The fitness trends that’ll get you in shape this year

A trend should not be confused with a fad or short-term popularity. It is worth bearing this in mind when the list is compared to previous years, as the comparison allows us to look at what is a trend and what is a flash in the pan, and stretched out over a few years it is possible to look at which parts of the industry are worth investing in and which areas may be beginning to run their course.

This has been gradually growing for around the last 5 years. It takes a while for any technology in any sector to become normal and accepted, and it has taken a while for the size, accuracy and appeal of these items to really take hold. But look around you now, there are devices to wear on your wrist, chest and head to track your body; there are devices built into golf clubs, tennis rackets, bicycles and footballs that track all sorts of sports data and there are, of course, multiple sensors built into the phone that you carry around with you every minute of every day, collecting data whether you asked for it or not. This is an area that is going to keep on growing and growing, and you will be wearing clothes very soon that contain sensors and devices, allowing all manner of information to be gathered about you.

Body weight training did not appear as a trend before 2013 because it only became popular (as a defined trend) in gyms around the world during the last couple of years. This is not to say that body weight training had not been used previously; in fact, people have been using their own body weight for centuries as a form of resistance training.

Working from home, lacking time, wanting personal input, and a desire to work with the best practitioners, plus amazing developments in interactive technology will make online, live and on-demand training big in 2016. Tune in to the leading trainers, instructors, nutritionists, yoga and pilates teachers live and on-demand programmes to take part in sessions that would otherwise be out of geographical or financial capabilities. To train with the Prime Minister’s trainer Matt Roberts and some of the biggest health and fitness experts in the world from your own home go to Body.Network.

High-intensity interval training typically involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by a short period of rest or recovery and typically takes less than 30 minutes to perform (although it is not uncommon for these programmes to be much longer in duration). This is a continued popularity area due to the known rapid results, short time period needed for the approach and the high mental stimulation of performing rapid series of exercises in a short time.

Strength training remains popular in all sectors of the health and fitness industry and for many different kinds of clients. The continued demand and desire for strength training is highly linked into many other trend items. Bodyweight training, personal training and HIT all crossover into the category, and the trend reflects the generally strong, professionally led approach being taken in the industry.

Personal training, professional development of industry people and ongoing, growing demand for quality leaders, coaches and PT’s goes on unabated. This shows how much having professional guidance is becoming very much part of our daily routine.

In the same way that strength training has become a strong trend, functional training has retained its position in the top listings for a number of years now. Replicating actual physical activities someone might do as a function of his or her daily routine, 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.

This is one of the fastest growing sectors in fitness. We are living longer, have more money, more time and more inclination to look after ourselves than ever before. The industry is targeting this rising demand area because a) there is high demand, and b) the participants can take part in activity during traditional “downtime” in each day.

Pilates, barre, Zumba and even spinning have all been deemed as “fads” not trends as they have risen and fallen out of the lists quickly, without forming any long-term traction. Yoga remains a significant trend, however, and comes in a variety of forms.

By Matt Roberts