Last Updated on September 10, 2025 by Laura Jensen
We’re back again for the second half our calendar of themes – we couldn’t leave you hanging halfway through the summer like a school holiday.
Read on to discover the themes for the second half of the year, which you can take advantage of. Also, download your own EMD UK calendar of themes to use to plan your year at the end of the blog.
July
Family Fitness Fun
As the summer months begin, and school holidays draw closer, it may be necessary to adapt your themes and classes to accommodate participants’ changes to their schedule. If your group exercise discipline allows for it, why not create a family session so that your participant can both attend your class and accommodate childcare?
Sweat & Smile
Everyone’s getting ready for their holidays and looking for feel-good workouts. Lean into that and switch up your music to provide some fun cardio and dance-inspired sessions. Look for great summer motivating tracks – and, remember, by joining EMD UK’s Pro membership, you can access discounted PPL for use in your classes.
Adventure Fitness
As people are getting more outdoorsy, nothing says you can’t help them prepare for their adventures. Whether they’re hiking, paddleboarding, biking or kayaking, you could offer sessions that specifically cater to developing the muscles or movements that they’ll need to take to the outdoors.
August
Easy Access Workouts
Give participants flexibility with workouts they can fit into any schedule. From early-morning wake-up sessions to online summer classes, either pre-recorded or live, make fitness convenient whether they’re at home, on holiday, or juggling childcare.
Since August can often be a bit of a down time month, maybe reuse some of the ideas from earlier months, such as advertising pop up classes, running one-off workshops or creating / refreshing a pre-recorded library of sessions that you can release during the month without needing to run as many in-person classes.
Instructor Recharge
August can be slower as people head off on holiday, making it the perfect time to refresh your energy and class ideas. Focus on rest, try new formats, or experiment with playlists so you return to teaching feeling inspired and energised.
Or consider taking your time off in your downtime of classes. Rember you also need a break from teaching to focus on your own health and recovery. Choosing your quietest class time for this helps you financially.
Every Rep Counts
To keep participants engaged and motivate them to push a little further each week, encourage them to challenge themselves to increase their reps, steps, or distance. Celebrate progress and personal bests to keep everyone engaged and striving for more.
September
Back-to-Basics Bootcamp
As your participants return to normality after the summer months, why not strip your class back to simple, effective, no-frills basics to get everyone back into the groove.
Or, focus more on consistency to help your participants re-establish the structure of their weekly workouts, encouraging them to rebuild sustainable habits. If you’re considering this, why not check out our habit formation course on our Reach Up resource hub – it’ll provide some great tips and tricks to help.
National Fitness Day
Celebrate National Fitness Day on the 18th September with free tasters, open events, or fun challenges to showcase your classes. It’s a great way to welcome newcomers and boost motivation for people looking to get back into fitness in the Autumn.
Strengthtember
Dedicate September to progressive resistance training, encouraging participants to build strength step by step. You could even track improvements weekly to keep momentum high and celebrate their progress.
October
Halloween
Get spooky with Halloween-themed classes that mix fitness with festive fun. This could be achieved by switching up your playlist and incorporating some dance workouts or getting your participants to dress up for your class!
Menopause Awareness Month
Create classes and content tailored for women navigating menopause, highlighting the role of strength training, bone health, and group exercise as an aid for managing symptoms. This can be a great theme to use to simple promote all the work you already do with your classes across your social channels.
World Mental Health Day
Use World Mental Health Day, the 10th October, to highlight the mental health benefits of movement, from reducing stress to boosting mood. Encourage participants to see your classes as a space for both physical and mental wellbeing.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is a busy month for themes but we couldn’t leave any out! Breast Cancer Awareness can lend itself well to theming: why not run a pink-themed class or event and donate a portion of the proceeds to a relevant charity? Or you could simply use the theme as a way to share information on the role of group exercise as a recovery aid.
November
Black Friday Class Pass
If you feel able to do so, why not offer limited-time class passes or bundles at a special Black Friday rate to boost attendance?
You could even offer a specific course or seasonal focus as an incentive: think a Little Black Dress workout series to get in shape ahead of the holiday or a series of dance workouts inspired by the return of Strictly to our screens.
Movember
Movember, otherwise known as Men’s Health Month, is another great theme to jump on to highlight the importance of men’s health with workouts and content that support strength, mobility, and wellbeing. With men less likely to get involved with group ex, this could be a great theme to use to promote your classes in a way that they can connect with.
International Stress Awareness Week
The first week of November is International Stress Awareness Week so it’s the perfect time to emphasise how your classes help reduce stress, boost mood, and improve resilience. As the busy holiday season approaches, its even more important to encourage your participants to look after themselves, keep active and take breaks.
December
12 Days of Holiday Fitness
Run a fun, inclusive 12-day program with themed workouts to keep participants active through the season. Why not build in “Reindeer Relays,” “Elf Core Crushers,” or a “Snowball Squat Challenge” to keep things playful?
Holiday Dance Party
Celebrate the season with a high-energy, feel-good dance workout with your participants. You could take it in different directions – either a festive dress-up theme with a holiday themed playlist or a mini dance-off to finish the class.
Festive Fitness Advent Calendar
Offer a 24-day challenge with daily workouts, stretches, or motivational mantras. You could share short videos online or on your social channels, printable calendars, or a WhatsApp group where participants tick off each day together.
Holiday Hustle
Help your group maintain energy and fitness through the busy festive period with short, effective sessions. Think express 20-minute HIIT blasts, lunchtime mobility classes, or a “stay strong through December” pre-recorded mini-course that they can access when they have time.
Year-round activities
Of course, you don’t need to stick to specific themes for specific months. As with our Part 1, we’ve come up with a few extra ideas which can be used anytime and extended across multiple weeks to keep participants engaged.
- Netflix / Trending Themes – Lean into the current trends with K-pop dance cardio or superhero-inspired circuits for a fun, current twist.
- Step Out of Your Comfort Zone – Add heavier weights, new movements, or partner challenges to push participants safely.
- Relaxation or Yoga Crossover – Finish classes with 5–10 minutes of stretches or guided breathwork, inspired by yoga meditation.
- Core in 4 – Track planks, crunches, and twists over four weeks to build progressive core strength and get your competitive participants pushing themselves.
- 30 Days of Flexibility – Share short daily stretches or mobility drills participants can do at home on your social channels.
- Strength for Women – Include resistance exercises like squats, deadlifts, or kettlebell routines tailored to technique and progression.
Final Thoughts
Themed classes are more than just a gimmick – they can bring energy, inclusivity, and creativity into your sessions. They give participants something new to look forward to, while also allowing you to align with seasonal events and awareness campaigns.
They also help you override the downtimes in your business cycle when class numbers reduce and give you the opportunity for a steady income.
By planning your themes ahead of time, you’ll not only keep your classes engaging, but also create consistent touchpoints to grow your community, retain participants, and thrive all year round.
Download your EMD UK Calendar of Themes now and start planning your year of thriving today. We can’t wait to see what you come up with. Why not share your ideas with us on social at @emduk.ngb on Instagram or on our Facebook page.
