Do you wish to combine your love of fitness with a raw, natural setting?
Outdoor training is appealing because it provides a variety of advantages in addition to the well-known physical benefits.
You increase your Vitamin D intake, stimulate your neurological system with frequent stimulation, challenge your body to adapt to changing terrains, and expose your body to temperature changes.
We asked ten of our top trainers to share the one idea that helped them take their outdoor workouts to the next level. Despite the well-known benefits of outdoor recreation, establishing a successful business based on it can be difficult. So, to give you a head start, here are our top ten recommendations for making the transition from your personal training schedule to the outdoors a breeze.
01. Choose Your Outdoor Space Wisely
Have you already determined that the beautiful beach down the road is the ideal location for your pilates sessions? Make sure you’ve done your homework before telling your clients!
There’s a lot more to picking an outdoor workout spot than just how nice it looks—though that is a plus! The following are some important factors to consider when designing a space:
– Permissions and permits (Check with your local municipality for regulations)
– Amenities within walking distance (Bathrooms, drinking fountains, parking, playgrounds)
– Plans for watering and upkeep (No one wants a surprise sprinkler attack while performing pushups)
– Other events that have been planned (Think weekly football games)
– Terrain features (Think huge holes, logs)
02. Begin With Flexibility In Your Schedule
You’ll find that outdoor training has varied peak hours in different cities. This is very dependent on your local climate, seasons, and, most importantly, your target market.
You’ll be ahead of the game if you already know the times of sunrise and sunset, peak heat hours, and the regular routine of your niche audience. Otherwise, spend some time doing some preliminary research and developing a practical strategy with a variety of time slots for your clients to pick from.
You could find it helpful to make yourself more available at first until you have a sense of which times of day are the most popular, and then you can cut down your availability or plan lessons accordingly.
03. Decide If You Want A Narrow Niche
You’ve decided to take your professional personal training services to the great outdoors, but who are you going to target?
As outdoor training gets more popular, you may discover that focusing on a specific set of people may benefit you the best. Use your imagination! From bachelorettes to parents to dog owners (remember that neighboring dog park we mentioned earlier? ), your specialty might be anything.
That’s your goal if all you want to do is get your existing clients out of the gym’s four walls and fluorescent lights and into the fresh air, and bonus points if you already have a great schedule together.
04. Establish An Ideal Class Size
You have control over how many burpees are performed in your classes, as well as how many people do them.
We are not implying that greater is preferable in this case. On the contrary, both small and big class sizes have advantages and downsides.
When you have a smaller, more intimate group (including one-on-one training), it takes more effort and personal connection to keep your customer content and motivated. These sessions usually come with a higher price tag in order to generate an equivalent income with smaller groups as you would with a bigger group.
On the other hand, when there are more people in a class, you can charge less and are less likely to develop a personal relationship with each customer, so you’ll likely build a more generic outdoor workout routine that appeals to a wider range of people.
At the end of the day, you must be honest with yourself about the type of training you enjoy and the number of people you can efficiently and simultaneously train.
05. Ensure Repeat Clientele
Nothing is more tiresome than having to start from the beginning. You’ve already invested your important time and money in obtaining a client; do yourself a favor and go the extra step now to avoid future headaches.
There are a few various tactics you may use to encourage your clients to return. You might propose selling punch cards or multiple-class ‘courses’ with different focuses each time. Although not specifically targeted towards returning customers, you may provide discounts in exchange for a reference. Many customers are more likely to return if they have a workout partner, and you won’t lose any numbers if they don’t return with their reference.
06. Inform Your Clients BEFORE They Arrive
Nobody appreciates arriving eager only to discover they are woefully unprepared.
Ascertain that your client has got all pertinent information on your outdoor training program. Of course, the information you provide may vary widely depending on your specific training plan, but here are a few crucial points to consider:
-Area of meeting, parking, and location.
-Amenities are close by.
-What should I bring? (Water bottle, towel, layers)
-The workout’s duration and intensity.
-Waiver forms that are applicable.
If your outdoor training sessions are regular, you might want to take the effort to set up an automatic response email that includes the above information when each customer registers online. A short SMS 24-hours before the appointment does the trick in all other circumstances (inconsistent location or verbal appointment creation).
07. Invest In An Insurance Plan
Let’s face it: injuries are more likely to occur in an outside setting because the atmosphere is less controlled. So go into your outdoor training sessions with peace of mind, knowing that you’re covered if someone gets hurt.
Many fitness insurance companies may provide coverage for injured clients, public space damage, and loss or damage to personal training equipment (guard that GOM!). Although this may appear to be an unnecessary cost at this time, like with any insurance plan, you will thank your younger and wiser self when the time comes when you urgently need it.
Personal trainer insurance needs will almost certainly differ based on where you live, so do some further in-depth study on your unique area.
08. Familiarize Yourself With Admin Apps and Payment System
Unless you plan to operate a cash-only and word-of-mouth firm, you’ll need to enlist some technological aid.
In the long run, having an online presence with payment and scheduling options can save you a lot of time (and money)!
Your clients can effortlessly add or remove themselves from your classes using automatic scheduling tools, resulting in increased availability for new clients to register. This feature alone has the potential to ensure that there is never an empty seat in your classroom! Other services provided by these online angels include automatic email notifications and reminders to your clients, as well as additional payment alternatives.
While online payments are popular, you will surely have clients show up without cash or phones at the last minute. Another option is to use portable payment gadgets that can be simply attached to your phone. As a final option, always remember to bring plenty of change if you realize this is a common method of payment in your neighborhood!
09. Have a Plan ‘B’ (Including a ‘B’ Prepared For All Plan!)
It’s best to have an indoor location choice unless you specify that your outside training is an all-weather event.
Frequently, your clients will have made time in their schedules expressly for your instruction.
Although no one can control the weather, cancellations can be inconvenient, especially if you live in an area where this occurs frequently.
Having a backup plan ensures that no one is dissatisfied and loses momentum at home.
Alternately, dress appropriately for the weather and walk outside to enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer!
10. Make It Enjoyable!
What’s the point of it all if you’re not enjoying yourself? If your clients leave with a smile on their face, even if it’s buried under a mask of hard-earned sweat, they’ll be far more likely to return and suggest your outdoor training.
