Top 4 Outdoor Fitness Trends of 2021

Elliott Fudge, writer

Published at 07/12/2021 , Updated on 04/05/2022, Reading time: 5 min

Starting a successful franchising business can sometimes come down to finding a product or service that only you can offer. If you’re thinking about starting your very own outdoor fitness franchise, here are some of the up and coming trends that you might want to consider offering yourself.

Outdoor fitness franchises have become some of the most popular franchises in the UK. Having proven themselves to be an essential service for many during the lockdown months, outdoor fitness is here to stay as a permanent fixture of the fitness industry. But how do you make your own outdoor fitness business stand out? What can you do differently from the competition?

In this article, we’re going to look at four of the top outdoor fitness trends of 2021 to help give you some ideas for your own outdoor fitness franchise.

What does an outdoor fitness franchise do?

Outdoor fitness franchises are on the frontline of Britain’s fitness habit. With these franchise businesses really coming into their own during the pandemic period, outdoor fitness has become a booming and thriving part of the UK’s already massive fitness industry. Over 10 million people are registered members of a gym [Statista], making the UK a fitness hotspot.

As a franchisee in this bustling sector, you will be:

Working with industry-leading equipment
Processing membership requests
Recruiting valuable members of staff
Negotiating with suppliers
Chairing meetings
Networking with your fellow franchisees

As the owner of a business, you’ll always need to have something of a generalist mindset as you’ll need to be prepared to take on anything as it comes. That’s why having some of the following skills will be important to you:

Organisation
The ability to multitask
Good business sense
An eye for recruitment
A passion for the franchise
Determination to succeed
Ambition to build a long-term business opportunity

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Why start an outdoor fitness franchise in 2021?

Government statistics show that post-Covid, Brits are looking to change their lives for the healthier [Office for National Statistics]. From better eating to more active lifestyles, fitness franchises are perfectly placed to cash in on the lifestyle changes that people are looking to make.

There’s no denying that fitness businesses were hit hard by lockdowns and restrictions, but with the future looking brighter than ever, there’s never been a better time to start your own outdoor fitness franchise.

Top outdoor fitness trends of 2021

This isn’t just a static industry though. There are plenty of new and exciting fitness trends that are shaking this industry up, so if you’ve been thinking about starting your own fitness business and becoming an outdoor fitness coach, here are some trends you need to be making the most of.

1. Tailor-made training

With the world of work being upturned entirely over the last two years, it’s no surprise people are looking for unique and tailor-made fitness programmes that fit around their day-to-day commitments. Many of your customers may have family or caring commitments, may be required to go into a place of work more or less often, and may work unsocial shifts. This means that as an outdoor franchisee, you should be ready to cater to these needs.

While there is only so much your business can do, having flexible and tailor-made programmes to suit each of your customers’ needs is a fantastic way to go about earning your business some exciting profits.

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2. Virtual and hybrid workouts

Virtual workouts boomed during the lockdowns and there’s no evidence to suggest popularity for these home-based, accessible workouts is waning. Whether your franchise is teaching people fun and testing workouts that can be completed from the comfort of their garden or public space, or carrying out a mixture of home-based and hybrid workouts, there is a lot of room for growth when it comes to these kinds of workout.

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many gyms to close temporarily, causing gym-goers to work out from home, it appears the virtual workout trend isn't going anywhere in 2022, even as gyms reopen - The List

3. Mini- and high-intensity workouts

Many of the most popular workouts in the UK are short, high-intensity workouts that really push people to the max. Touching again on the working realities that many people are looking to fit their workouts around, having a range of mini-workouts and high-intensity workouts is going to be a big trend in the coming year.

4. Tech

Fitness tech is increasingly becoming something of a must for many fitness-oriented Brits. Whether the device of choice is a FitBit, Apple Watch or a simple heart rate monitor, there are lots of tech devices now on the market, each of which is designed to help people keep on top of their goals.

Not only this, tech is also a great way to stay in touch with many of your clients, particularly if you’re helping people keep fit virtually. With the right implementation, you’ll be able to keep track of people’s heart rates, daily steps and any other kind of metrics of importance.

Tap into these four trends and start your own outdoor fitness business

Outdoor fitness is a thriving part of the UK’s already booming fitness sector. Whether you’re after amazing job satisfaction, have a massive passion for fitness or are just simply looking for a more exciting business opportunity with plenty of scope for profitability, outdoor fitness could be the perfect business for you.

If outdoor fitness isn’t quite right though, you might be better suited to starting a gym franchise. There are some dedicated resources to help you start your own gym franchise, or if you’d rather look at a complete list of other franchising opportunities, consult the UK franchise directory.