Bowling Green residents will soon have another way to get fit thanks to a planned outdoor fitness court coming to the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex.

The court, which was approved by the city commission Aug. 16, will be funded in part by a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign, which will also provide equipment.

Brent Belcher, director of Bowling Green parks and recreation, said the fitness court will further the department’s mission of community well-being.

“Our whole reason to do this is community health, looking for ways to support our community to get an active lifestyle and combat lifestyles of less movement,” Belcher said.

Belcher referenced Kentucky’s health metrics and where the state ranks in common health risks as reason to put an emphasis on local fitness. According to the State of Childhood Obesity study, Kentucky ranked sixth-highest in the nation in 2020 in adult obesity with a rate of 36.6%.

The court is meant for users of all ages and is split up into seven different stations that focus on separate body parts. These areas are core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend. The National Fitness Campaign’s website said more than 100 unique exercises can be performed.

Unlike the outdoor fitness area already in place at Preston Miller Park, the Lovers Lane location will not feature any machines – rather, it focuses on using one’s own body weight.

Belcher said it is intended as a “user-defined” space that will provide unobtrusive and customizable seven-minute, total-body workouts.

Additionally, users can download the National Fitness Campaign’s Fitness Court app that will provide a set of pre-constructed workouts. It is available for iOS and Android.

The site for the new court was chosen to provide both sides of Bowling Green, east and west, their own fitness center.

“We want to serve our entire community – what better way than by making sure everyone has something to use,” Belcher said.

The soccer complex already features running and walking trails and is a high-activity area. Belcher said the court would be “servicing a group that can take advantage of it” and will hopefully be accessible to thousands of people each week.

Belcher said the court is still early in development since the National Fitness Campaign installs courts through its own construction company. The hope is that the concrete pad will be poured “in the near future.”

The department is still taking in community sponsors for the court, which will provide space for logos on the finished product. Those interested can contact Belcher at the parks and recreation office at 270-393-3249.