Muni Fit
BY Pat Bradford
Inspired by a desire to exercise outside working with personal trainers LaMaine Williams and Leo Andrades we designed an outdoor fitness course that makes use of stationary objects found along Wrightsville’s famed 2.4-mile Loop. Using ordinary benches picnic tables raised curbs bridge railings and even equipment found on a children’s playground we created a municipal fitness routine we call the Muni Fit. Once your eyes are open to the possibilities the Muni Fit encompasses the notion that practically any fixed object in an urban setting can be used for an outside exercise regimen. In the process making use of relatively common exercises and even more common fixed objects we have created a fitness routine that is adaptable to any park or municipal setting — literally in the world. Once you try it you will never look at a street or parkscape the same way. A vast number of opportunities appear creating a personal exercise routine with a difficulty level tailored to you. It’s a great workout that can be completed in any order with no rules about starting or stopping. Jump in wherever you happen to be. 
beginner to intermediate with pat bradford.
The fitness-minded professional can easily and successfully create an effective daily routine on the Muni.
stretching
After a full year of in-gym training with LaMaine Williams and walking daily I struggled to keep exercising on my own and I was challenged by a lifestyle change to continue to eat healthy. With no time for the gym or even walking daily my weight shot back up and I was more tired than I had been. So the Muni has been a Heaven-sent blessing for me as has been the care of Dr. Robert Fibich who continues to fix me every time I tear something out.
It turns out stretching is imperative to maintaining a healthy exercise routine. So at my car I do at least three stretching exercises (below).
Left LaMaine Williams and Dr. Fibich offer instruction about the best way to stretch without doing harm that Fibich would have to fix later.
push-ups DIPS & mountain climbers
After stretching I walk to the corner of the town park stopping once to do more toe touching or other stretching if I am still tight.
I begin my Muni at the two backless benches beside the gazebo on Causeway Drive (near where there were parallel bars).
There I do: Bench Pushups 10 to 15 Dips 15 Mountain Climbers 20 to 25 (right). A left and a right one is one rep.
bicycles crunches & hop overs
Continuing around the Loop I walk the trail beside the Loop to M1 a backless bench on East Salisbury Street after the driveway cut to the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History.
There I do my first round of Bicycles and Crunches 20 each (above).
Then I attempt full Hop Overs (right). I can do an abridged version; starting with one foot on the bench I complete the Hop Over and then once in motion I can fully hop back. Doing half the beginner one foot on the bench to start I can finish each with a complete hop back. I could do as many as six of these mid-June.
lunges & v-crunches
Coming up rather quickly is the U-shaped path that connects to the covered picnic shelter on West Salisbury Street.
I lunge the concrete and wood bridge to the gazebo. There I do my first set of V-Crunches 20 reps and I lunge back out to the Loop (second set).
I now get under the trees to walk that footpath continuing on East Salisbury Street; I stop at the backed bench opposite 42 Pelican Drive.
Here I do a third and final set of Dips 15 Bench Pushups 10-15 and Mountain Climbers 25.
Walking that footpath continuing east the vista eventually opens to the creek in the marsh in the center of the Loop. It is a lovely walk.
Almost opposite the old Scotchman just across the little Kenan Creek Bridge is a backless bench tucked down off the concrete path. There I do my second set of Bicycles and Crunches 20 reps each.
This is a good place to do a second set of Hop Overs
calf raises squats & leg lifts
My next stop is the curved section of railing just before the Salisbury Street Bridge.
There I do Calf Raises 20 reps.
This is a good place to also do Quick Feet going left first and then right around the circle of raised concrete.
After crossing Banks Channel there’s a picnic table on the right where I stop for a second set of V-Crunches sometimes I lunge in and out of this setting.
Then I walk to the Greensboro Street Mini Park.
There I start with the third and final set of Bicycles and Crunches 20 reps each.
Then I do my first Squats of the day 15 to 20 reps.
Next I cross the park and do a second set of Calf Raises and back across the park to do a second set of Squats 20 this time.
Then back to do a third set of Calf Raises and back for final Squats.
