Some trends last, some lose strength
Who doesn’t love the annual lists of what’s hot and what’s not? From midDecember until the first week in January, lists of hit movies, books, celebrities, foods and TV shows are showcased in the media.
Not to be outdone, the fitness industry publishes its own list of what’s hot and what’s not. For seven years running, the American College of Sports Medicine has compiled its annual Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends.
This year, the ACSM sent surveys to more than 29,000 fitness professionals around the world, asking them to identify trends in their businesses. More than 3,000 responses were received, which gives the list some clout.
The goal of the survey is to help distinguish between trends and fads. The latter, the ACSM points out, have a brief shelf life. Trends stand the test of time.
“The survey has been designed to confirm, reconfirm, or to introduce new trends (not fads) that have a perceived impact on the industry according to the international respondents,” said Walt Thompson of Georgia State University, who authored the ACSM study.
No. 1 on the 2013 list is the trend toward hiring experienced fitness professionals, which speaks to the increasing integration of fitness into our daily lives. Consumers expect a substantial return on their investment, which puts pressure on fitness clubs and corporations to hire fully qualified and certified instructors and trainers.
The interest doesn’t just lie in what trends make the ACSM list. What doesn’t make the list is also telling.
Pilates, stability ball training and balance training didn’t make the list of top trends. All three formerly held spots in the Top 10, so this not only suggests they have lost some of their lustre with fitness consumers but that they risk being labelled as fads.
Also absent from the latest survey are spinning and sport-specific training. As for what took their place, body-weight training (No. 3), outcome measurements (No. 17) and circuit training (No. 18) made the list.
The idea of body-weight training being new is an interesting concept, since pushups, pull-ups and squats have been mainstays in fitness programs for decades. But this more recent trend goes fatrther. Many gyms and trainers are designing workouts where the only resistance used is the weight you carry around with you.
“In a time when many people are concerned with cutting expenses, bodyweight exercises are a great way to feel great and look toned without a big financial investment,” Thompson said.
The popularity of out- come measurements reflects the emerging trend of tracking fitness progress and results, often done through smartphone apps, websites and tools like heart rate monitors and GPS-enabled watches.
Dropping down the list is Zumba, now at No. 12. It was No. 9 on the 2012 list, and was on a steady climb since being included in 2010.
“It appeared as though the popularity of Zumba was growing, with a rapid escalation between 2010 and 2012. Future surveys will determine if this is a trend or a fad,” Thompson said.
Yoga has taken a hit, too. Yet despite being ranked 10th in 2008, 11th last year and 14th for 2013, with origins dating back 5,000 years it’s safe to say that yoga is no fad. Strength training, which has landed no lower than sixth position since the first survey in 2007, remains the backbone of any fitness program, and shows no signs of losing its popularity.