The Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2018

At the end of each year, I am always excited to learn about the new fitness trends for the upcoming year.  The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) surveyed more than 4,000 fitness professionals, looks like High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) remains a favorite and is forecasted as next year’s most popular trend in fitness. The fitness trends forecast was released in an article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2018: The CREP Edition” published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®. 

For the top 10 fitness trends for 2018 continue reading below!

1. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery, these exercise programs are usually performed in less than 30 minutes.

2. Group Training: Group exercise instructors teach, lead and motivate individuals through intentionally designed group exercise classes. Group programs are designed to be motivational and effective for people at different fitness levels, with instructors using leadership techniques that help individuals in their classes achieve fitness goals.

3.Wearable Technology: includes fitness trackers, smartwatches, heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devices.

4. Body Weight Training: Body weight training uses minimal equipment, making it more affordable. Not limited to just push-ups and pull-ups, this trend allows people to get “back to the basics” with fitness.

5. Strength Training: Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete exercise program for all physical activity levels and genders. (The other essential components are aerobic exercise and flexibility.)

6. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals: Given a large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), such as those offered by ACSM. ACSM is one of the largest and most prestigious fitness-certification organizations in the world.

7. Yoga: Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. This includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda, and others.

8. Personal Training: More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that they are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.

9.Fitness Programs for Older Adults: As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.

10. Functional Fitness:  This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

The full list of top 20 trends is available in the article "Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2018.”

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