Finding creative ways to exercise outside has been a recent trend in the fitness industry, and more community rec centers are considering the investment. One organization capitalizing on this development is the Brentwood Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, with their recently renovated wellness terrace. New equipment was added to the facility’s covered balcony that overlooks the outdoor recreation space and family pool area.
Added features include a bridge with two overhangs and connecting monkey bars, pushing sled, stationary bike and smaller equipment like medicine balls and battling ropes. The Y worked with Aktiv Solutions, a company dedicated to helping organizations and individuals design personalized fitness spaces, to determine and provide the best equipment for the community.
The new area is popular with members, but there’s also been a learning curve. To encourage more engagement, Kari Ann Bonner, the wellness director of the Brentwood Family YMCA, recommended involving staff to ease apprehension.
“Our members are still getting used to the equipment, so finding ways to make them more comfortable with it was important,” said Bonner. “Right now, we are offering times when our trained wellness coaches or personal trainers can give ‘how to’ demonstrations.”
Teaching members about the equipment ensures the space will fulfill one of its intended uses as a fitness area. During the design stage, it was important for the terrace to be versatile as a place for exercise and a place for gathering.
The terrace is more than an extension of the gym; it’s a place for a variety of communities to enjoy. “We wanted to offer something that had dual functions in a smaller space,” said Bonner.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Versatility is a strength outdoor fitness spaces have over indoor areas because of the variety of activities and programming you can outside. Members also likely aren’t expecting high-tech fitness machines. Providing simple equipment and a change of scenery is enough to inspire new workout ideas from members and staff. Along with these advantages, there are also concerns to keep in mind that come from being outside.
A potential problem with anything in the outdoors is the weather. Bonner was initially worried members wouldn’t use the space if the weather or temperature wasn’t perfect. But because the terrace is completely covered, members can exercise when it rains. She has been pleasantly surprised with the amount of people who still work out in less-than-perfect weather conditions.
“There’s always been a challenge with the weather,” said Bonner. “But it seems more people will work out in various temperatures. We do have to close the wellness terrace when there’s lightning in the area, though.”
Overall, outdoor fitness spaces are an investment worth considering. They’re a great way to address members’ health and social needs while getting them outside. Serving your community’s specific needs is also easy with these areas because of their easy customization.
“Give it a try,” said Bonner. “It’s definitely somewhere you can use to cross train, and there’s a lot of versatility for various types of exercise and workouts.”
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