Next I get in two sets of Quick Feet interspersed with alternate Leg Lifts and try to lunge out of the park back onto East Salisbury Street.
quick feet the plank & stretching
Leaving the park I stretch out while walking all the way to the corner next traveling south on North Lumina Avenue. I try to power walk all the way to Atlanta Street. There on the raised curb I do Quick Feet first moving to the left and then back to the right as we are doing above as a group.
Continuing south through the heart of the town my final stop is the backless bench overlooking the pond at the end of Kenan Creek opposite the food mart at Causeway and Island drives.
There I get in a Plank holding it for as many seconds as I can.
And I end here with stretching.
Then I walk back to my starting point feeling pretty good about the day.
Intermediate to advanced with Michelle Daniel. This mother of two is avidly engaged in her fitness.
warm-up & pushups
I begin by turning right (east) out of the Wrightsville Beach Museum parking lot to warm up with a slow jog to the first bench. There I do Decline Pushups with my feet on the bench and hands on the ground 10 with both feet 10 with my right leg up 10 with my left leg up 30 total.
shoulder press & hip raises
Or I do Shoulder Presses (alternate version) with bent waist and crown of head toward the ground 2 sets of 5. I then jog to the backless bench (marked M2) just over Kenan Creek where I do Hip Raises with alternating legs 20 raises (a left and a right is one rep).
mule kicks & the crow
I also do Mule Kicks with my hands on top of the bench 20 total. From there I walk or jog east across the Salisbury Street Bridge to Greensboro Street Park. Here I do a number of exercises including The Crow (right) on the balance (surf) board 20- to 30-second hold (or as long as you can).
squats quick feet & plank
Still in the Greensboro Street Park I do Squats on the balance (surf) board 15 reps and then hold for 15 counts.
Quick Feet 20 Step-Ups then switch leads and direction.
Repeat all three exercises.
Leaving the mini park I jog around the Loop through the town and back across Banks Channel to the backless bench across from Causeway Drive food market.
There I hold The Plank position on top of the bench for one minute.
dips & handstand pushups
Then I continue my routine by jogging on to the Harbor Way Gardens. There I do Dips from the bench 15 reps and Step-Ups 20 reps each side.
My next stop is the picnic pavilion at the end of the U-shaped path where I do Handstand Pushups and hold against the wooden post of the picnic shelter for 5 reps then hold the Handstand in the extended arm position for 20 to 30 seconds.
municipal park
I finish the Loop back at the museum parking lot and walk following the sidewalk behind the museum around to the ball fields and on to the new municipal park workout equipment across from the Public Safety Building.
There I do Chin-Ups 5 to 10 reps Knees-Up 5 reps and Hop Overs 10 hops. Finally I stretch out for five minutes or more with my favorite
full-body stretches.
advanced to professional with Lamaine Williams. A full time personal trainer with 12 years of experience LaMaine limits his clients to women serious about their fitness.
Pull-ups Pushups muscle ups & pistol squats
I work in a gym so whenever I get time I work out; in between clients after work on the weekends. I work out a lot. It’s not because I am a workout freak it’s because I have a lot of moves I am working on. I am always on the lookout for new places and I really like this new workout station in the park because I can do a lot of different exercises in one spot.
At the park I do 10 Pull-ups on the pull-up bar and then on the parallel bars 10 Dips and 10 Pushups. The majority of my strength training comesrom different types of Pushups. I’ll do Pushups on a pole on a bench just about anywhere. I do three sets usually for a warm-up. From there I start my balance moves on the low bar trying to get the Handstand from there. When I am warmed up I’ll start doing the Muscle Ups. After I am really warmed up that’s when I’ll start Handstands from the ground or the parallel bars. To give my arms a break I throw in some Pistol Squats.
cardio & handstands
Lately I have been picking up more cardio so I will do a run and I’ll do Handstands from all kinds of different positions. I am always looking for new challenges that require strength and balance at the same time.
tuck planche & tiger bend
Then I start to do my tricks like the Tiger Bend and I work on my Handstand to Elbow Stand back to Handstand and that’s the Tiger Bend.
dragon flag leg raise & L-sit
I like to finish with some core training like the Dragon Flag (top and left) Leg Raises on the pull-up bar and a few L-Sits wherever there are two benches.