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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM LEG PRESS: <>This machine has two positions, one more difficult than the other. When you press out with your legs from a seated position, the motion lifts your chair back and upward. “Your legs are such an important part of your life, getting here and there,” Roig said. “For the fun activities, what recreational sports don’t use legs? This is good for surfing, soccer, tennis and running. And if you want to prevent injuries, you strengthen your muscles.”
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM SIT-UP BOARD: The incline board works core muscles. Keep your stomach compact and contracted, Roig said. “Inhale as you go back,” he said. “Don’t go too fast or else you will be using momentum. Count to four as you go back and count to two as you come up.”
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM ELLIPTICAL: This is another cardiovascular exercise that increases endurance while increasing leg and hip strength. It helps to stand on the balls of your feet, Roig said. But even though the levers can be moved with ease, don’t underestimate it. “I’d say it’s more challenging than the rower,” Roig said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM ROWING MACHINE: The fluid motion of rowing, which uses both legs and arms, will work the cardiovascular system, Roig said. A 10-minute set is a great warm-up if you haven’t arrived at the park by running or walking. “It’s a great cardiovascular exercise because it includes your upper body and lower body,” Roig said. “It is going to burn more calories and be more beneficial to build your upper body’s aerobic capacity. And you are using large muscle groups so you can sustain it for a longer period of time.”
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM BACK EXTENSION: This exercise requires you to lie forward against a chest plate, facing the ground with your legs and feet wedged in place. To secure yourself, your thighs are placed against a restraining bar and your feet pressed against the lip of a foot platform, Roig said. Lean forward into space, then back up to engage the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. If you cross your arms against your chest, the movement is easier than if you stretch them forward Superman style, Roig said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM SEATED CHEST PRESS:
After grabbing the ends of the levers, keep your arms 90 degrees off the ground from your shoulder points and bent 90 degrees at your elbows, Roig said. Press outward and exhale to work your chest, shoulder and triceps muscles, he said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM PULL-UP AND DIPS:
This station allows four basic exercises, but Roig cautions they are the hardest ones in the exercise park: pull-ups, dips, reverse dips and abdominal legs lifts. “If you have a knack for them, great, but otherwise, don’t force the issue,” he said. “Some people will never be able to do them, so do the best with what you have and realize that it isn’t the end of the world.”
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM SEATED LAT PULL: This will build upper back muscles and biceps, too, Roig said. As you pull down on the overhead levers from a seated position, you engage your muscles as you lift the chair you’re on. “You take your feet off the ground and you pull down,” he said. “I’m lifting myself up so I’m working my lats. I think for most people, if they can do 15 reps, that will be great. You will build muscular strength and endurance.”
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM SQUAT PRESS: For the squat press, at right, users stand on a platform in a squatting position, thighs parallel to the ground, then rise up and finish with an overhead shoulder press. The motion lifts the platform and the person working out. “I work my legs, my buttocks, shoulders, triceps and upper chest,” Roig said. “It’s a great full-body motion.”
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In his 50 years of preaching fitness, Clark Hatch has heard hundreds of excuses from people who want to explain why they can’t, don’t or won’t exercise. Last week, Hatch gave what he feels is his best response: a set of outdoor fitness equipment on the slopes of Diamond Head that anyone can use, free of charge, any time.
The equipment, dubbed the Bryan Clay Exercise Park, is a gift from Hatch and the Diamond Head State Monument Foundation, the all-volunteer nonprofit group involved in beautification projects. It was installed last month along the state’s new $1.36 million Fort Ruger Pathway near 18th Avenue and Diamond Head Road.
Luis Roig, a 54-year-old former fitness club manager who helped with the creation of the park, said the nine stations mix strength training and cardiovascular fitness. The equipment, most of which requires the user to move a lever, is easy to use and relies on body weight for resistance. Here he explains some of the benefits and offers advice on using each of the stations. See Photos.
Fitness enthusiasts who frequent the area started using it right away. In fact, they started using the equipment even before workers had finished installing all of it and found open stations to use during a dedication ceremony last week.
"Each time I see someone using the exercise equipment, I feel really good about it," said the 74-year-old Hatch, who owns an international chain of fitness centers. "My real reason for putting in the gym was to afford anyone the opportunity to exercise. They don’t need to be a member anywhere. They don’t have to pay. You don’t need special clothing. You just come as you are and do the machines."
And if that isn’t enough incentive for using them, Hatch added, "It will burn twice as many calories than just walking."
The nine pieces of equipment in the Bryan Clay Exercise Park cost $40,000, and an additional $22,000 was needed to create the concrete foundations they sit on, Hatch said. The equipment was specifically designed for outdoor use by a mainland company, TriActive America, and each station is made of heavy, recycled steel.
Hatch named the exercise park for Clay, the 2008 Olympic decathlon gold medalist from Hawaii. Hatch has known Clay for 13 years and was in the stands when Clay won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and when he won the gold in Beijing.
"I wanted to see a proper honor for Bryan Clay," Hatch said. "He is a quiet, humble guy, and I don’t think the state or the city and county has really afforded him any recognition as the world’s greatest athlete."
Clay wasn’t able to attend the dedication, but is scheduled to meet fans at the exercise park at 10 a.m. Saturday.
"Clark Hatch has been an amazing supporter of mine since the beginning of my career," Clay said in a phone call from California. "I can’t imagine having a park named after you even if it is just an exercise park. But it’s a huge honor."