Strength Training: Educated, Certified, And Experienced Fitness Professionals

Fitness trends for 2013

Strength TrainingThe American College of Sports Medicines’ seventh annual Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2013 has just been published in the journal Health & Fitness.

The list of top twenty trends were formulated from the survey results received from over 3,300 health and fitness professionals from around the world.

Much to the disappointment of Pilates instructors all over the globe, Pilates, stability ball and balance training again failed to appear on the list of top 20 trends in the health and fitness industry, supporting the theory that these were fads and not trends.

The top twenty trends were:

1. Educated, Certified, and Experienced Fitness Professionals

Holding on to the no. 1 spot for the last

6. Fitness Programmes for Older Adults

The concern for the health of ageing adults has been consistently at the top of the survey and because they may have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts, fitness clubs should capitalize on this exponentially growing market.

7. Personal Training

As more professional personal trainers are educated and become certified (see trend no. 1), they become more accessible to more people in all sectors of the health and fitness industry.

8. Functional Fitness

Functional fitness may be defined as using strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power and endurance to improve one’s ability to perform activities of daily living.

9. Core Training

Core training stresses strength and conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, thorax and back. It typically includes exercises of the hips, lower back and abdomen.

10. Group Personal Training

This trend allows the personal trainer to continue providing the personal service clients expect but now in a small group of two to four, offering potentially deep discounts to each member of the group.

11. Worksite Health

12. Zumba and Other Dance Workouts

Combining Latin rhythms with interval-type exercise and resistance training, Zumba and other dance workouts first appeared on the list of potential trends in 2010 and has grown in popularity every year since.

13. Outdoor Activities

Outdoor activities typically include hiking, canoeing, kayaking and games or sports, but can also include high-adventure programmes such as overnight camping trips.

14. Yoga

Yoga now comes in a variety of forms, including Power Yoga, Yogalates, and yoga done in hot and humid environments.

15. Worker Incentive Programmes

Worker incentive programmes also are associated with the trend to provide worksite health promotion programmes in an attempt to reduce health care costs.

16. Boot Camp

Boot camp is a high-intensity structured activity patterned after military-style training and includes cardiovascular, strength, endurance and flexibility drills and usually involves both indoor and outdoor exercises typically led by an enthusiastic instructor.

17. Outcome