Fit for PURPOSE
We still love hitting the gym, but home gyms and wearable technology are leading the tness trends this year, writes Amberleigh Jack.
TYou want an environment where you can be working out any place, any time and [in] whatever situation.
his year is set to be all about wearable technology and home gyms, though we are not ready to ditch the big box memberships just yet.
New research by American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Sport and Fitness journal, surveyed 4500 international fitness experts on what they saw as the current trends in the industry.
Wearable technology such as Fitbits and smart watches came in at No 1 (they have done since appearing on the list in 2016), and home gyms ranked No 2 for 2022’ stop trends.
Outdoor-based training such as boot camps, virtual classes, online personal training, bodyweight training, and outdoor activities featured in this year’s top 20.
In New Zealand, we are following the same trends, says fitness and wellness influencer Logan Dodds, who finally got his dream home gym in 2020 (complete with a sauna and ice bath), inspired by our first Covid-19 cases in March of that year.
“The dream was always to have a home gym garage setup,” he says. And there’s no guarantee that gyms won’t be forced to close again.
“You want an environment where you can be working out any place, any time and [in] whatever situation.”
The technology side of fitness goes hand in hand with that setup. Dodds uses a $7 a month subscription service, True Hustle, to keep him on track.
“You just click your phone and find out what the workout of the day is, and smash that.”
Technology can be as affordable as apps such as this, or as fancy as high-end smart equipment such as a $5000 Peloton bike (currently only available in Australia).
Auckland-based personal trainer Alistair Boyd says Dodds isn’t alone. There has been a huge increase in people working out at home.
“I know there has been a lot of caution with people coming back into a larger [gym-based] environment,” he says, adding that, for the unvaccinated, at-home is also the only option.
Under the red and orange traffic light settings, commercial gyms are only allowed to open if they are checking vaccination passports.
“There’s a combination of that, and a combination of not feeling entirely comfortable about being back [in the gym].”
Industrial Athletic owner Rob Holah knows his functional fitness equipment. He has set up home gyms for Dodds, as well as big sporting names such as Valerie Adams and Carlos Spencer.
When Covid-19 shut New Zealand down for the first time, he says demand for home equipment surged, but the supply chain disruptions meant they were constantly playing catch-up.
“The inquiries went through the roof. Sales didn’t because we couldn’t get gear.”
But that’s not to say that gyms are a thing of the past. In fact, they’re doing as well as ever.
So why are home gyms so popular if commercial spaces are still thriving? For one thing, more people are prioritising health.
“People have realised that’s an important part of life. So many more people are getting to their 30s and 40s, and they’re no longer bulletproof,” Holah says.
And those who choose both? Well, people have to spend their money somewhere.
“Most people aren’t going on holidays, so they’re spending their money domestically.”
And a lot of that money is going on workout accessibility.
“The indefinite nature of when lockdowns were coming made people scared, so they wanted to have a bit more stability,” Holah says.
Setting yourself up can seem intimidating in terms of costs. A fully functional home gym setup can cost between $5000 and $10,000.
If you are adding multiple machines, saunas and “frills”, you can go as luxe as you like. But PT Boyd says working out at home can also be as cheap as you choose.
“You don’t need a lot of equipment. A resistance trainer (a TRX) is so versatile and takes up no space at all. You need a bar or a beam to hang it up on, and you can pretty much do a full body workout with that one piece of equipment. And it’s pretty cheap as well.”
And if you are wanting to splash out on the more hefty functional equipment? Get in quick because home gyms are here to stay.
“There’s a massive demand so anything you get sells fast,” he says. “People are buying what they can when they can.”
What it ultimately comes down to, though, is convenience. While heading to the gym can be an hour-and-a-half round trip, when Dodds is working from home he can sneak downstairs for 30 minutes and be back at work before his lunch break is over.
And saving time is something we can all get behind.