Let me guess, you’re the owner or trainer at a popular fitness cardio bootcamp? And…you’re looking for new places to do your bootcamp besides the local park? If either of those sounds correct, then you’re in the right place. If you’re looking for equipment for starting a cardio bootcamp, head on over to Amazon’s bootcamp equipment section to get started.

Outdoor fitness bootcamps are more popular than ever. They’re more exciting that boring weight lifting, you get to breath fresh air instead of stinky gym air, and, let’s be honest, you get to show off a little bit for the passersby. Everyone knows that they can push out a few extra burpees when they see that cute guy/girl take a peek at the bootcamp while they’re talking their dog in the park.

That said, some cities are passing laws that you can’t hold bootcamps in city parks. This usually stems from the idea that you’re profiting off a public space, without paying anything in return. You’re using a public resource and profiting from it, without giving back to the city. No fear though, there are plenty of other spots to hold your bootcamp. We were at FitnessTexter have been helping bootcamps get more members since 2011, so we’ve seen quite a few cool locations where our clients hold bootcamps. Check them out below. If you’re looking to get more bootcamp members, give FitnessTexter a try. It works pretty darn well! Lastly, please make sure you have all the legal paperwork done before you start your outdoor fitness classes. Get the waivers and contracts done before you even need them.

1. Schools Gymnasiums

Back in my youth, I used to fly model airplanes inside the local school gym. It was as simple as asking the principal if I could fly my electric models in there. He said yes in a heartbeat. Take that mentality and go ask the local school district if you can use their gym during open hours. Nearly all gyms have open hours, at least in smaller cities. If the gym is split into a basketball court and then sideline areas, you can easily squeeze your bootcamp into the side area. Some schools may even have multiple gyms available for use. All you have to do is ask! Make sure you show the school district that you have an insurance policy in place in case of one of your members gets hurt. You don’t have an insurance policy?!? Get on it! You’re just waiting for a lawsuit to happen if you don’t have insurance.

2. College Recreational Sports Fields

If you went to college, there’s a good chance you participated in some type of intramural sports league. That said, you can also remember the huge sports fields that often go unused by the college. There’s nearly always a little soccer or football practice field that sits vacant most days of the week. Once again, head over to the local college and ask permission to use or rent one of those fields. There will be some paper to fill out, insurance to show (again), etc. However, once you’ve received permission, you can start advertising your bootcamp around college and hopefully pay the field rental fee with the amount of new college members you get for your bootcamp.

3. Abandoned City Lots (Ask Permission First!)

If the city you live in isn’t going to let you use their public parks to hold your fitness bootcamp, there’s always the chance that they’ll designate a few abandoned city lots as free use fitness locations and put them to good use instead of being an eyesore. This means that you’ll be competing with other bootcamps in town to use the location, but that’s a hurdle you’ll jump when you get there. If the city doesn’t have any extra lots, try to find the landlords who own the biggest open lots in your city. Good chance that you’ll end up find a real estate investor that’s hold property. Go through the usual permission process and you might just get access to their property until they sell it to another business. Maybe the city will get their employees to join too.

4. Local Business Parking Lots

Last but not least, do a survey of your city and look for the businesses that have the largest and emptiest parking lots at night time. Avoid WalMarts, since they’re usually 24 hours these days. You’ll want to find a business that closes up shop around 5/6pm. That way, if you have an 8pm bootcamp, the lot should be all but empty. Of course, you’re going to need to ask permission to use the lot. However, if you have all your ducks in a row, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for a business to give your permission to use their lot. As a way to get more bootcamp members, offer to give the business’s employees a big discount on your bootcamp. This gives the business a new employee perk and you’ll get more clients as a result.