Sun, Sweat, and Success: A Guide to Outdoor Fitness for Studio Owners
Last Updated on 26 September, 2024
As the temperature rises and the days get longer, it’s the perfect time to expand your business beyond your studio’s doors and reap the benefits of outdoor fitness classes and events. Joining the growing outdoor fitness trend can attract new clients and help you retain members.
Outdoor activities aren’t just a trend. In 2022, the number of people participating in outdoor recreation grew to a record-breaking 168.1 million. It’s no surprise since a study just one year earlier discovered being active for 20-90 minutes while surrounded by nature is an effective way to care for your mental health.
Refreshing outdoor workout sessions offer a change of scenery and a unique experience. From yoga under the morning sun to sweating it out in boot camps at the park, there are endless opportunities to grow your business and help your members this summer.
In this post, we’ll explore the different types of classes and events you can offer to bring in new clients and excite current members. Here’s what we’ll discuss:
- How summer events and classes benefit your fitness studio
- Create community and fuel fitness goals in the great outdoors
- Appeal to all fitness levels
- Marketing your summer fitness classes and events
- Schedule and promote your summer events with WellnessLiving
How summer events and classes benefit your fitness studio
Summer events and classes diversify your fitness studio’s offerings. With the right selection of outdoor sessions, you’ll appeal to a wide range of fitness levels and goals.
Integrating unique outdoor fitness experiences into your existing offerings, has numerous benefits, including:
- Creating a vibrant and dynamic wellness-focused community
- Enhancing your business’ appeal by positioning your studio as one that is innovative and on trend
- Increasing class attendance, boosting engagement, and increasing revenue
Create community and fuel fitness goals in the great outdoors
From intense fitness boot camps to morning yoga, outdoor events and classes build community. The members who attend each session will quickly become familiar faces to one another. Plus, the group aspect will encourage them to support and encourage each other as they pursue new fitness goals.
Whether it’s finally getting into that one challenging yoga pose or shaving a couple of minutes off your usual mile time, members will have many opportunities to cheer each other on.
Here are some of the programs and classes you can organize to foster that sense of community:
Make functional movements fun with outdoor boot camps
High-energy outdoor boot camps challenge clients with a mix of intense interval training and functional movements. Picture your members pushing their limits, getting fresh air, and feeding off the encouragement and energy of the group they’re training with.
Stepping outside the fitness studio environment allows you to reach new clients and engage loyal members with invigorating new workouts. These sessions are more than just fitness classes. They’re a way to disconnect from daily stressors and reconnect with the body through strength and agility training.
Here are some tips for planning a successful outdoor boot camp:
- Scout the perfect location. It should meet safety requirements and enhance the workout experience. Consider parks, beaches, or even your own studio’s outdoor space.
- Emphasize variety. This way, you can cater to all fitness levels and keep participants coming back. Look at your current clientele and their preferences. Then decide whether it’s best to offer all-level training or to hold separate sessions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced training. At every level, be sure your instructors can cater to members who need modifications for injuries or mobility limitations.
- Price strategically. It’s a good idea to create package deals or special summer memberships that entice newcomers and reward regulars. The goal is to make your outdoor boot camps something that both current and prospective clients won’t want to miss.
- Have a holistic approach. Remember that well-designed boot camps should fuel both physical and mental well-being. These unique classes also have the potential to nurture a strong, engaged, and supportive community that looks forward to every session with anticipation.
Maximize engagement with themed fitness challenges
Camaraderie and a healthy dose of competition are the name of the game when it comes to summer fitness challenges.
Themed fitness challenges can really get your members motivated and cheering each other on. At the same time, they’ll be growing and hitting their fitness goals. In an outdoor setting, they’ll have even more room to move around, push their limits, and feed off each other’s energy. Here are some thought-starters for challenges your members might want to try:
- A high-intensity interval (HIIT) challenge where participants set or beat their personal bests
- Relay races for runners who want to work out in a team-based way
- A series of yoga classes to achieve new poses like crow and handstand progressions
During and leading up to the summer months, it’s easy to fall into the “summer ready” or “beach body” trap. Instead, show clients you care about their health. Focus on how challenging workouts can improve their mental health, build resilience, and increase physical strength rather than just change appearances. For example, vigorous workouts have been shown to help with depression, anxiety, and more.
These challenges will also be gold mines for social media content. You can come up with your own hashtags and encourage members to share photos and videos of their progress over the summer. This is a sure way to spread the word and bring in new members.
Create a buzz with community fitness events
Community events generate excitement around your business and show that you care about your community. Here are a few ways to get involved:
- Organize, sponsor, or get members to participate in a charity run that encourages community members to rally around a worthy cause.
