Kids Outdoor Cardio: Air Walkers, Orbitrek Ellipticals and Steppers

Outdoor cardio equipment for children reproduces adult fitness movements at a scale and a level of demand that suit young bodies: air walkers, elliptical trainers and steppers. Ten references, from 1,500.00 EUR excluding VAT to 3,120.00 EUR excluding VAT, in a standard finish, a themed finish or with illustrated panels. This guide sets out what each station works and how to choose between them for a school playground, a public park or a holiday park.

Three families of movement

The ten references and their prices

Standard, themed or illustrated

Three finishes coexist for identical movements. The standard models are the most economical and sit comfortably in a mixed circuit shared by children and adults. The themed models, rocket or tree, turn the station into part of a play narrative and belong naturally in a conventional playground. The models with illustrated panels add decorative boards that show the youngest users what the station is for. The choice is a design decision about the scheme, not a performance decision: the movement, the demands on the body and the training effect are the same.

Composing an area by site type

• Primary school playground: favour the two-station versions, which absorb groups arriving together at break time.
• Public park or intergenerational trail: pair one or two children’s stations with adult equipment so that families train side by side rather than in separate zones.
• Holiday park, residential scheme or leisure centre: the three-station combination covers cardio and upper body on a single foundation, at 3,100.00 EUR excluding VAT.
• Themed playground: Rocket Runner and Tree Runner, chosen for consistency with an existing play world.

Standards, surfacing and installation

Equipment intended for children belongs to the playground framework, not to the adult outdoor fitness framework. Two standards apply and they are never interchangeable: EN 1176-1 covers the equipment itself, its general safety requirements and test methods, and EN 1177 covers the impact attenuating surfacing beneath and around it. EN 16630, which governs permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment for adults, is not the reference for a children’s station.

The standard that applies determines the inspection regime for the area once it is open, so it needs to be settled at specification stage rather than after installation. Our guide to EN 16630 and EN 1176 sets out where the boundary falls when a single site mixes adult and children’s equipment.

The layout drawing is supplied with the quotation and every unit is anchored to the ground. Impact attenuating surfacing certified to EN 1177 is required as soon as the free fall height calls for it, and it is costed together with the equipment rather than afterwards: see playground impact attenuating surfacing. On a children’s play area the surfacing is in practice always present, and it frequently costs more than the units themselves.

If a reference is unavailable

The Runner air walker and the themed Rocket Runner and Tree Runner versions deliver the same movement; only the finish differs. Between an unavailable single station and a two-station version, the difference lies in the foundation work and the footprint, not in how a child uses the equipment.

Browse the full range of kids outdoor cardio machines and the wider kids outdoor fitness selection.

Frequently asked questions

Which standard applies to outdoor fitness equipment for children?

The playground framework: EN 1176-1 for the equipment and EN 1177 for the impact attenuating surfacing. EN 16630 applies to permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment for adults and is not the reference for a children’s station, even when the station reproduces an adult movement. The applicable standard governs the inspection regime for the area.

What is the difference between the Runner air walker and the Orbitrek elliptical?

The air walker works as a pendulum: hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps and cross-body arm and leg coordination. The Orbitrek follows an elliptical path and places more demand on the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves, with a more sustained cardiorespiratory effect.

Is impact attenuating surfacing required under this equipment?

Yes, as soon as the free fall height calls for it, using a surface certified to EN 1177. On a children’s play area this is in practice systematic, and the cost of the surfacing often exceeds the cost of the equipment.

One station or two?

A two-station unit takes two children on a single foundation: 2,480.00 EUR excluding VAT against 1,500.00 EUR excluding VAT for the single Runner air walker. In a school yard or a holiday club, where children arrive in groups, it cuts queuing and disputes over whose turn it is.

Do the illustrated models cost more?

Yes, roughly 30 percent more: 2,140.00 EUR excluding VAT for the illustrated Orbitrek against 1,660.00 EUR excluding VAT for the standard version. The difference covers the decorative panels, which help children identify what the station is for and make the area more inviting to the youngest users.

Planning your project