N
ow in it’s 13th year, the Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, compiled by the
Americam College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has released the top 10 Fitness
Trends for 2019.
ACSM asked 2,000 fitness professionals to rank 39 trends (defined as “a general development or change in a
situation or in the way that people are behaving “), in order of importance and popularity.
Leading author of the survey and associate dean in the College of Education & Human Development at Georgia
State University in Atlanta Walter R. Thompson commented “Technology is a must-have in our daily lives, and
wearable tech can be an invaluable tool for those looking to get and stay physically active.” Here are the
predicated top 10 fitness trends for 2019.
01
Wearable Technology
Wearable technology includes
fitness trackers, smart watches,
heart rate monitors, and GPS
tracking devices. Examples
include fitness and activity
trackers like those made by
Misfit®, Garmin®, and Apple®.
These devices can track heart
rate, calories, sitting time, and
more. First appearing in 2016,
wearable technology took top
spot in 2016 & 2017, dropping
back to #3 for 2018.
04
Personal Training
People are living longer, working
longer, and remaining healthy
and active much longer. This
trend is making a strong return
after being in the top 10 since
2007 (when it was the #2 trend)
before dropping to #11 for 2017.
Last year, fitness programs for
older adults was the #9 trend. This trend continues as the
profession of personal training
becomes more accessible online,
in health clubs, in the home,
and in worksites that have fitness
facilities. Since this survey was
first published in 2006, personal
training has been a top 10 trend.
05
Bodyweight Training
02
Group Training
Previously titled ‘Large Group
Training’, group exercise training
programs have been around for
a long time and have appeared
as a potential worldwide trend
since this survey was originally
constructed. However, it was
only in 2017 that group exercise
training made the top 20, coming
in at #6, and then #2 in the 2018
survey.
03
High Intensity Interval Training
Although offered as a ‘possible’
trend in previous surveys, but
not making the top 20, HIIT
was #1 in the survey for 2014
and 2018 and has been in the
top five every year since 2014.
Despite the warnings by some
fitness professionals of potential
increased injury rates using HIIT,
this form of exercise has been
popular in gyms all over the
world.
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SUMMER 2018
08
Fitness Training for Older Adults
Bodyweight training often uses
minimal equipment, which makes
it an inexpensive functional way
to exercise effectively. Appearing
for the first time in the trends in
2013 (at #3) and was in the #2
position for 2017 and #4 for 2018.
06
Employing Certified FitPro’s
The importance of hiring certified
health/fitness professionals
through educational programs
and certification programs that
are fully accredited for health/
fitness professionals is more
important than ever for club
operators.
07
Yoga
Yoga has taken on a variety of
forms within the past year
(including Power Yoga, Yogilates,
yoga in hot environments, and
others). The popularity of Yoga
has yo-yoed over the years, but
ranked #7 the last two years.
09
Functional Fitness Training
This is a trend toward using
strength training and other
activities/movements to
improve balance, coordination,
strength, and endurance to
improve activities of daily living.
Replicating actual physical
activities someone might do as a
function of their daily routine,
functional fitness first appeared in
2007 in the #4 position in but fell
to #8 in 2008 and #11 in 2009.
10
Exercise in Medicine
Exercise is Medicine (EIM) is a
global health initiative that is
focused on encouraging primary
care physicians and other health
care providers to include physical
activity assessment & associated
treatment recommendations as
part of every patient visit, and
referring their patients to exercise
professionals. EIM was the #7
trend in 2017 and #12 for 2018
You can read the full report from
ACSM, which ranks the top 20
Fitness Trends for 2019 click here.
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