Top Fitness Trends and Equipment for the New Year
Analyzing fitness trends is key to making knowledgeable decisions about what equipment will satisfy your members. For the past fourteen years, the top trends in fitness have been recorded by The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), on top of their work in heart health, nutrition, and physical activity guidelines for health and fitness professionals.
For 2021, the top ten predicted fitness trends from ACSM are:
Online Training
Wearable Technology
Body Weight Training
Outdoor Activities
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Virtual Training
Exercise is Medicine
Training with Free Weights
Fitness Programs for Older Adults
Personal Training
Lasting Trends vs. Passing Fads
As helpful as predicted trends can be, past fitness trends can also help you plan strategically for the future of your fitness center. Especially in terms of the equipment you need to attract new members, it is important to differentiate between lasting trends and passing fads. Knowing the difference will help you be sure that your return on investment is positive and your equipment is timeless.
The rest of this article is designed to inform your gym planning and purchasing decisions for 2021 by diving deeper into three of the strongest ACSM top fitness trends from the past 10 years: High Intensity Interval Training, Group Fitness Classes, and Functional Training.
1. HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training
According to Castle Hill Fitness, the HIIT workout format first reached broad success in 2014 and has continued to grow in popularity with class-style workouts like Orangetheory and Barry’s Bootcamp.
What are the benefits of HIIT?
Because a HIIT workout consists of bursts of intense activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery, 20 minutes is all you need to have a full-body workout. HIIT training has maintained a consistent following because of its flexibility of equipment, which allows any gym-goer to get moving. HIIT can be achieved in many ways including varying speeds, incline, or resistance on a bike, treadmill, or during bodyweight training.
How can I adapt my gym for HIIT?
When building your fitness facility to accommodate exercisers that prefer HIIT workouts, it’s important to have equipment that supports these rapid adjustments in speed, incline, and resistance. Our Precor cardio lines provide state-of-the-art equipment with an interval training console option (pictured above) designed to accommodate those needs, while other Precor consoles deliver in-workout entertainment to keep any gym-goer motivated and moving.
2. Group Fitness Classes
Group fitness classes have steadily increased in popularity since their arrival on the scene in the 1980s with celebrity instructors like Jane Fonda. Their popularity persists even as gyms and fitness centers adapt to COVID-safe standards.
What are the benefits of group fitness classes?
Per Human Kinetics, since the 1990s group exercise has grown largely due to its capability for diverse workout options for almost every ability and preference, while also including the high energy and support that comes from sweating it out alongside other people. Group classes have proliferated in all kinds of structure and exercise styles from boxing classes like 9 Round Fitness, to spin classes like Cyclebar, to dance classes like Zumba. The concept has been consistently growing across the United States for the past 10 years and looks set to continue as lockdowns ease.
How can I adapt my gym for group fitness classes during the pandemic?
Group fitness, just like personal training, depends on educated and experienced fitness professionals to create workouts and build motivation. However, hiring such professionals can be expensive, and any but the smallest group requires a sizable amount of space.
With the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, that issue looms large, and the pandemic has also boosted the current popularity of Outdoor Activities (ranked #4 on ACSM’s Top Ten Trends for 2021). Gym goers are looking for the energy that group classes provide, while being cautious with health guidelines. Wherever possible, gyms are moving equipment into larger spaces that allow for social distancing, like basketball courts, parking lots, or rooftops. Many gyms are also creating permanent outdoor fitness spaces, complete with functional frames, tires, sleds, turf, and more. Gyms that are working with smaller square footage are turning to interactive single-station touchscreens, like the Escape Mars Screen or Echelon Reflect, as their virtual training solution. These small-footprint products bring years of experience to any facility, allowing exercisers to have touchscreen access to a library of equipment instruction videos and preloaded workouts. Group fitness leaderboard functionality is included in products like Echelon Smart Bikes for those who want the unique competitive atmosphere of a live, instructor led exercise class.
An Outdoor Fitness Space
The Echelon Reflect Mirror
For more information about how to safely adapt your gym, contact our knowledgeable staff.
3. Functional Fitness
According to Premier Health, functional fitness began to take off in 2015 and has since grown in popularity. By lifting moderate weights, practicing dynamic movements, and stretching to simulate everyday movements like lifting a bag out of your trunk, functional fitness’ emphasis on tackling everyday movements is a great addition to any gym.
What are the benefits of functional fitness?
Functional fitness is in large part defined by a focus on body-weight training. By using your body weight as resistance, it cuts down on the amount of required equipment, which makes it a very inexpensive alternative to traditional strength training.
The emphasis on core strength, flexibility, and endurance means that you build up resistance to a wide variety of common injuries, from throwing out your back to pulling and tearing muscles and other tissue.
How can I adapt my gym for functional fitness?
Accessories like gym balls, resistance bands, and other Escape Fitness Functional Accessories can add an extra layer of variety and difficulty to any functional fitness workout.
What trends do we expect to see in 2021?
Experts foresee exercisers migrating back to fitness facilities as pandemic restrictions lift. According to an article in Mind Body Business, 78% of consumers prefer in-person fitness to virtual fitness. As consumer behavior shifts post-COVID-19 and people continue to feel more confident and comfortable in group settings, they’ll be much more likely to attend fitness facilities that demonstrably care about member safety.
That means responding to public health concerns with an increase in the prioritization of sanitation and gym-goers' health. Start with the obvious: wipes, disinfectants, and readily available hand sanitizers—our full line of cleaning products safe for fitness equipment is a great place to make sure you’re appropriately stocked up. Also key to gym safety are convenient temp check stations and social distancing floor decals. Handle these basics, and you’ll be well on your way to bouncing back stronger in 2021.