking, and this gives them a break."

Local Fine Gael councillor Gerry Breen said he also liked the idea. "They're lovely and very robust. They're the bee's knees and the cat's pyjamas as far as I'm concerned."