TOP 10 World Fitness Trends of 2022
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) does an annual study of fitness trends with thousands of industry experts. The results of this research are seen as the most respected and representative benchmark in the world.
Many gyms and health institutions base their plans and strategies on these results.
In this article we provide an overview of the top ten fitness trends of 2022. The trends are not short-lived fads, but professional and societal developments influencing the industry from an expert's perspective.
Trend analysis shows that Life Fitness with its Family of Brands has a suitable solution for every issue. Whether it's cardio, strength equipment, or connectivity, we closely follow trends. Do you want to lead the way as a pioneer? Read this article to find out how you can boost your business and prepare for the future.
- Portable technology (wearables)
- Training from home
- Outdoor activities
- Strength Training with free weights
- Exercise for weight loss
- Personal training
- High intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Body weight training
- On demand and online training classes
- Health/Wellness Coaching
1. PORTABLE TECHNOLOGY (WEARABLES)
The use of wearables is once again at the top of the trend list. In fact, wearable technology has been in the top three positions since it was included in the survey in 2016. This is not a big surprise, we are in the digital age.
More and more people want to keep track of their routines. Obtaining information about training and being able to measure speed, distance and heart rate, motivates athletes to perform even better. That is why we have developed several devices that allow you to connect your wearables easily.
Fans of Apple Watch® or Samsung Galaxy Watch® will be inseparable from the Life Fitness cardio machines with the Discover SE3 HD and SL consoles, and the Cybex machines with the 70T console. Heart rate, speed and calories; these metrics are no longer a secret. The same goes for the TFT consoles on ICG's IC5, IC6, IC7 and IC8 bikes.
These machines easily connect to heart rate monitors and watches via Bluetooth® and ANT + connection. You can sync the music you like the most, the latest videos, and the fitness apps of your choice.
2. TRAINING FROM HOME
This is the first year that home gyms have emerged as a fitness trend. These have become a popular alternative in the wake of the global COVID-pandemic. For many of the people who started training from home this has become a habit that they have no intention of giving up.
Some of the determining factors when selecting home gym machines are size and the ability to move the equipment and store it easily. ICG® indoor cycling bikes meet all these requirements thanks to their small size and transport wheels that allow them to be moved comfortably from one place to another.
In addition, with the ICG® application you can get in shape and motivate yourself with our free trainings designed by experts. The ICG® application is perfect for training at home and is intended to entertain all users, regardless of their fitness level. You can select, customize, and even share your workouts with your friends while also exchanging your training data with third-party applications.
3. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Outdoor activities are up one position from last year's annual survey, ranking 3rd. Taking into account that in 2010 they were ranked 25th, we can deduce that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lot to do with this great increase in popularity.
Taking the gym to the park and enjoying the good weather, training with other colleagues, has a name: Boot Camp. This instructor-led, military-inspired training requires the utmost demands through exercises that target all areas of the body, bringing the best results.
If you already have a Boot Camp area in your gym, or are thinking of including this type of outdoor training in your center, take a look at our range of Hammer Strength and Life Fitness accessories. Discover the perfect fitness accessories to boost the speed, agility, flexibility, strength and balance of your partners while they train outdoors: from medicine balls, dumbbells, bars and discs to elastic bands and plyometric jump boxes.
4. STRENGTH TRAINING WITH FREE WEIGHTS
In previous years, the strength training component was included as a section in this research. Starting in 2020, the focus was on free weight training. We are mainly talking about strength training with dumbbells, bars and medicine balls, among other free weights. Today, dumbbells are used in even the most modern indoor cycling classes.
That is why both Life Fitness and Hammer Strength offer a complete range for each type of free weight training. In addition to durable dumbbells and weights, Hammer Strength also offers benches with a sturdy steel frame. Don't forget the storage racks for the 1-, 2- or 3-tier dumbbells, to keep the space neat. Hammer Strength also has an exceptional line of accessories including bumper plates and Olympic plates.
Would you prefer accessories in different colors to easily identify their weight? Take a look at accessories from the Life Fitness Studio Collection, including barbells, rubber discs, sandbags, rollers, and kettlebells. From chest presses to squats to sit-ups, the Studio Collection makes every workout a little party.
5. EXERCISE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
The exercise to lose weight sneaks into the fifth position after years of staying at the bottom of the ranking of the top 20 trends. The weight problems derived from confinement, teleworking and the increase in sedentary lifestyle would be driving this trend this year.
The best cardio workouts for weight loss depend on fitness level, individual goals, and overall preferences. At Life Fitness we provide the best cardio equipment to support athletes to achieve their goals, whether through our treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes or the PowerMill stair climber.
