• You’ll want a bar of this
THE FITNESS TRENDMILL:
By Health & Fitness Expo
WHAT’S HOT IN 2015
Fitness is taking a step back to basics and fitness accessories don’t have to be
complicated to be effective. The new Torsion Bars prove just that. Originating from
training in the Australian Army, the bars come in four weights – 9kg, 12kg, 15kg and
18kg – and can be integrated into a number of exercises from squats to shoulder
presses to add an extra challenge. The idea first came to Perth’s Kim Ashton when
he was serving in the Australian Army and witnessed soldiers taking the torsion
bars (suspension bars) from vehicles like Armoured Personnel Carriers to do various
exercises while out in the field.
• Follow your clients or members
You can now keep an eye on what your clients or members are up to outside of your
sessions. New technology like that from Mibodycoach ensures you can always be
watching. Any wearable device can connect with the system that allows you to make
sure clients are sticking to the plan…even on a cold Sunday morning. You can also set
it up to allow clients to compete against others in the system bringing a new level of
motivation to group training sessions and gym member challenges. For club owners
this provides a retention tool like no other – allowing you to create a club within a
club, loyalty rewards and much more. Android and iOS app.
• Healthy, hassle-free eating
Gone are the days of shrivelled microwave health meals – the healthy meal market
is stepping up a notch. You can now get on top of your eating habits with a homecooked healthy meal designed by nutritionists and trainers like Jasmine Segler at
Active Eating. Healthy eating is not just about knowledge – it’s about having the time
to prepare it – and this became obvious to Jasmine when she found out how much a
personal trainer friend was spending each week on healthy takeaway food. She now
delivers her delicious calorie and macro counted meals across Perth to the healthy
and hungry with dishes including grilled chicken and coriander burgers and flourless
choc-banana-berry pancakes.
• Replicate outdoor training indoors
Fitness is all about flexibility and options and new technology is always improving the
ability to move from one training type or location to another with ease. Thanks to new
technology from Technogym, for example, clients can now retrace their favourite
outdoor run on the gym treadmill, using the MyRunning Logbook app from their UNITY
console. They just record their outdoor run using any compatible app (Runkeeper,
MapMyFitness, Strava) or with wearable devices such as Garmin and Polar. Load it
into the treadmill and away they go. The gradient will change just like it does on the
outdoor run.
According to the Australian Institute of Fitness, a few other trends are sweeping the
nation and should be considered by those running a business in fitness.
“In today’s world, fitness now includes nutrition, mindset and overall wellbeing. Ticking
one box alone isn’t enough,” says Thamsin Dunn, National Master Coach, Fitness and
First Aid, for the Australian Institute of Fitness.
O
ne of the great things about the fitness industry
is that there is always something new, and ready
to roll in, to inspire your clients and test them in
new ways – a new piece of equipment, exercise class,
accessory or a technological leap.
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You will always find the latest trends to hit
Australia shores at the Fitness & Health
Expos held this year in Perth, Sydney,
Brisbane and Melbourne. Here is a
preview of the latest and greatest trends
we’ve found this year:
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2015
“People prefer to be ‘fit’ and ‘healthy’,
so for a long time fitness has been
fashionable in a sense, but now we see
the merge between the fitness and
fashion worlds, bringing ‘fashionable’
to another level. We’re seeing fitness
apparel brands and Instagram
personalities take a leadership in this
space.
“We’re also seeing traditional gyms
extending their hours to cater for
busy professionals and there is the
rise of mobile apps and online fitness
programs. People expect access
anytime, anywhere. This is where the rise
of content creators online are having
a significant impact in meeting this
demand and building their audiences as
a result.”
“It also means there’s something for
every client, no matter what their age or
fitness level.”
Director of the Fitness and Health Expo
Shaun Krenz said he was constantly
surprised and impressed with the everevolving nature of the industry and
ultimately, it was the client that benefited
most.
Head to the Fitness & Health Expo in
your nearest capital city to see the
latest equipment and accessories.
For full dates and locations visit
www.fitnessexpo.com.au and follow
Facebook and Twitter for updates on
features, timetables and celebrity
appearances.
“It’s a challenge to stay on top of,
but the fitness trendmill that sees new
products and services constantly in
development enables trainers and
gyms to provide new options to clients
to mix up their routine and keep things
interesting and challenging.
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2015
Remember, when you work in the
industry, entry is free when you preregister online and provide the
appropriate identification.
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