Summer is around the corner: outdoor sports and outdoor classes for fitness studios are becoming increasingly popular – many trainers and studios have already recognized the value of offering outdoor classes. Whether it’s yoga in the park, HIIT on the sports field or a boot camp in the forest: outdoor classes for fitness studios create new opportunities to expand the range, increase the target group and promote member wellbeing.
In this article, you’ll learn about the benefits of planning outdoor classes for fitness studios and why you should definitely integrate them into your course offering. Our PDF guide also provides you with a checklist and valuable planning tips to help you organize your outdoor class in the best way possible.
What Characterizes Outdoor Classes for Fitness Studios?
An outdoor class is any type of sporting activity that takes place outdoors – whether it’s yoga, fitness, functional training or running groups. The class can take place in a park, by a lake, on a field or even in your own garden.
What counts: You are offering exercise under the open sky and that has many advantages: more space, more visibility and more energy!
5 Reasons Why You Should Offer Outdoor Classes for Fitness Studios
- Fresh air & vitamin D: Your participants soak up the sun, strengthen their immune system and reduce stress.
- Low costs: You hardly need any equipment or room rent for many outdoor courses.
- Greater visibility: Your courses in the park will be seen – that’s free advertising!
- Strengthening the sense of community: Training together outdoors connects people and boosts motivation.
- More variety in your offering: Outdoor classes set you apart from the competition and offer your customers something new.
What to Keep in Mind for Outdoor Classes
To successfully plan an outdoor class for fitness studios, you should consider the following points:
- Permits: For public locations, you may need a permit from the city or municipality.
- Insurance & liability: Check your insurance cover and find out about the legal framework.
- Conditions of participation: Make a clear distinction in your communication between indoor and outdoor offers and point out any special features (e.g. equipment, weather).
- Urban Sports Club check-in QR code: Don’t forget to take your check-in QR code to your outdoor course and display it clearly.
How to Find the Perfect Location for Your Outdoor Class:
| For Outdoor Fitness Classes: | For Outdoor Yoga: |
| – Public parks with plenty of space: ideal for groups, easily accessible, usually free of charge – Sports fields: often with level ground, suitable for dynamic movements – Playgrounds with benches and equipment: practical for functional training with bodyweight or TRX | – Quiet places: such as a forest or lakeshores for less distraction like gardens, roof terraces or other shielded areas – Areas with soft ground: such as moss, sand or grass to protect joints |
Outdoor Classes for Fitness Studios and Bad Weather
If the weather doesn’t match your plan, you should have a plan B and be prepared for every outdoor class.
🌧️ Rain: Communicate clearly by email or booking system (e.g. Eversports) in the event of cancellations or rescheduling.
☀️ Heat: Provide shaded areas, sufficient water breaks and training times in the morning or evening.
❄️ Cold: Depending on your target group, you can also train outdoors in fall or winter – provide information about suitable clothing early on.
Marketing Outdoor Classes – with Social Media & Visibility on Site
Outdoor classes for fitness studios are ideal for increasing your reach. How to get your classes talked about:
- Branding on site: Use T-shirts with a logo, banners or beach flags to make people nearby aware of you.
- Community approach: Use recommendations, local Facebook groups or flyers at the location.
- Social media: Regularly share photos and stories of your outdoor sessions. Use hashtags such as #outdoorclass, #yogainthepark or #outdoorfitness and share the location.
💡Tip: You can find valuable social media marketing tips in our blog article. As an Urban Sports Club partner, you will also receive free social media templates to quickly and easily advertise courses or announce a course cancellation.
Our Outdoor Class Guide
Want to get started right away? Here you will find all the tips as a practical checklist for preparing outdoor courses for fitness studios.
Download our free PDF checklist for outdoor classes and get started right away:
Conclusion: Outdoor Classes for Fitness Studios as an Opportunity for Your Range of Classes
Outdoor classes for fitness studios are far more than just an alternative to indoor training. It’s a real opportunity to expand your offering, reach new target groups and stand out from the crowd. Whether you are just starting out or already have an established studio: with a good location and a professional appearance, you are ideally positioned for the outdoor season.
Our aim is to always provide you with the best tools and support you with practical solutions to ensure that your studio remains successful and sustainable in the long term. Interested in digital solutions or sustainability for your studio? You can find the latest articles on this in our partner-blog.
As an Urban Sports Club partner, you benefit from numerous advantages: more visibility for your sports offering, additional revenue and the opportunity to reach new customer groups. Have you always wanted to know how an Urban Sports Club partnership works? In our free e-book you can find out how a Yoga and Pilates studio from Cologne achieved success in a very short space of time.
To find out more about our offers and to become an Urban Sports Club partner, visit our partner website.