When it comes to working out, are you looking for something new? Or perhaps you need a different type of motivation for exercise. Well, even exercising has trends that may turn out to be the answer you're looking for.
Here are 11 fitness trends that you should know about:
1) Wearable Tech
Anyone who counts their daily steps knows wearable tech has been and is still one of fitness’ top trends. According to Huffington Post, wearable technology includes fitness trackers, smartwatches and glasses, heart rate monitors and GPS-enabled gadgets. Wearables also include smart fabrics and interactive textiles.
2) Bodyweight Training
No gym needed here. Bodyweight training is just what it sounds like. You are the weight. Think repetitions of burpees, pullups, pushups and squats.
3) High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT workouts are short bursts of high intensity activity followed by short periods of rest. Intense intervals help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic workouts.
Another selling point is the afterburn effect (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). That’s a metabolic boost for up to 48 hours after finishing an HIIT workout.
4) Fitness Classes That Combine Different Formats
Fitness classes that combine workouts such as cycling and boxing, treadmills and strength training, or rowing and bodyweight training are also trending. These new workouts aren’t boring. They engage participants and produce results.
Shape.com offered the example of Barre and Cardio Fusion classes which take the traditional ballet-inspired workout up a notch. By adding cardio, their goal is to sculpt lean muscle, slim down, and get the heart pumping through high-intensity moves.
5-) Low-intensity Steady-state Training (LISS)
AceFitness.org recommended this old but new again trend. LISS is keeping your heart rate at a low level of intensity for the entire workout to burn body fat as fuel. They recommend working with a trainer to avoid overtraining and to develop a personally designed exercise plan .
6) Strength Training
Whether it be bodyweight training, power lifting or traditional strength training, the body benefits in incredible ways. Health.com listed those benefits as developing strong bones, reducing risk of diabetes and heart disease, and creating lean muscle to fight obesity.
7) Group Personal Training
Group personal training is a cost-effective way — for people who otherwise couldn’t afford it — to get the benefits of a private trainer, wrote HuffPost.
8) Rowing
More and more people are rowing — often on rowing machines. This workout affects around 85 percent of the body’s muscles when correctly performed. Furthermore, rowing is high intensity but low impact, so this trending exercise treats your body right, said Shape.com.
9) Online Fitness Classes
Online fitness videos and subscription services are a trend that gives people the chance to take instructor-led workouts when it works best for them.
10) Foam Rolling
Foam rollers are devices used for fitness and self-massage. Use them to warm up or cool down muscles, or as a deep tissue massage to help soothe trigger points.
11) Yoga
Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and it's still a top trend. It’s great for lengthening, weight loss and toning, wrote Health.com. Regardless of fitness level, ability, shape or size, anyone can practice yoga.
Reviewed June 7, 2016
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith