Planning for Your Own Outdoor Adult Fitness Park

Exercising indoors certainly has its benefits, but there’s really nothing quite like the exhilaration of being able to exercise outdoors in a natural environment. Outdoor exercise has been associated with many notable benefits, including more positive engagement, greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy levels, and decreases in the levels of tension, anger, confusion, and even depression. Because all this is true, making plans to implement an outdoor adult fitness park for your organization’s members, visitors, and desired target market is really a smart move.

Planning & Implementation Strategies for an Outdoor Adult Fitness Park

If you’re in the early stages of planning an outdoor adult fitness park for your business or nonprofit organization, congratulations! And if you’re still reading this, you’re probably looking for some ideas and guidance about how to proceed to turn your good idea into a reality, and how to help ensure its long-term success. The good news is that Carolina Recreation & Design is here to help! Here are a few tips & strategies to keep in mind as you refine your fitness park plan and move to make it happen:

• Choose a Team, & Make a Commitment — Start by creating a task force for your project. Meet with your leadership team to identify key stakeholders, understand goals & issues that need addressing, flesh out a budget proposal, and designate areas of responsibility to respective team members.
• Engage Your Community — Invite members of your community to participate in a town hall forum in order to gauge interest levels of interest. How would they take advantage of such a fitness space, and what would they like to see included? Engaging your community in this way can also help you to identify the best location for placing your fitness park.
• Assess the Needs — Create a needs assessment process, along with any associated documentation. How will you incorporate input received and apply it to your project design framework? Go ahead and identify some preliminary potential locations, along with any advantages or disadvantages. Factor in proximity to local neighborhoods, as well as which fitness park applications would be most appropriate (e.g., a central fitness station, fitness cluster, fitness trail, joint-use fitness zone, etc.). Consider parking availability, as well as the need to add amenities like restrooms and water fountains in order to maximize comfort for your users.
• Draft a Plan — Using your completed needs assessment as the framework for planning your target site & layout, desired equipment to be included, and budget requirements to be able to execute your vision so that it best meets the needs of all concerned.
• Flesh Out a Strategic Plan — In terms of vision and goals, it’s also important to flesh out a strategic plan for your project. What should your Outdoor Adult Fitness Park be able to do and achieve? How will it benefit your organization, and how will it ultimately benefit your community? Include a framework for assessing how your project is actually meeting its assigned goals. A good strategic plan should articulate the project’s mission, vision, values, goals, objectives, and strategies for implementation.
• Make a Budget — Check with your preferred supplier of commercial outdoor fitness equipment to confirm the budget needed to complete your project. Beyond the fitness & exercise equipment itself, be sure to budget for other needed amenities for your site. It will also be helpful to share your strategic plan with your chosen provider, so they can help you ensure space is properly designed for meeting all of your identified goals. See what other tools or information your provider can offer to help you with your planning process for your Outdoor Adult Fitness Park.
• Finalize Your Site Design — After conferring with your provider, make a final decision about which pieces of equipment to include for your project. Don’t forget about including some other helpful or needed components like safety surfacing, shade, seating, and other site amenities. 
• Identify Funding Sources — In order to create a sound financing plan, your project budget should factor in not just initial purchase and implementation, but also any ongoing maintenance needs. Depending upon the nature of your organization, you may want to consider developing some public and/or private partnerships in order to generate more needed funding and also strengthen the sustainability of your fitness project. Build some target milestones into your fund generation and support plan.
• Implement the Plan — Now that everything is in order, it’s time to execute your plan! Place your order for your equipment; while that’s being manufactured, this would be a great time to make sure your site is also ready to go, including any needed site preparation, plans for surfacing, landscaping, wiring, water, fencing, etc.
• Celebrate & Promote! — Kick off the introduction of your new Outdoor Adult Fitness Park with a grand opening event that will create a buzz within your community. This is a great opportunity to promote future use and opportunities, including distributing information about any upcoming events, fitness classes, membership drives, etc.
• Evaluate & Improve — Consider how you might continue to expand & grow your Outdoor Adult Fitness Park going forward. For example, should you incorporate a running trail? If your facility is primarily geared towards adults, what play and/or fitness elements could you include for children in order to increase family usage? Perhaps you could bring in some certified fitness trainers to offer some specific classes, as well. Consider what cross-promotions you could do with other relevant organizations in your community. What other pieces of fitness, conditioning, or recreational equipment could you add to generate even more interest and engagement?

Benefits of Fitness Equipment for Youth, Adults, & Seniors Alike

Outdoor fitness equipment is a wonderful community resource for adults and teens. Installing your own fitness parklets folks “go to the gym” within your park or organization’s specifically-designed outdoor exercise space. There are plenty of other specific benefits to consider, as well:

• Studies show that exercising outdoors actually encourages people to work out for longer periods of time.
• Fitness parks offer numerous health benefits. Besides improving cardiovascular health and helping to build more strength, outdoor fitness elements also are known for developing greater flexibility and balance.
• Fitness parks often provide a lot of positive motivation and reinforcement for living a healthier lifestyle. When individuals see others working out at your fitness park, it also inspires them to exercise more. On top of that, fresh air and natural sunlight are known to help boost energy levels and overall mood.
• One of the biggest perks of having an outdoor adult fitness park is that it offers more accessible exercise opportunities for a much wider range of folks in your community. Not everyone has the desire (or ability) to invest in a traditional gym membership, but just about anybody can participate in a well-designed fitness park. Sure, your park can attract some pure athletes and fitness gurus, but it’s also equally attractive to those who are just beginning their fitness journeys.
• It’s not just good for the community; it’s good for your organization, too. Youth and adults who get hooked on exercise while working out on your fitness elements and stations will pay more visits to your facility. They’re much more likely to bring along their family and friends, too!

Ready to Get Started with Your Outdoor Fitness Park? Carolina Recreation & Design Is Your Perfect Partner!

Thanks to our partnership with excellent outdoor fitness equipment manufacturers like Greenfields Outdoor Fitness, Carolina Recreation & Design is perfectly suited to help you create an outdoor exercise space that offers teens, adults, and seniors of all abilities & fitness levels the opportunity to experience a great workout! Whether you’re interested in a multigym feature, resistance training stations, stretch & balance stations, circuit training, fitness challenge elements, or other options, we can provide you with what you need. We can also work with you to make sure you include the right balance of aerobic activity, muscle development, core strength, and balance/flexibility.

And another reason to partner with Carolina Recreation & Design for your outdoor fitness equipment? We’re not just product vendors, we’re also general contractors. Of course, we install every piece we sell, but we can do much more than that. We can help with site design services, site preparation, safety surfacing, shade fabrics, covered shelters, outdoor seating, bathroom facilities, and many other essential site furnishings! We’re your complete solution for a wide range of outdoor fitness & recreational needs! Carolina Recreation & Design is happy to partner with businesses and nonprofits including schools, preschools, daycares, churches, faith centers, hospitals, parks, YMCAs, HOAs, community centers, and more.

Got questions? Ready to make a plan? We can help you make it happen! Just fill out this simple form, or give us a call today at (704) 664-1833! At Carolina Recreation & Design, we’ve got all your outdoor fitness, recreation, and facility needs covered!