Owning a gym or coaching at a gym with limited space and/or resources can be a stressful undertaking. Fortunately, with creativity and flexibility those limited resources won’t be so limiting on your community’s training and progress. Listed below are just a handful of strategies to hurdle the obstacles associated with having limited resources or space.

1. Team Up: Tap into your athletes’ competitive side, have team-based workouts during which they are competing against other teams in an AMRAP or EMOM style workout. If your gym has limited equipment, this strategy ensures each team has one set of necessary machines and equipment rather than one set for every person. Teaming up will also help your coaches keep track in high-volume classes.

2. Stagger or Use Heats: Lack of equipment can mean waiting around and frustrated members. During sessions have half of the class start on body weight exercises and the other half with your equipment based exercises and switch after the completion of each. This will limit standing around and wasting time. Workouts can also be done in heats with starting times at intervals. Those attending may be on time constraints and may need to be in the first heat; it’s always good to ask about time constraints and modify from there if needed.

3. Head Outdoors: With limited space and lots of bodies, sending athletes outside can clear up space in the gym, especially when you are staggering exercises. Send members out for a jog/run/sprint around the gym or use outside walls for wall balls.

4. Streamline: Something as simple as splitting up dumbbells on either side of the gym so there are two areas athletes can try for equipment. This can help high traffic areas in a smaller gym. That being said, make sure coaches come prepared. Set the gym and athletes up for success by ensuring efficiency of the layout and, in effect, the workout.

5. Bodyweight-Only Classes: Host classes for athletes that train them in bodyweight-only exercises. These exercises offer your athletes alternatives when all the equipment is occupied and classes are a chance for you and your team to teach something new!

6. Private and Semi-Private Sessions: Private lessons are a wonderful way to get people in during off-peak hours. Joining a new gym can be intimidating for both the newbie and veteran athlete, one-on-one sessions or small group sessions can make an intimidating endeavor a friendlier one. Athletes will feel more taken care of, have access to a less busy gym, and learn proper technique which keeps them in the gym and out of recovery.

7. Exercise Your Creative Muscle: These are just some of the many ideas that can clear up space, make equipment less scarce, and make life easier in general. Open the conversation to your community; ask your members if they have ideas or insight, they are an easily tapped resource for concepts.

8. Plan for Success: Ensure that coaches are organized for their classes and that sessions run smoothly. This may require having one or two back up workouts or planning ahead in case of a larger than normal class; they may want to think about how to execute a workout like Fight Gone Bad with 25 people.