Some Current Fitness Trends

The following are some of the top fitness trends that are sweeping the country. Some are new styles of exercise while others have been around for a very long time but are experiencing increases in popularity.

Boot Camps – These classes are based on military style training. In a boot camp class you can experience great cardiorespiratory results and strength benefits. These classes also feature great variety so it is hard to get bored with the workouts. Many participants appreciate the constant attention from the instructor as it provides strong motivation and encouragement. There is some risk of overdoing it in this class so it is important for participants to pay attention to their body and stop if any pain is experienced.

Interval Training – Interval training is a practice of alternating between high and low intensity during exercise. Something like running is a great place to incorporate intervals. The basic method would be to do some light jogging and periodically work in short sprints. This is a great way to experience high calorie burn and improve fitness level quickly. Success requires strong self-motivation capabilities.

Dance workouts (Zumba) – There is a big variety of these dance-based classes including hip-hop, salsa, and even ballet. Typically these classes create a high-energy party atmosphere that participants really enjoy. The class relies heavily on maintaining dance rhythms and some intervals to promote calorie burn and cardio benefits. If you lack some natural rhythm these classes may be challenging but often you can find beginner classes to help you learn the basic moves.

Pilates – Pilates is all about slow and controlled, low impact workouts that primarily help with core stabilization and spinal alignment. People at all fitness levels can participate in pilates with proper instruction. Keep in mind that pilates is anaerobic so it is not a high calorie burn compared to most of the other exercise options in this list.

Individual and Group Personal Training – One on one fitness planning is a great way to ensure the exercises you are doing are best suited for your needs. Use of a trainer is a great way to incorporate strong accountability into your exercise, and to make sure your workouts are safe and effective. Just make sure the trainer you choose to work with really knows what they’re doing.

Traditional Yoga – Yoga is often found to be very relaxing but beyond that it can provide great benefits to flexibility and contribute to developing muscle tone. There are yoga classes and instructors that cater to all fitness levels but advanced classes can be very challenging so it is important to keep it very basic when you are first starting out.

Stability Balls – Workouts using a stability ball are great for strengthening your core. A pretty good variety of exercises using the balls have been developed but ideally you would probably want to incorporate these exercises into a broader routine. It can be very challenging to learn proper form and make sure you get a good workout using the ball so it is best to have some one experienced give you some training.

Cross Training (CrossFit) – The CrossFit model involves short, high intensity workouts with a heavy emphasis on using your own body weight for resistance. These workouts typically don’t require a lot of equipment and are excellent for targeting the whole body. These workouts are not ideal for “unfit people” or beginners due to their high intensity levels and the potential risk for injury.

Active Gaming – Video game developers have turned their attention toward fitness and have created a wide range of exercise games to play in your own home. These games are fun and fairly easy to do for long periods of time. Keep in mind that the real activities are much more beneficial than the interactive video games but for those of you who like video games anyway it doesn’t hurt to incorporate a little bit of exercise.

Fusion Fitness – This is a practice of combining two or more types of exercise for example, cycling and stretching. This is a great way to get variety in your workouts and improve your overall fitness level. Just be mindful that some workouts don’t necessarily mix well and it is important that whoever is leading these workouts be very familiar with all of the ones being combined.

If you are looking for some variety in your exercise I encourage you to check out a couple of these. I can’t emphasize enough that you definitely need to have some one train you on these different workouts so that you do them properly and don’t hurt yourself. If you’re willing to give them a try you might find some great new elements to add to your exercise routine.