Every year, fitness organizations and marketers make predictions about what the hot new trends will be. From food choices to group fitness classes to training programs, we’re always looking to “reinvent the wheel”.
I’m pretty open to trying new things, but sometimes it’s hard to weed through all the options that are out there. I can’t try every class or piece of equipment, and some of the “Fusion” classes just scare me with names like Cardio Striptease, Disco Yoga, Cycle Karaoke, Yogalates and Hydroplyo!
However,there are a few trends of the last few years that I really do think are effective:
Probably the most popular, bootcamp workouts and extreme workout programs and classes are here to stay. These time-efficient workouts offer shorter, yet higher-intensity workouts and are very appealing because they can reap significant fitness rewards with a shorter time investment. Boot-camp style workouts burn a lot of calories while improving muscular fitness at the same time. Boot camp exercises vary but usually target all areas of fitness including cardio and muscular endurance, fat loss and weight loss, full body strength, agility, balance, flexibility, and mobility.
Even circuit training falls into this category because its combined strength and endurance activities make it a time-efficient workout choice.
Extreme video workouts like Px90 or Insanity have also taken off, but they usually require at least a 6 week daily commitment to only that program.
Also, dance inspired fitness classes like Zumba and other ethnic dance are also a popular trend that’s here to stay, due in part to the continued success of shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Set to Latin music, they take you through both fast and slow dance moves. These high and low cardio intervals burn fat and tone problem areas. If you have the right teacher (like Kim at West County Lifetime Fitness), the classes feel more like a party than a workout. And, if you are having fun, you’re going to work harder.
For more about Zumba, see my previous blog :
http://fitnessbarista.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-im-loving-now-is-zumba-contrary-to.html
And, even though many still work one-on-one with a personal trainer, people are scaling back on personal training sessions to take advantage of small-group training and group class participation as a way to save on expenses. Many gyms have altered programs to better suit the needs of larger groups. Gyms offer small group Team Fitness and Team Weight Loss sessions with groups of 4-6 people at a time. The group setting offers additional motivation and support.
As far as equipment, these two are great new tools that I really like working with:
TRX
I absolutely love the TRX. I first saw it at a fitness conference and tried it there, but over the past few years, I’ve seen it being used at gyms and training facilities everywhere.
When you first see it, the TRX looks like some sort of torture device or the “Caution” tape around a crime scene, but once you figure out all the straps, you’ll be suspending your body weight in no time.
Designed by a Navy SEAL, the TRX program will tone your whole body without you having to pick up a single weight. Weighing less than 2 pounds, the TRX® sets up in seconds. You can buy a door anchor that’s easy-to-use and it affixes to any solid door and won't damage paint or wood. The nylon straps create two forms of resistance during your exercises — your own body weight and gravity. The portability and time-efficiency of these workouts appeal to people looking to stay fit at home, the office, the gym or while traveling. The TRX literally works every muscle because many of the moves require you to use your core to balance.
Many gyms offer classes in TRX suspension training and/or have the straps available for their members to use. Unfortunately, my gym only lets you use the TRX with a trainer because of “liability issues”. Frankly, since I do know how to use it, the two mesh TRX straps seem a lot safer to me than lifting heavy weights off the rack! (Do you hear me Lifetime Fitness?)
You can find out more about the TRX at:
http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/
Also, you can get daily updates, videos of exercises, and training advice on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/trxsuspensiontraining
Kettlebells
Both a cardio and weight lifting workout in one, kettlebells are now being used regularly in gyms across the country. Invented by Russians in the 1700s, these cast iron weights were used by the Russian Secret Forces and U.S. Military.
Through different variations of swings and lifts, kettlebells are meant to be an all-inclusive exercise regime. Kettlebells require you to focus on whole-body conditioning because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, and specifically the core, to contract as a group, building both strength and stability at the same time. And they are hardcore. Your heart rate will elevate and your muscles will burn. It gives you both cardio and weightlifting in one workout, and usually in less than thirty minutes.
Kettlebells also offer users a wider range of motion than dumbbells that just sit in the palm of the hand, and they also better simulate the way we carry things in our daily lives improving our functional strength as well.
Gyms are slowly adapting to this trend having about one or two kettlebells in a variety of weight ranges, so the weight you want to use isn’t always available. You might try adding one or two kettlebell exercises to your overall routine until they become a staple item at your facility. It’s also a good idea to get some training in how to use a kettlebell because if you’re not careful, you can hurt yourself even just picking it up the wrong way!
Check out more info about kettlebells:
http://www.dragondoor.com/
http://www.power-systems.com/s-3-kettlebells.aspx
Of course I haven’t even begun to cover what’s out there or what new trends will take off in 2011. But you can be pretty sure it’s NOT going to be the “Hawaii Chair”, “Ab rocket”, or, definitely not the most ridiculous trend, the “Shake Weight"!
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