For the past five years, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has surveyed health and fitness professionals worldwide, using their responses to predict the top fitness trends for the coming year—and the latest results raised more than a few eyebrows.
One item, in fact, caused a near-scandal in the fitness community: after placing in the Top 10 for three consecutive years, Pilates didn’t even make it into 2011’s Top 20.
“We had a lot of response to that one,” says Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey. “Some Pilates trainers were up in arms; they say it’s as popular as ever.” While Pilates may remain a popular practice, Thompson speculates, its fall from the Top 20 may be a response to a sluggish economy: “Pilates instructors are a bit more expensive to hire because of their specialized training,” he says. “And the equipment can cost more, too. It will be interesting to see if it comes back.”
Another survey surprise was stability balls, which likewise did not appear as a top trend. “Quite frankly, not everyone can use the balls,” Thompson says. “People buy them, then they might be afraid to use them. I see a lot of those balls stuck in the corner of health clubs, or they end up in the closet.”
Neal I. Pire, MA, CSCS, FACSM and editor of ACSM’s Business Management for Health-Fitness Professionals (LW&W, 2011), adds that a unique piece of fitness equipment, or a practice such as Pilates, “is simply a tool and cannot hang on to the `trend’ status for any length of time.” Some, such as yoga, endure though they are no longer considered trends or new developments; they enter the mainstream.
The ACSM’s Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2011:
1) Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Pire believes fitness training or coaching by credentialed professionals is here to stay; the more consumers use them, their credibility grows.
2) Fitness programs for older adults. Aging, out-of-shape baby boomers need instruction to remain healthy and active.
3) Strength training. Strength training is increasingly recognized as essential to overall health and weight management.
4) Children and obesity. Health professionals, fitness pros, schools and families are coming together to address this national health crisis.
5) Personal training. As more Americans exercise in gyms, personal training staff are becoming more accessible.
6) Core training. Balance, back strength and middle-body conditioning all are helped by special attention to the core.
7) Exercise and weight loss. Successful gyms have incorporated weight loss programs to their exercise offerings, and an increasingly health-conscious population discovers enjoyable exercise on their own.
8) Boot camp. “Personal trainers have become business-savvy,” Thompson says. “They’ve learned that if they can train a few people at the same time, the training they can offer a discount, making the training more affordable while still boosting their own revenues. It’s win-win.”
9) Functional fitness. Rather than improving overall well-being, functional fitness uses strength training in making daily living easier for older adults, especially in regard to their balance.
10) Physician referrals. Few fitness trainers are medical doctors, and few physicians are fitness professionals. This trend marries the two in an integrated exercise and wellness initiative.
Both Thompson and Pire predict that for the next few years, the top trends will reflect a back-to-basics sentiment, with small-group training as the focus. “Exercising in groups lowers the barrier of entry,” Pire says. Both the consumer, always looking for quality and affordability, and the trainer—always happy to maximize his time and compensation—will keep the benefits of small-group training as a top priority.
CONNECT THE DOTS
To read the entire survey, click here. To learn more about the American College of Sports Medicine, visit www.acsm.org. For more news on fitness, read our blog posts, “Do Real Men Take Ballet?” and “New Formula for Women’s Peak Heart Rates.”
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