Outdoor fitness stations could be coming to Windsor's waterfront parks.

Residents are calling for the al fresco gym alternatives after seeing a video of similar options in Barrie, the president of the Windsor Downtown Business Improvement Association, Larry Horwitz, says.

The City of Barrie produced the video in the media player above and posted it to its Facebook page, where it was viewed and shared hundreds of times and led to several people from Windsor calling for similar equipment here.

Horwitz plans to bring the idea to city council in the coming weeks. He said he's garnered a lot of support for the idea after someone shared the video with him on social media.

"The riverfront would be more fun ... more active," Horwitz said. "It's almost like creating art, exercise and beauty at the same time."

Residents were quick to jump on the idea when they saw the video posted on Facebook. Dozens of people left comments, saying an outdoor fitness park would be a good idea.

Outdoor elliptical machines and other equipment are already being used in southwestern Ontario communities like Belle River, Tilbury and Chatham.

The Town of Lakeshore installed a fitness station at Optimist Memorial Park in Belle River as a way to appeal to senior citizens. The equipment is used by people of all ages, explained Lakeshore's recreation co-ordinator Mariette Renaud.

"You can incorporate it into another physical activity regimen, like running," she said. "It gives them an opportunity to try it. If they like it, it will encourage them to do more things."

In Windsor, Horwitz said he will discuss outdoor fitness centres with the BIA board of directors and then he wants to make a push with the city's parks and recreation department and council.

"If we put those types of machines, exercise machines that are really fun and different, the American tourist that would come here and Google and we would bring in more tourists, we would bring in people from all over Essex County," Horwitz said.