Outdoor Studios Are Here to Stay

Early last fall when I was running my virtual Broad Street run down Lancaster Avenue, along the way, I passed about a dozen fitness classes taking place outdoors in parking lots and in parks in our neighborhood. It was really something to see all of these businesses that had decided to take fitness outside to make things work during the height of Covid. Fast forward a year and Covid is more under control. Some studio owners have decided to continue to use these outdoor spaces, while others have returned inside. During my 30-day studio tour in June, I wanted to take as many of these outdoor classes as I could. One, because I love to be outside, especially after the long and cold winter we just had. And two, because I still feel the safest outside. It’s a mental adjustment to go back inside to workout.

Barre3 Rosemont has been holding classes outside in the parking lot of Rosemont Square. You may have seen them squatting and planking on mats as you drove along Lancaster Avenue. But all classes will be going back inside this month. The concern is the summer heat. Thank goodness we have had a mild summer so far.

The Yoga Garden in Narberth has only been virtual and outdoor at Narberth Park for Yoga in the Park. For the first time since March 2020, they are just now reopening inside at the Narberth location this week. But the Yoga in the Park classes at Narberth Park aren’t going anywhere. There is something very special about practicing in that park with the grass as your floor and the leaves as your ceiling.

A few outdoor studios have now become more permanent fixtures in our community. Tribe Fitness Main Line is one of the best examples. They constructed these impressive fitness pods in their parking lot, which not only increased the capacity this studio could accommodate, but kept Tribe alive and going strong during a dark time. Sure, their inside studio is loaded with more equipment, but this outside structure is pretty damn cool and has been on my radar since I first drove past their parking lot pods last summer.

At Tribe Main Line, class is offered in the outdoor space during peek hours. The format of the class remains the same— 30 minute effective workouts using a variety of equipment and focusing on strength and cardio. As the summer progresses and the heats kicks up, some of the outdoor classes may be removed from the schedule, but the full outdoor schedule will restart again in the fall and continue throughout the winter. Snow doesn’t stop this tribe of dedicated fitness enthusiasts.

Tribe started to hold outdoor classes last July with some moveable equipment. They would just bring the equipment back outside every day. Overtime, the outdoor fitness studio at Tribe grew into what it is today— 10 covered pods, complete with tons of equipment.

This is what the original outdoor set-up looked like last summer.

Here are the pods being built. With pull-up bars secured into the pavement and the canopies in place, Tribe’s 30-minute signature workouts could take place safely outside during the pandemic.

This is what the outdoor space at Tribe Main Line looks like today.

There are 10 pods, each with a free-standing pull-up and dip station that are used with suspension trainers for all kinds of exercises. When I took the class outside, we did pull-ups (I used the attached bands for assistance) and suspended leg lifts from the pull-up station. We attached a bar to the front of that station for more challenging lunges. Each pod also has a rower, battle ropes, a barbell and a box containing all of the other equipment needed for class, including kettlebells, sandbags, bumper plates and a jumprope. This ain’t no temporary structure— The pull-up station is bolted into the ground!

Tribe Main Line Owner, Bill Abbott, attributes the outdoor space as “instrumental” to his studio’s “comeback”. He recognizes that most people are not just jumping right back inside, so the outdoor space has been a great way to transition back indoors to workout. I know when I first started to workout outside the home again, I was only comfortable outside. Since then, I have gotten more used to being inside. I still applaud those studios that can make the outdoors work effectively and accommodate everyone’s varied comfort levels right now. Tribe’s outdoor facility kept this Main Line workout afloat during the pandemic. Bill says “I don’t know if we would have survived without it. It was a heckuva big undertaking in both time and money, but worth it.”

Fuel Cycle Fitness closed their studio in Ardmore last October and now holds all classes in Linwood Park. Owner, Jen Crompton, says that she will continue to use this beautiful little park as long as the park will have her. Linwood Park is a small neighborhood park that is cared for by volunteers in the community. The park not only hosts Fuel Cycle Fitness classes but other community events. Plants and flowers scatter the park to create an inviting and “zen-like” space for the community to enjoy. Jen will arrive to the park early before class and “just sit and revel in its beauty- and feel incredibly grateful that they have allowed us to use the space during such a crazy time.” Jen donates a percentage of the proceeds from her classes back to the park that she now calls her studio.

Jen has been holding her bootcamp-style classes in Linwood Park since last June. Her outdoor classes can accommodate up to 20 people, much like her intimate indoor studio in Ardmore used to. She likes to use the park’s natural resources as part of her workouts— the wall, the grass, the path— but she also brings equipment like weights, cones, jump ropes and of course, plenty of wipes and sanitizer. (I was very impressed by the sanitation set up). The outdoor classes at Linwood Park are limited to two times a week- Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 am. While Jen did hold more classes inside, she does now also travel to train in the one-on-one and small group settings. And she still offers virtual classes.

Fuel Cycle Fitness’ outdoor workouts have been very well received. These classes have kept her community together. Jen attributes her successes to her “Fuel Fam” as she likes to call them. These weekly workouts at the park in any kind of weather are what have “kept us all sane through such an uncertain, crazy year.”