WATCH: YouTuber builds ‘floating gym’ in shark-infested river

An Australian YouTuber has built a floating gym using paddleboards as a floating base and has tested it out on the Brisbane River.

In a video documenting the imaginative project, which can be seen below, Ben Polson explains that lockdown restrictions had driven him to distraction, and he wanted to set up a ‘holiday retreat’ where he could get away from everything without giving up his fitness regime.

“Like most people, I’ve been stuck inside my country for the past few years… spending most days inside. [I thought:] it’s about time I take matters into my own hands,” he says.

Polson, who believes the on-water gym to be a world-first, points out that the Brisbane River is ‘teeming’ with bull sharks, with signs along its banks warning people not to enter the water. The river has also been found to contain microbial contamination that can lead to poisoning and sickness – far from ideal conditions for an accidental dip.

Polson begins his journey by ordering two inflatable paddleboards to form the base of the floating gym. He then constructs a pull-up bar out of wood, to avoid overloading the boards with the weight of a metal one, and adds an engine to the boards. Finally, he picks up a fishing rod to complete his ‘holiday retreat’.

“This is the toughest holiday I’ve ever been on!” Polson says, as he loads the gym into a truck to bring it down to the river.

However, as the contraption is floated into the river for the first time, Polson appears unsure of how well it will hold up. “This could go very wrong, very quickly,” he says as he sets off from the bank. After attempting to drop anchor in the middle of the river, Polson realises that he is drifting down the river, and there’s a large boat bearing down on him.

He navigates the potential collision, but can no longer muster enough engine power to fight the strong current, and continues to drift downstream.

“Guys, this is not working well…” he says at one point. “This has been a very stressful holiday.”

Towards the end of the excursion, Polson manages to catch a calm window where the tide changes and the river slows down. He puts his unusual gym to the test with a series of pullups and pushups, and makes time for a spot of fishing before concluding that he is “super proud” of how well his experiment worked.