Fitness trends come and go every year, but we’re going back to the basics in 2018, according to a new annual survey from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published in its Health & Fitness Journal.
For the survey, the authors identified 40 possible fitness trends for 2018 and asked more than 4,000 fitness pros from organizations like the American Council on Exercise and the National Council on Strength and Fitness to rank them on a 10-point scale, with 10 meaning it was most likely to be a trend this year.
The ACSM also distinguished the difference between a trend and fad in the survey. A trend was defined as having more lasting power than a fad, which is typically met with more enthusiasm but lasts for a shorter amount of time.
With that, here’s what you should know about the 10 fitness trends you’ll see everywhere this year.
1. HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training (SIT), is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. HIIT is the concept where one performs a short burst of high-intensity (or max-intensity) exercise followed by a brief low-intensity activity, repeatedly, until too exhausted to continue. Though there is no universal HIIT session duration, these intense workouts typically last under 30 minutes, with times varying based on a participant’s current fitness level.
2. GROUP TRAINING
Group workouts will increase your effectiveness by providing accountability, and you’ll find yourself pushing harder in an energy-filled atmosphere. Plus, being surrounded by like-minded members will increase your motivation and inspiration.
3. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
Wearable technology, wearables, fashionable technology, wearable devices, tech togs, or fashion electronics are smart electronic devices (electronic device with micro-controllers) that can be worn on the body as implants or accessories.
Wearable devices such as activity trackers are a good example of the Internet of Things, since “things” such as electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity are effectors that enable objects to exchange data (including data quality) through the internet with a manufacturer, operator, and/or other connected devices, without requiring human intervention.
Wearable technology has a variety of applications which grows as the field itself expands. It appears prominently in consumer electronics with the popularization of the smartwatch and activity tracker. Apart from commercial uses, wearable technology is being incorporated into navigation systems, advanced textiles, and healthcare.
4. BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
Bodyweight exercises are strength training exercises that do not require free weights or machines as the individual’s own weight provides resistance against gravity. It is recognised that bodyweight exercises can enhance a range of biomotor abilities including strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance. This type of strength training has grown in popularity for both recreational and professional athletes, with a range of sports disciplines using bodyweight resistance training as part of their fitness programs. Bodyweight training utilises simple abilities such as pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, twisting and balancing. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are some of the most common bodyweight exercises.
5. STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is a type of physical exercise specializing in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.
6. EDUCATED, CERTIFIED, AND EXPERIENCED FITNESS PROFESSIONALS
Most companies or programs have instilled a set of requirements for hire or practice, but these pre-requisites are unique to each organization. We will explore the different types of practical education, certifications, and direct application learning environments within the fitness industry. This methodology can show you a path to set yourself apart as a fitness professional. Building your brand based upon education, certification, and experience will provide a solid base for your business to grow and expand in a successful, professional manner.
7. YOGA
Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. There is a broad variety of yoga schools, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Among the most well-known types of yoga are Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga. The origins of yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions; it is mentioned in the Rigveda, but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, in ancient India’s ascetic and śramaṇa movements. The chronology of earliest texts describing yoga-practices is unclear, varyingly credited to Hindu Upanishads. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date from the first half of the 1st millennium CE, but only gained prominence in the West in the 20th century. Hatha yoga texts emerged around the 11th century with origins in tantra.
8. PERSONAL TRAINING
A personal trainer is an individual certified to have a varying degree of knowledge of general fitness involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client’s strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments. These fitness assessments may also be performed before and after an exercise program to measure their client’s improvements in physical fitness. They may also educate their clients in many other aspects of wellness besides exercise, including general health and nutrition guidelines.
9. FITNESS PROGRAMS FOR OLDER ADULTS
If you want to keep your bones and muscles healthy as you age, staying active is crucial. The ACSM says that the current generation of older adults seems to be more interested in keeping up with their health, so we may see a boom in programs tailored to retired people looking to stay fit this year.
10. FUNCTIONAL FITNESS
“Functional fitness is defined as using strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power, and endurance to enhance someone’s ability to perform activities of daily living,” the ACSM says. Think of it this way: Lifting groceries, walking up the stairs, and moving furniture around all require muscle. The deadlift, for example, is a functional exercise because you use your entire body—your arms, legs, and core—when you’re picking something up, like a heavy moving box. Functional fitness helps you replicate the movements you perform in daily life, so that way, you’ll feel strong outside of the gym, too.