Best outdoor gyms in KL

Best for everything in one

This is not the largest park in KL but it may just be the cleanest. Everything here is in good condition. The planners have made excellent use of the limited square footage – you’ll find everything you need in a park, starting with the workout facilities and extending to a futsal court, children’s playground, lake and walking track. There’s also a large expanse of open field – a simple luxury not often found these days – perfect for children or impromptu cartwheeling. Taman Tasik Datuk Keramat is particularly popular with joggers in the evening. 

Gym equipment: There’s a wide range of equipment here, all of them in good condition complete with signs with instructions for each machine. The best piece is definitely the rowing machine, but there’s also an elliptical trainer, chest press, hand pulley and the park version of a treadmill. The equipment are arranged in a ring, underneath a futuristic dome-like structure, with a large space in the middle for stretching, lunging and handstands. 

Maintenance and cleanliness: The park is decently-kept. The children’s playground looks like it gets a lot more use than the workout station, but even so is in perfect working condition. Ample rubbish bins around so no conspicuous litter.

Park facilities: Parking space is limited, but with two LRT stations in walking distance, you can’t really complain. There are large, well-kept toilets that are open from 7am to 7pm, a children’s playground and a floodlit futsal court. There’s also the requisite lake, with several sheltered alcoves for park-goers to relax in (we saw quite a few picnickers). 

Accessibility: Right opposite Jelatek LRT station (complete with footbridge), with the Dato’ Keramat station just around the corner. Down the road is Dataran Jelatek, a small multi-level F&B complex.

Best for a complete workout

Known only as a terraced flower garden in the ’80s, the park has blossomed into a full-fledged 40-hectare recreational park, which now includes a massive lake, fountains and three outdoor gyms. Marathon workshops sometimes pitch up here because of the hilly, thigh-numbing terrains and a labeled trail that tracks your running distance. The park gets very packed on weekends but walk through the foresty bits to avoid the crowd.

Gym equipment: There are several outdoor gyms around the park where each of them are outfitted with 15 types of basic workout equipment: horizontal bar, vertical ladder, body curl decks, etc. Beginners can follow the instructions on the info board.

Maintenance and cleanliness: Some of the push-up bars are broken but other equipment are still in good condition with no signs of rust. Rubbish bins are placed almost 300m apart from each other so joggers tend to leave their rubbish behind. 

Park facilities: Public toilets, playgrounds, parking lot, reflexology paths, prayer room, pavilions and aerobic area.

Accessibility: The Bandar Tun Razak LRT station is a 15-minute walk away. The park is surrounded by the Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur, Kompleks Renang Kuala Lumpur and Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM). The RapidKL T424 bus stops in front of HUKM.

Best for all-day family fun

With its lush greenery and spacious grounds, Taman Lembah Kiara is a popular spot for joggers, picnic goers, wedding photographers and fitness-loving families. The outdoor gym is located at the entrance of the secluded recreational park, with a small bridge that leads to the jogging trail, pond, picnic tables, playground and a cement platform for aerobics. 

Gym equipment: There are 13 types of fitness equipment available at Taman Lembah Kiara, including balance beams and a parallel bar as well as gear for leg hops, knee lifts, pushups and Achilles stretches. The park also offers free yoga and Zumba classes every Sunday from 8am to 9am.

Maintenance and cleanliness: A majority of the equipment shows signs of rust, with paint chipped off. In regards to cleanliness, the park is extremely well-kept and rubbish bins are aplenty around the outdoor gym area. 

Park facilities: A jogging trail, public toilet, playground, parking lot, reflexology path, benches and picnic tables. 

Accessibility: The park is a five-minute walk from Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1, which houses Presto supermarket and a few restaurants. A bus stop and a taxi stand are situated at the adjacent Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, while 1 Utama Shopping Centre is a five-minute drive away.

Best for simple workouts

From a distance, it’s easy to mistake the outdoor gym for a playground with its bright red and green equipment (it’s also located behind the actual children’s playground), but get closer and you can make out the small gym. It’s not a sheltered gym, but you do get some shade from the surrounding trees. As you exercise, a group of monkeys may cross your path; just keep on with your activity and don’t try to provoke them. 

Gym equipment: There’s a good selection to lightly work out your legs, arms and abs, including an exercise bike, air walker and leg raise. These aren’t high-intensity as they cater to all ages. 

Maintenance and cleanliness: The gym equipment are in working condition, though you may want to give the handles a bit of a wipe before using. There are rubbish bins, but discarded water bottles and food wrappers are a common sight. 

Park facilities: As most will drive, there’s ample parking. There’s also a lengthy jogging trail with steep hills, a reflexology path and various stamina-testing stations scattered throughout the park. Other facilities include park benches and picnic tables, toilets and a prayer room.

Accessibility: The best way is to drive here as even the nearest LRT stations (Bukit Jalil and Sri Petaling) are quite far. There’s a nearby petrol station along the highway.