On the other hand, and no less important, rowing is a great option: it takes care of our joints as it is a low-impact exercise and offers a high caloric expenditure. Many muscle groups work in each stroke, in fact about 85% of the muscles in the body. For this reason, the Life Fitness Heat Series Rows - Heat Row and Heat Performance Row - are a great training partner for those who want to avoid impact exercises and lose weight.
In addition, its versatility carries many benefits for the gym owner. Rows could, for example, be part of small-group training or placed in the gym's fitness room with the rest of the cardio equipment, as a separate piece.
6. PERSONAL TRAINING
Since the survey was first published in 2006, personal training has been in the top ten trends in the fitness industry. In these individual training sessions, the user is motivated to perform at their best, while the certified personal trainer ensures optimal training technique for safe exercise.
Personal training studios are becoming increasingly popular and are also a major source of income in traditional fitness clubs. Many personal trainers choose Synrgy for a reason. This equipment is available in different configurations and sizes, and its space-saving design allows it to be used even in the smallest of spaces.
Its possible configurations cannot be counted on the fingers of both hands. It is easy to configure and therefore ideal for all ages and levels of users. New exercise options are added on a regular basis, so workouts on the Life Fitness Synrgy are never boring.
Do you have a large space available? Check out Hammer Strength's high-quality products, where you'll find extremely durable weights such as barbells, slamballs, core bags, and plyometric jump boxes. All of these accessories can be easily stored in the freely configurable HD Athletic Perimeter. Although we like to challenge athletes, we prefer to make it as easy as possible for personal trainers.
7. HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, ranked first in 2014 and 2018 and remained in the top 5 between 2014 and 2021. Although this training method is in the top 10 this year, for the first time HIIT training falls from the top 5 to seventh position.
Hammer Strength helps gyms deliver small-group performance experiences that deliver professional results while emphasizing the power of group dynamics. From dumbbells and kettlebells for beginners to Hammer Strength HD Performance Trainers for more advanced athletes who want to feel empowered; Hammer Strength offers accessories and solutions for every performance level.
Check out Hammer Strength's newest additions - HD Tread, HD Air Bike, and HD SPARC - for an unprecedented range of fitness equipment that delivers the ultimate high-performance workout.
8. BODY WEIGHT TRAINING
Bodyweight training has been in the top ten fitness trends since 2013 - that is, since it appeared in the trend survey. This training method has become an essential element in gyms as it is an effective way to work the whole body using the individual and the force of gravity as tools.
Are you already familiar with the different Hammer Strength Racks and Rigs? These Hammer Strength machines have been tested to exceed industry standards and ensure they can withstand the most intense training programs for years. If you have a CrossFit-loving community and you tend to organize WODs, then these equipment will be essential for your gym!
On the other hand, facilitating this type of training can also be a smart way to appeal to users who find large weights or fitness machines too intimidating for them. For example, through the accessories of the Life Fitness Studio Collection line, where we find small weights, elastic bands or mats. These accessories can also be used for directed classes, such as Pilates, yoga or body pump. Easy right?
9. ON DEMAND AND ONLINE TRAINING CLASSES
Due to the coronavirus, gyms around the world were forced to close their doors and adjust to a new reality. This sudden change inspired owners and managers to be creative and flexible in their businesses, for example, by conducting online classes to interact with customers remotely in innovative ways.
Some cardio equipment offers limited entertainment options, while others are practically like a Smart TV and include workout programming, apps, data logging, and much more. If what you are looking for is an entertainment experience that is as entertaining as possible, you cannot miss our Life Fitness ™ On Demand virtual cardio classes. Who said you can't multitask while playing sports?
Life Fitness ™ On Demand classes are carefully designed for athletes of all fitness levels, range from 10 to 40 minutes, and offer a wide variety of difficulty levels, training styles, and music genres. Now available in Spanish on all of our cardio equipment with Discover SE3 HD and Cybex 70T consoles.
10. HEALTH/WELLNESS COACHING
Health and wellness coaching, featured in the top 20 positions since 2010, is a growing trend that integrates behavioral research into health promotion and lifestyle medicine programs. Health and wellness coaching uses an individual (and sometimes group) approach, in which the coach has a supportive role and is responsible for goal setting, guidance, and motivation.
Our Life Fitness Connect app offers all of this and much more. Gives users enhanced connectivity to compatible Life Fitness and Cybex equipment, wearable devices, and heart rate monitors to track workouts in one place. Additionally, users have the option to create custom workouts from a vast library of exercises available in the app. Whether they prefer to train in the gym, from home, or outdoors, Life Fitness Connect offers ways for users to track training progress and set individual goals regardless of location.
And that's not all! Life Fitness Connect offers extra motivation and guidance through the growing library of adaptive audio workouts. These workouts adapt to the biometric data of the users as they train and adjust their training on the fly. Users can now enjoy a coach and training that reacts to them, and only to them, in real time.