Posted on January 10, 2014 by Jenny Cromack
Check out our latest blog for the Fitness Trends for 2014!
If getting fit was one of your New Year Resolutions, giving a Group Exercise Class a go is a good way to kick start any training programme. But before you commit, and before you get caught up in the newest fitness trends, you need to know that the classes you have selected to try are going to be around for the rest of the year! Will Boot Camps and Boxercise Workouts still be able to hack it in 2014? Will Spin and Zumba® still be pulling in the participants, or will they give way to new fitness industry trends such as Piloxing® and Fit Steps®?
As every new year starts, the fitness world tries to predict what will be hot and what will not. We look at what drew participants in last year, and look to how we can capitalize on that for our existing customers and to attract potential new ones. Let’s be honest, you would only try classes that you have heard of, or ones that your friends have previously tried.
My job here as a fitness enthusiast and professional, is to help you make those class selections. I’m going to take away any strange names and therefore any instant stereotypes and I’m going to share with you what types of class I think are going to be the fitness trends for 2014.
Here are my predictions:
- Strong is the New Skinny. I’ve owned a top with this written on it for a year! But I firmly believe it. I’m not saying that every woman is going to bulk out and become She-Hulk (though ladies you are stronger than you think you are!), nor am I saying that all men will become the next Arnie; but Cross Fit’s success last year has opened our eyes to core, strength, functional, resistance and body weight training (not to mention high intensity training which is my number 2). We want all over body conditioning and it’s no longer got the stigma of “legs bums and tums” attached to it. Circuit Training is no longer old school!
- HIIT. And ironically as I write this blog I find a recent article – says it all! http://t.style.uk.msn.com/health/does-high-intensity-training-work
3. Yoga. I’m so pleased to have seen this listed on all of the articles I have read to feed into this blog. Yoga often gets a bit of bad press – and if we’re honest, meditation and deep breathing isn’t for everyone. But a bit of escapism from the hustle and stress of every day life should be. Postural support, correct exercise, core stability, flexibility and stretching should be. And not all types of Yoga are about chanting and meditation!
4. Combined Training. We’ve seen this tried before with things like “Zumba in the Circuit and Piloxing, but not with great success in this country yet (maybe 2014 is their year!). We already do spin with weights at one of our Saxton classes, but there are more combos out there – spin & yoga, ballet & body conditioning, boxing & pilates (without the dance addition) and so on. And why not – we want the maximum out of our sessions, so exercise combining saves time!
5. Virtual Workouts. We’re seeing a lot of main stream Gyms offering this type of service. It saves money, you can do the exercise in the comfort of your own home and therefore it also saves time. There will be an argument that there’s no one there to check your technique, no one else in the room with you to keep you going and so on – but these are only the same draw backs as all those Exercise DVDs! Ultimately it makes exercise accessible – which just happens to echo back to my very first bullet point!
Kate
Related posts
http://www.bustle.com/articles/8740-the-top-20-workout-trends-for-2014-according-to-the-pros
http://www.examiner.com/article/top-fitness-trends-for-2014-interval-training-is-zumba-is-out
http://www.news-herald.com/lifestyle/20140107/top-fitness-trends-for-2014
www.m8north/saxton/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/group-exercise-what-will-be-the-next-big-thing/