Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Survey Reveals Top Fitness Trends for 2015

If you have been holding your breath to find out what the upcoming top trends in fitness are...hold no more, they are here! According to a big survey done by the American College of Sports Medicine, word for word, the top ten of twenty are....

1. Body Weight Training: Body weight training uses minimal equipment making it more affordable. Not limited to just push-ups and pull-ups, this trend allows people to get “back to the basics” with fitness.
2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery. These exercise programs are usually performed in less than 30 minutes.
3.  Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals. Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), such as those offered by ACSM. ACSM is one of the largest and most prestigious fitness-certification organizations in the world.
4. Strength Training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete exercise program for all physical activity levels and genders. (The other essential components are aerobic exercise and flexibility.)
5. Personal Training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that they are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.
6. Exercise and Weight Loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.
7. Yoga. Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. This includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and others.
8. Fitness Programs for Older Adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.
9. Functional Fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.
10. Group Personal Training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering more group training options. Training two or three people at a time makes economic sense for the trainer and the clients.
 The above article also notes that over previous years Body Weight Training has moved up the list to number one this year. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is also high on the list. The market is flooded with Trainers vying for their piece of the pie while the trend is hot as you may have noted in the growing number of infomercials. Only passing years will determine if these really are passing fads or permanent features in fitness.  How about Zumba? Most people have participated in the dance exercises class but Zumba didn't make the Top 20 list last year or this year, so it may be time to acknowledge that while Zumba continues to show up on many fitness clubs schedules it is not the craze it once was. Also in the bye bye pile is Pilates, Indoor Cycling, Stability Ball Training and Balance Training, Mixed Martial Arts Training, On-line Training, Unsupervised Fitness Facilities, water workouts and a few more. Not to say that these programs are not still being used and having success, just that the participation in them has declined while the popularity of the top 10 has stayed strong.

What does this mean for you? If you are one of our Metabolic Warriors it means that you have had available to you 9 of the top 10 Fitness Trends for the past 3 years! And most of you have utilized, and benefited from, the Trainings we offer.  So  throw your hands in the air as we do jump squats and let out a warrior yell for another year of Fitness Success!!! 

-Thank you from Your Personal Trainers



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