British Daily Mail on the "tough gym" in Hydropark

Correspondent of the British newspaper "Daily Mail" Steve Nolan was so impressed by the outdoor gym complex in Hydropark (metro station and place in Kyiv, located on an iland, known in Kyiv as a place for enternainment) that he called this sports ground the toughest "gym" in the world. Many photos are presented as evidence.

The toughest "gym" in the world, a response to the famous Muscle Beach

The English publication's reviewer aptly called the legendary Kyiv "gym" a response to the famous open-air gym on California's "Muscle Beach" ("beach of muscles"). Located on one of the islands near the center of the Ukrainian capital, it was founded in the 1970s by Polish gymnast Kashmir Jagielski and mathematics professor Yuri Kuk. Since then, for over 40 years, this sports ground has remained popular among fans of weightlifting and beyond.

A special sports ground

Using a large number of photographs on the publication's website as illustrations, featuring athletes and exercise equipment, the correspondent separately describes the unusual nature of the latter. He notes that most of it is made of scrap metal, car parts, and other components. Boxing bags are replaced by car tires hanging from chains. All these devices are devoid of any luxury, soft seats, and plastic handles, and some of the equipment is chained to the ground so that no one steals it.

All this abundance of "tough" training equipment, painted in blue, is located outdoors, so you have the opportunity to get wet not only from sweat but also from rain. In total, this environment resembles more of a dump than a training complex - the publication summarizes. However, the author does not forget to mention the main advantage of the Kyiv "gym" - it is absolutely free and is open to everyone who wishes to train.

Interestingly, among the comments from readers on the "Daily Mail" website, there is a post from a certain Jeff from Pueblo, USA, who really liked what he saw in the photos. Here's what he writes: "Very interesting, much better than gyms here with juice bars & not much happening than talk" ("Very interesting, much better than here [in the US, where] gyms have juice bars and not much to talk about").

That's how the legendary "gym" in the capital's Hydropark became famous almost worldwide, earning the status of the toughest in the world. The original article can be found here.