Global 2023 Fitness Trends

Wearable Technology named the top fitness trend for the year.

The ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal released their annual worldwide survey of fitness trends earlier this year— now in its 17th consecutive year—and wearable technology was again named the top fitness trend. While the survey reflects some similarities within the top 10 trends vs 2022, it also reflects the impacts of post-pandemic recovery with a drop in ranking of both home exercise gyms and online training.

1. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

This includes smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS devices with fitness and activity trackers that monitor heart rate, calories, sitting time, sleep, and more.

3. BODY WEIGHT TRAINING

A combination of multiplane body weight and neuromotor movements as the primary resistance defines this trend. This exercise uses minimal equipment and space, making it inexpensive and functionable.

4. FITNESS PROGRAMMES FOR OLDER ADULTS

This is a trend that emphasises and caters to the fitness needs of the baby boomer and older generations. People are living longer, working longer, and desiring to remain healthy and physically active throughout their life span.

5. FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING

Training to improve balance, coordination, functional strength, and endurance to improve activities of daily living.

6. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

This trend allows for health and fitness professionals to offer more outdoor activities such as group walks, rides, or organized hiking. Activities can be short events, day-long events, or planned multiday excursions along with ECO challenges.

2. STRENGTH TRAINING WITH FREE WEIGHTS

Focusing on proper movement and lifting technique, this activity incorporates the use of barbells, dumbbells, and/or kettlebells to improve or maintain muscular fitness.

7. HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)

These exercise programs typically involve repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise (>80% heart rate max), combined with periods of rest.

8. EXERCISE FOR WEIGHT LOSS

This trend couples physical activity and exercise training with diets and cooking classes, proven to have additional benefits.

9. EMPLOYING CERTIFIED FITNESS PROFESSIONALS

Emphasis is placed on the importance of hiring those who have completed educational programs and fully accredited health/ fitness certifications.

10. PERSONAL TRAINING

Personal training includes goal setting, fitness assessment, and exercise programming with a trainer in one-on-one settings. Personal trainers provide exercise technique instruction, monitor improvement, and progress workouts with each client.

11. CORE TRAINING

This trend is training that emphasises conditioning of the stabilising muscles of the trunk, abdomen, and back.

12. CIRCUIT TRAINING

Circuit training is typically a group of approximately 10 exercises that are completed in succession and in a predetermined sequence.

13. HOME EXERCISE GYMS

Home exercise gyms can use equipment such as resistance bands, free weights, cardio equipment, or many other fitness options.

14. GROUP EXERCISE TRAINING

Group exercise training involves instructors teaching and leading individuals through in-person group classes (defined as more than five participants) of many forms of exercise, from cardio-based and indoor cycling to dance-based and step classes.

15. EXERCISE IS MEDICINE

Exercise is Medicine (EIM) is a global health initiative that encourages physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity assessment and treatment as a standard of care when designing a treatment plan.

16. LIFESTYLE MEDICINE

Lifestyle medicine promotes healthy behaviors as the foundation to medical care, disease prevention, and health promotion, such as eliminating tobacco use, improving diet, increasing physical activity and more.

17. YOGA

Yoga can be performed individually, in groups, and with or without a live instructor through forms such as power, hot, or restorative yoga.

18. LICENSURE FOR FITNESS

Professionals

This trend supports licensure of fitness professionals such as personal trainers, exercise physiologists, and clinical exercise physiologists.

19. HEALTH/WELLBEING COACHING

This trend uses one-onone, and at times a smallgroup approach, with the coach providing support, goal setting, guidance, and encouragement. The coach focuses on the client's values, needs, vision, and goals using behavior change techniques that guide intervention strategies.

20. MOBILE EXERCISE APPS

Compatible on most mobile devices, these apps can include audio and visual prompts to start moving when sedentary or when to start and stop exercise. •

Source: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/fulltext/2023/01000/worldwide_survey_of_fitness_trends_for_2023.6.aspx