Workouts are increasingly tailored, even virtual, and supported by wearable technologies.
The months we have spent bound by the heavy restrictions related to the pandemic have made it clear how vital physical activity is for physical and mental well-being, maturing the awareness that physical exercise is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. to feel good.
An international study analyzed how the fitness and wellness world is evolving globally, exploring the main fitness trends destined to develop in the coming months.
The study, ” Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, “has been carried out every year since 2007 by ACSM – American College of Sports Medicine and constitutes a fundamental global analysis involving thousands of fitness and wellness professionals from all parts of the world, to monitor, evaluate and predict the new trends underway. Some interesting trends have emerged in a situation like the one we are experiencing, where personal freedoms have been severely restricted. Let’s see the top ten.
Wearable Technologies
They are at the top of the Top 10 fitness trends: wearable technologies have made the lion’s share since 2016. They are small devices to wear on the wrist, similar to a smartwatch, that work as pedometers, keep track of workouts, and monitor heart rate, sleep, saturation, and other physiological functions. In many cases, they can interact with the gym equipment to thoroughly analyze the effectiveness of the workout. They are now an absolute must for athletes.
Home Fitness
The pandemic has forced us to make a virtue of necessity, but the tendency to train at home is destined to last and to accompany workouts in the gym. Many small tools can be equipped without difficulty, and online classes have become very numerous, in which you train together, but in the quiet and distance of your home.
Outdoor Activity
It is one of the fastest growing trends, in combination with indoor training. It is not just about solitary jogging in the park. Still, physical activity in small groups, such as walking, trekking, cycling, and guided tours, even over several days, to discover exciting places.
Strength Training With Free Weights
In the editions of the survey conducted before 2021, there was a single entry described as “strength training.” This description is now considered too broad, so this classification has been dropped in favor of a more specific “strength training with free weights.” These workouts use free weights, barbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls. Once you have learned the technique of the exercise, the aim is to increase resistance and therefore improve performance.
Training To Lose Weight
Exercise associated with a healthy diet is essential to keep fit, especially if you have to lose weight and stimulate your metabolism. This item was in the Top 20 trends in all editions of the survey: after a setback in 2021 due to the pandemic, it now returns to occupy a place at the top of the ranking.
Personal Training
In recent years, the figure of the personal trainer has evolved and become more accessible: at home, online, in fitness clubs, or even in workplaces with a company fitness center. It is now widespread awareness that the personal trainer must assess one’s condition, compile the correct training program, and establish achievable goals based on concrete needs.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
It is the so-called interval training in which high-intensity exercises are alternated with medium and low-intensity breaks. They are very effective workouts, even if performed for short sessions. It is practiced in fitness clubs, but also at home or outdoors: very popular in past years, so much so that it is always in the top five positions, it has a minor setback and slips to 7th place.
Bodyweight Training
Performed on a simple mat, with the help of small weights, it was the companion of the pandemic months, perhaps following videos or on-demand lessons. This type of exercise uses the body’s weight as resistance and has the advantage of being low-cost.
Virtual And Online Training
This is on the rise, also due to periods of lockdown and closure of fitness centers. However, it has also opened up new perspectives for the future thanks to the numerous platforms that offer online lessons and on-demand course libraries.
Health And Wellness Coaching
Especially after the months of the pandemic, health and well-being have become a top priority: hence a greater interest in physical exercise and sport. The trend integrates awareness into behaviors and promotes the culture of well-being to create healthy lifestyle programs. This type of coaching can have a one-on-one or small-group approach.
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