Every year, the American College of Sports Medicine surveys thousands of fitness professionals across America to determine the latest trends in personal fitness. Are any of these exercise trends part of your fitness regime?
The Top Personal Fitness Trends in 2015
- Body Weight Training: Build muscle and burn calories without spending a dime on gym fees or equipment. Body weight training includes exercises such as squats, push-ups, crunches, and planks to build and strengthen muscle. When performed in rapid succession, a series of bodyweight exercises can also stand in for a cardio workout. Talk to a chiropractor to learn which bodyweight exercises can help prevent or reduce chronic back pain, or sign up for a boot-camp style exercise class for a guided tour of all that body weight training has to offer.
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Need a workout but are short on time? Join the HIIT trend. HIIT burns fat and builds strength by alternating short bursts of intense effort with periods of rest. This strategy is easy to apply to treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes, but it is just as simple to use while running around the block: no equipment required.
- Strength Training: Also known as weight training or resistance training, strength training focuses on building muscle size, strength and anaerobic endurance through the use of free weights, resistance bands, weight machines, and weighted balls. Strength training increases stamina, helps to control weight, improves balance, mobility, and posture, and can even help to manage pain. If you are new to strength training, always consult with a fitness professional to ensure you understand proper form before you start to lift.
- Personal Training: Health clubs and fitness facilities have reported a rise in customers signing up for personal training services. With more students specializing in fields related to physical performance and biomechanics, there is a growing pool of expertise that is easily accessible to anyone with a gym membership. A personal trainer helps keep you accountable, can create a routine based on your particular needs, and is a great resource for staying up on the latest trends in health and fitness.
- Yoga: This ancient tradition focuses on a holistic approach to health and fitness. Yoga helps to improve flexibility and balance, and some forms of the practice can also build strength and burn calories. Ranging from gentle, restorative practices to intense heated classes, yoga is accessible and fulfilling for all fitness levels.
Which Trend is Right for You?
All of these approaches to fitness can be beneficial in the right circumstance, but which one is right for you? Consult with your chiropractor for a holistic, health-based perspective on this question. Your chiropractor can make recommendations based on your personal goals and medical history, as well as suggest types of movement that will complement any manual therapies you are already undergoing.
With so many current trends in the field of fitness, almost anyone can find several approaches to exercise that are likely to suit them.