With the global pandemic causing gyms to lockdown in 2020 and 2021, the fitness industry has had a massive shakeup. So what’s going to be trending in 2022?
1. Weighted Hula Hoops
In 2021 weighted hula hoops took centre stage on TikTok, with close to 200 million views alone under the hashtag #weightedhulahoop.
While the hula hoops we all fondly remember swinging around our hips as children weigh less than half a kilogram, the weighted versions can be as heavy as 3kg and are said to help strengthen your core, improve posture and balance, strengthen your lower body muscles and improve your flexibility and cardiovascular health.
2. ZUU
ZUU started out as a HIIT workout designed for the Elite Sports & Armed Forces in Australia and has since taken the fitness world by storm. ZUU uses movements inspired by animals, like bear crawls, frog squats, gorilla walks and donkey kicks, to work up a sweat.
Commonly referred to as one of the most challenging workouts of the moment, the intensity and use of your own bodyweight results in increased cardiovascular endurance, functional strength and flexibility.
3. Stroller Fitness
Stroller (or Pram for us British folk) fitness has been around for a while – it’s a great way for time-strapped parents to exercise while bonding with their baby, and it seems this form of fitness has been increasing in popularity again.
You can vary the intensity of the walk with the pram, add in single or double arm chest presses by pushing the pram away from and back to you, incorporate lunge walks and even work on some stretches while holding onto the pram. It goes without saying that precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of your child.
4. Reverse Running
Running backwards is another trend that isn’t by any means new, having first picked up popularity in the 80’s. With a 50% increase in monthly global searches since the end of 2020, there is clearly renewed interest in this activity.
Some of the benefits of reverse running are said to include reduced impact on the knees, more calories burned vs traditional running, reduced imbalances between anterior and posterior muscles, and improved posture.
5. Trapeze Classes
Aerial fitness found its way into mainstream exercise classes with a multitude of options for people interested in a different form of workout – pole fitness, aerial silks and aerial hoops are also popular methods. However, trapeze classes have seen the biggest increase in interest.
The trapeze is a great confidence builder and allows you to work on your strength, practice balance and improve body control and awareness, all while learning an artform that dates back to the mid-1800’s.
1. Wearable Technology:
Wearable technology, such as smart watches, fitness trackers and heart monitors, has ranked in the top three trends every year since 2016. This looks set to stay for 2019 too!
2. Group Training:
Choosing to work out in groups (where ‘group’ is defined by more than five participants) is highly likely to stay at top of the trend list for this year. With the introduction of online group workouts, what could be easier!
3. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): A HIIT workout involves short bursts of high-intensity bouts of exercise followed by a short period of rest. Despite taking a dip in previous years, experts predict this type of training will rank high in the list for 2019.
4. Fitness Programmes for Older Adults: As the population ages, it’s only natural that fitness offerings would age along with us. These programmes emphasise and cater to the fitness needs of older generations. Which makes sense, considering exercising is a great way for people to maintain bone density and muscle mass as they age, plus reap the numerous other health benefits that come with being active.