- Put together a sponsored fitness challenges that are fun for participants and raise awareness about an important issue impacting your community.
- Set up a tent at local street festivals to spread the word about your studio and interact with other small businesses.
Through these community-centric fitness gatherings, you can grow your business, expand deep connections, and foster client loyalty.
Appeal to all fitness levels
Crafting outdoor fitness classes that cater to all fitness levels is an inclusive approach. It boosts attendance and cultivates a supportive atmosphere where everyone feels motivated to achieve their personal fitness goals.
Appealing to all fitness levels is also a strategic move that broadens your studio’s reach. Your methods can be as simple as ensuring instructors develop all-level classes with modifications for anyone with mobility challenges or injuries. You can also offer a wider variety of classes, but at different levels. It all depends on the types of training you provide.
Offering summer classes and events that everyone can participate in will attract the most people possible and nurture a sense of belonging and community that keeps them coming back.
Here are a couple of fun fitness class ideas that can include participants of all levels:
Bring in newcomers with outdoor Zumba
Liven up your summer lineup with outdoor Zumba. This fun fitness class tends to appeal to a diverse crowd across fitness levels.
Offering Zumba classes is also an effective way to attract older clients, families, and total fitness beginners. Remember, having multiple studio members within a single family is excellent for client retention.
Zumba moves can be high-impact, there are always low-impact modifications. Therefore, participants of different ages and abilities will feel included. Additionally, the moves are dynamic yet simple, so beginners won’t find themselves frustrated with complicated choreography.
Best of all, the infectious music makes every class feel more like a party than a standard workout. But rest assured, Zumba provides a full-body workout. Research from the American Council on Exercise, shows the following:
- Participants burn an average of 369 calories per class
- Zumba meets fitness industry guidelines for activities that improve cardio endurance
- Many of the movements help with core strength and hip flexibility
Take Zumba outdoors and each class becomes a party that everyone wants to join. You can head over to your social media accounts to promote a few free Zumba sessions in a local park or another accessible community space. You’ll give beginners a chance to try it out and have a chance to advertise your fitness studio in person.
Attract and reward early birds with outdoor morning yoga
There’s nothing quite like flowing through sun salutations with the sun beaming down on you. Then, you take a deep inhale of crisp, fresh morning air.
A regular outdoor yoga practice comes with tons of benefits like:
- Vitamin D from the morning sun
- Opportunities to connect with nature
- Increased focus, balance, and flexibility
These outdoor fitness sessions aren’t merely classes. They are an experience, a ritual that intertwines the beauty of nature with the art of yoga, creating a perfect harmony that enhances every pose, every breath, and every intention.
No matter what style of yoga you typically offer, we recommend teaching all-level outdoor classes to include as many students as possible and invite newcomers. You can use free classes to simply promote your fitness studio.
Also, you can try drop-in rates and a wider range of more specialized classes for each level. You might even try programs or one-off yoga events that focus on achieving certain poses or flows for certain body areas.
Marketing your summer fitness classes and events
Marketing is key to a successful summer. Take a dual-edged approach to garner the most attention.
First, use your studio’s website and social media platforms to show off vibrant class photos, videos, and event details. Second, don’t underestimate the reach of traditional methods.
Foster growth with social media and digital content
Once your summer sessions are ready for sign ups, it’s time to spotlight them. Social media is the perfect place to start. Use engaging photos and videos to invite people to classes and events.
Don’t stop once the sessions start. Every class is an opportunity to create more content and spread the word about your latest offerings.
As we get later into the season, incorporate client testimonials into your promotional materials to generate some FOMO. Also, remember to update your website with information about upcoming classes and events.
Be sure to do it all strategically. Dive deep into the analytics to understand what resonates with your audience, fine-tune your strategy, and keep the momentum surging. Before you know it, your summer classes will be on everyone’s must-do list.
Use traditional promotional methods
Putting up posters in local cafes and leaving flyers in neighboring businesses is a great way to reach new clients. You’ll also connect with fellow small business owners, which benefits the community. Make sure to combine your digital and traditional marketing. For example, include information about your website and social media and maybe even a QR code on physical ads. This ensures your summer offerings are visible across multiple touchpoints.
Schedule and promote your summer events with WellnessLiving
No matter what you decide to venture into this summer, WellnessLiving’s fitness software is here to help.
Spread the word about your latest classes and events this summer with email, SMS, and push automation designed to make your studio memorable.
Once you’ve created a buzz, we have tons of user-friendly booking features. Give clients the options they need to conveniently reserve a spot in your brand-new summer classes.
There’s no better time to drum up excitement around your fitness studio. Our team is ready to help you launch your best efforts this summer and beyond. Book your free, no-commitment demo today.
