Every year, people look for the newest trends in fitness. There have been some crazy trends over the past 50 years, such as the Drinking Man’s Diet of the mid-60’s and Air Shorts of the 1970’s. While most trends have very little science-y stuff behind them, there are some that we should take pretty seriously. If you are a fitness professional and your job is to help people become healthy, you should pay attention to these trends. Chances are your clients are reading magazines and are staying on top of things. You should be, too.
Body weight training basically consists of using your own body weight for resistance. Exercises include push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks and about a thousand other types of exercises. A quick Google search will yield all sorts of fun bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere.
Pros: Body weight exercises can be done at home, at a park, or even at the gym. They can even be done in the office! They can improve strength overall in new exercisers and require no equipment. Additionally, they are a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness when done in circuit form.
Cons: Many body weight exercises look very simple but can actually be very difficult movements. Take the push-up for example. While it is likely the most common body weight exercise it is a very difficult exercise to perform correctly. Be sure to find someone that can teach how to properly execute these movements.
HIIT has been on the list for the past few years. It consists of high intense bouts of exercise followed by a recovery period of lower intensity exercise. These workouts can last anywhere from 4 minutes to an hour. HIIT workouts might be done on a rowing machine, recumbent bicycle, or a treadmill.
Pros: HIIT has been shown to provide exceptional results in a minimal amount of time. Many HIIT workouts don’t require the use of equipment, so they can be done pretty much anywhere. It has been shown to improve overall strength and cardiovascular efficiency.
Cons: HIIT workouts are just that – high intensity. There is a higher risk of injury while participating in HITT workouts. If a person is not physically ready for high intensity training they may have to start off slower to receive the full benefits of this efficient exercise modality. Be sure to consult with a professional if you think you might not be ready for HIIT.
Small group training is becoming increasingly more popular during these changes in our economy. Rather than paying for one-on-one time, people can get into a small group and reap many of the benefits of working with a personal trainer.
Pros: Small group training provides customized workouts with a built-in support system. Sessions are less expensive and it’s so much easier to make it to your session if you know seven other people are going to be there with you!
Cons: Small group training doesn’t allow for the one-on-one time that a person might get in the personal training session. If a person has several bone and joint problems then they might want to consider working privately with a fitness professional before going into a small group.
There are a lot of exciting trends popping up in 2016. As you sit down to contemplate your goals for the approaching year, be sure to consider these hot new trends! If you have some fitness favorites that you think should be on the list, leave them in the comments!
View Comments
nice post
Thanks for posting this, I really like small group trainings because you can have bonding with your friends while working out!