Outdoor Fitness — Trend or Fad?

Nick Vay, the VP of commercial sales at BeaverFit USA, shares why outdoor fitness is more than a fad and best practices for offering it.

Obviously these past two-plus years has been an extremely challenging time for the fitness industry and many of us were or have been forcefully and quickly pushed to create outdoor training spaces. And the big question now is, is this a fad or a trend towards where the industry is moving?

From what we’ve collectively seen from industry studies, as well as feedback from partners and purchasing decisions we’ve seen from customers, all signs point towards outdoor fitness being much more than a fad. In fact a recent survey indicates that outdoor activities will outlast the pandemic. They asked participants, In which fitness and activity categories do you expect to see a lasting increase in participation post covid? Of the 12 categories listed as options, 84% of survey participants selected outdoor activity as their No. 1 choice.

So, if you haven’t already jumped onboard, now is the time. Below are a few best practices and important items to consider when planning and building your new outdoor fitness space.

What is the driving force or goals for creating this space? Is it bringing in new members? Creating a new program or class? Upselling to a more premium membership? Or simply an amenity that members are now asking for? This answer will give you the insight into the problem you’re looking to solve and more importantly, the goals for the experience you’re looking to create in this new space.
Don’t over complicate or over think this space. More often than not, it’s as simple as working to effectively recreate the areas within your facility that see the greatest use and drive the most value to your members. In our experience, this tends to be traditional strength training, body weight training and of course, functional training.
Take a holistic approach on function, flow and aesthetic. You don’t want this space to look like an afterthought, so just as you would with any space inside your facility, we want to ensure we’re creating a space that not only looks great, but provides the tools and functionality that have the highest use indoors and is accessible year round. You need to think through:
- Accessibility and usability of the space. Do you need protection from the sun or other outdoors elements, do you need lighting, cooling or heating? Do you need music or technology available? How or where is this spaced accessed within the facility?
- Providing the right flooring or turf options. Working out on cement or asphalt isn’t ever ideal and creating the right flow and experience with flooring can take a space from good to great.
- Do you need or have storage capabilities so you’re not bringing gear back and forth? This sounds simple, but unfortunately is not. Not only is it a pain for members or staff to move gear in and out but not having a dedicated area for your outdoor equipment will lead to damaged, lost or misplaced equipment.
Most importantly, find the right partner. This one may seem like a no brainer, but the fact is, while there are a lot of fantastic partners that support indoor initiatives, more often than not, it does not translate outdoors. Finding a partner who has the experience, capabilities and the correct suite of products to help bring your vision to life and stand up to the elements.

In closing, while the push to outdoor fitness may have initially been reactionary, it’s important to take a thoughtful and long term approach to any new outdoor space.