There is still room for innovation in exercise. Gyms and fitness centres are changing their offerings in order to accommodate consumers’ busy schedules, tight budgets, and specific fitness needs, bringing significant changes to the health and fitness industry. Here are five of the top fitness workout trends we expect to dominate the industry over the coming years:
1.) Bodyweight training: Many gym-goers are ditching the weights in favour of bodyweight-only workouts. Bodyweight workout routines require no extra equipment and can be performed anywhere, making them more convenient for people who cannot afford gym memberships or equipment costs. Squats, push-ups, lunges, and wall-sits are examples of staple bodyweight exercises.
2) HIIT: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves performing alternating intervals of low or moderate intensity with intervals of high intensity. HIIT workouts aren’t new, but are growing in popularity as both gym and home workouts due to their effectiveness. HIIT training elevates your heart rate and burns more fat in a shorter period of time, meaning that a 20-minute HIIT workout is generally more effective for weight loss and cardiovascular health than a 20-minute regular cardio workout.
3) Personal training: According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, the employment rates for fitness professionals will increase in the near future, with employment expected to rise by 8% in the sector between 2014 and 2024. Millennials in particular are fueling this growth due to the increasing popularity of affordable group personal training.
4) Yoga variations: Yoga has long been popular, and now practitioners are mixing it up by moving away from tradition and towards…well, anything else. Recently, some studios in Canada have introduced goat yoga, which is performed alongside goats. Cat yoga has also become popular, as has beer yoga, which involves performing yoga while holding a bottle of beer (perhaps unsurprisingly, this variation apparently originated at Burning Man). Alien yoga, the latest yoga trend, involves contorting the stomach into different poses, which reportedly cleanses the internal organs. These stomach exercises also strengthen the abdominal muscles.
5) Age-specific fitness programs: As the baby boomer population ages, more exercise programs targeted specifically at this demographic have cropped up to cater to their specific needs and preferences. Low-impact group fitness classes targeted at baby boomers are helping many of them get back into exercise and fitness, improving their health and offering relief from many age-related ailments.
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