With the busy demands of campus life, it’s crucial to ensure students have easy access to a variety of fitness and wellness offerings. One way campus recreation professionals can quickly increase offerings without expanding their real estate footprint is by creating outdoor fitness spaces.
In addition to expanded training opportunities, creating an outdoor fitness space also brings students the benefits of training outside. Fresh air, sunlight and varied terrains provide dynamic opportunities for physical activity.
Additionally, time spent outdoors reduces stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. This natural medicine combined with physical activity provides students with a double dose of focus and creativity, benefiting their academic performance.
When it comes to designing an outdoor fitness space, lean into providing more of what your students are already using inside your existing fitness facilities. If your strength room is constantly overcrowded, create a strength training space outdoors with weatherproof equipment and storage. If your functional training space is in high-demand, especially with limited real estate and an ever-expanding student population, consider outside stations with outdoor-rated accessories for maximum training capabilities.
But you can’t just take any piece of training equipment and place it outdoors.
In order for a product to be fully weatherproof, the steel should go through a superior process involving hot-dip galvanization and powder coating. Anything less is a recipe for rust, corrosion or other damage.
You also must consider storage and branding. You’ll want to ensure all your accessories have a designated place to be stored safe from the elements, and of course, you’ll want the space to be branded so it looks like an extension of your campus recreation center.
Well-designed outdoor fitness spaces with durable equipment transform campus areas into vibrant hubs, engaging both the current student population and attracting prospective students seeking outdoor recreation opportunities.
Through the integration of outdoor exercise opportunities, campus recreation professionals promote student health, well-being and engagement, empowering students to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
Nick Vay is the vice president of commercial sales at BeaverFit. For more information, reach him at nick.vay@beaverfitusa.com or visit beaverfitusa.com.
