#1: Online Training

Developed for at-home exercise, online training has grown exponentially over the past year, with no sign of slowing down. Online training can be done at any time, in nearly any location, and through livestreaming or recordings. Many facilities and trainers have grown to provide online training within their offerings, since it provides a way to keep exercisers and clients connected and engaged.

#2: Wearable Technology

A hot trend since 2016, wearable technology includes smart watches, fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices. Used to record workouts, track heart rate, measure oxygen levels, and monitor sleep, among a myriad of other options, wearable technology is estimated to be around a U.S. $100 billion industry.

#3: Body Weight Training

The pandemic has caused people to rethink their normal workout routines and to focus on how they can exercise in limited space, and with limited props or equipment. With this style of training, exercisers use the weight of their body, plus movement, to build muscle. Examples of body weight exercises include squats, lunges, push-ups, burpees, and dips.

#4: Outdoor Activities

Since clubs have closed around the world, people are seeking opportunities to explore outside, where they can maintain safe distances from others while enjoying fresh air. The pandemic has likely led to the increase in outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, walking, which carries into 2021 as a top trend.

#5: HIIT

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been in the ACSM’s top five fitness trends since 2014. HIIT exercise programs include bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by short periods of rest and recovery, making them ideal for completing efficient workouts in 30 minutes or less. HIIT incorporates cardio, strength training, or a combination of the two.

#6: Virtual Training

Separate from online training, virtual training usually consists of group training workouts that are displayed on large screens in gyms. This style of training tends to attract fewer exercisers than live workout classes, but it provides exercisers from a variety of fitness backgrounds the ability to participate in the workout at their own pace.

#7: Exercise Is Medicine

Our seventh trend is a global initiative to encourage physicians and healthcare workers to assess patients’ physical activity and give recommendations as part of routine visits. Exercise Is Medicine (EIM) has been growing in popularity over the past few years and aims to promote the notion that physical activity is linked to optimal health and can play a key role in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions.

#8: Strength Training with Free Weights

In its second year of top-8 status, strength training with free weights includes free weights, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, and medicine balls. This style of training is specific to the instruction of proper exercise form. Once mastery is achieved with each exercise’s form, increased resistance and new exercises are added to build progressively.