A survey for The American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal (ACSM) predicts that the number one fitness trend for 2013 will be the demand for educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals.
The ACSM’s survey was completed by 3,346 health and fitness professionals worldwide.
According to researchers, the number of employed Fitness Trainers in the US alone is projected to rise by 29 per cent from 251,400 to 311,800 in 2020.
The survey revealed that top 10 fitness trends predicted for 2013 are:
- Educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals.
- Strength training – Most people now incorporate some form of weight training to improve or maintain muscle strength.
- Body weight training – Using the body’s natural resistance rather than lots of complicated equipment to train. Think push-ups, pull-ups, planks and squats.
- Children and obesity – The ACSM’s survey predicts that exercise programmes aimed at addressing childhood obesity will be a major fitness trend in 2013.
- Exercise and weight-loss – According to researchers the most popular diet plans incorporate exercise for weight loss.
- Fitness programmes for older adults – The fitness industry looks set to capitalise on an aging baby-boomer generation with age-appropriate exercise programmes.
- Personal training – As more PTs qualify, the notion of having a Personal Trainer is branching into new arenas including corporate wellness, community-based, and medical fitness programmes.
- Functional fitness – as the idea of exercise as medicine grows, so will the trend for functional fitness (using strength training to improve balance, co-ordination, force, power and endurance to perform activities of daily living).
- Core training – as well as Pilates this year’s on-going popularity for core training will see equipment like; balance balls and wobble boards becoming more mainstream.
- Group personal training – Ideal for budget-conscious clients (and a good way for a PT to increase their revenue), PTs are increasingly offering sessions to small groups of two to four clients, at hourly rate, rather than paying for a one-to-one session.
