CALLISTHENICS
IN MEDELLÍN

Medellín is a city that works out. Unlike the European and North American cities you may be familiar with, you will easily find places to do callisthenics and outdoor workouts in the city, However, we’re not simply talking about workout areas with a couple of callisthenic bars. We’re talking about fully-equipped, municipally funded outdoor gyms with machinery on par with your average public gym. Medellín outdoor gyms have resistance machines, benches and racks with weights (weights chained down to prevent theft/vandalism), callisthenics bars and more.

With such an array of workout locations and outdoor gym equipment - not to mention an idyllic climate, Medellín may inspire you to start callisthenics. That was the case for me. What’s more, these outdoor gyms are free and open to the general public!

Outdoor gyms go by many names in Spanish. You’ll see gimnasios urbanos, gimnasios al aire libre and gimnasios libres all on Google Maps, but ones with better facilities will typically be referred to as gimnasios urbanos. Zonas de street workout is another name locals use.

I did callisthenics at outdoor gyms in three neighbourhoods in Medellín - Belén, Laureles and Poblado - and it's the callisthenics zones and outdoor gyms that I know about in these areas that I will introduce.