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The exercise machines are made of manhole covers, tires, and stones at a makeshift open-air gym that’s been going on the outskirts of Moscow since 1972. While a pensioner lifts weights with chains wrapped around his head, another says that dips in the frozen pond nearby have helped her overcome cancer. After their workout, the regulars chat about everything from politics, history, and film to the chances of the Moscow metro being extended to their housing project.