Run until you see. Rebounding. We’ve seen some weird new fitness trends lately. Others, meanwhile – many of them innocent diversions that don’t take themselves too seriously – turn out to be perfectly acceptable new methods for getting some exercise.
Rucking, which involves walking or running with weights aligned on your back using callisthenics, helps to burn calories even as your resistance training builds muscle mass.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
We have obviously been obsessed with HIIT going back to pre-pandemic times, but interest in this kind of training appears to have peaked. Searches for ‘HIIT’ declined after the pandemic; however, functional HIIT (exercise that includes periods of high-intensity activity followed by short recovery periods, proven to be more successful than steady workouts at reducing body fat, like jogging) is gaining steam.
Other fitness trends for 2024 include an emphasis on the use of tools such as cryotherapy and foam rollers to enhance recovery; a rise in meditative programming designed to help clients unwind and clear their minds, alleviating stress and reinforcing empathy between instructors and their clients; and an increasing desire on the part of hotel guests for hybrid, in-person and digital fitness experiences – and meal and wellness programming centred on innovative, personalised nutrition plans that support guests in achieving and closely monitoring their individual goals while positioning them for the greatest possible results.
Functional Fitness
Adding to this, we’re also seeing physical-mental links come into greater focus – exemplified by the resurgence in movement classes that focus on both strengthening and relaxing the mind. As popular wellness trends, yoga, mindfulness meditation and tai chi are all on the rise; expect the market to see even more effective-but-fun trends like these in 2024.
Many functional fitness exercises designed to help the body prepare for daily movement have been carried out for decades, but their utilisation is increasing as people become more aware of its benefits. ‘Functional HIIT’ searches have increased by 20 per cent in just the last five years.
Watch out for opportunities to participate in trends in functional fitness – new ways of doing something you already do, such as rucking (walking with or hiking carrying a weighted backpack, as in military marches) or TikTok #modelwalkchallenge; and for group classes, including trapeze, trampolining and rollerblading.
CrossFit
CrossFit evolved into a global health fitness phenomenon a few years ago with box gyms opening in nearly every city around the world. The cornerstone of the CrossFit workout can be described generally as weightlifting, gymnastics (controlled bodyweight movements) and monostructural metabolic conditioning techniques such as running or rowing machines.
And CrossFIt trainers will stress movements such as deadlifts and squats that you do every day if you ever want to pick something off the floor or heave someone over your head, says trainer Skyler Peebles. ‘This translates to life.
Since environmental awareness is growing, it stands to reason that many consumers choose eco-friendly workout wear and build their training regime around mindfulness practices with the aim of bringing their body, mind and soul into healthy shape with the use of recovery technology, be it new or ancient. A new generation of fitness apps target this trend by calculating your sleep, meditation and mental wellbeing along with your exercise routines.
Yoga
While yoga classes make us stronger, more supple and relaxed, they also help to clear the mind (which is why so many athletes like Mohamed Salah, LeBron James and Andy Murray have adopted it as a staple part of their training).
Like menopause itself, it was first seen as taboo; now, women are embracing education and frank conversation about this midlife change.
The evolution of fitness itself? From green training kits and vegan diets comes a more environmentally conscientious strain towards wellness. Alongside recovery technologies that interface with the biometric self, mindfulness and meditation of both modern and traditional varieties offer healing balms.
Weight Loss
So, while fitness trends may seem more like fashion changes, if members use them in the right way, they can be valuable tools for helping gym members get or stay fit and healthier. For this reason, if people want to try a trend, they should pick the ones that will match the goals they have set for themselves, and stick to the trends that come easier to them. This way they are more likely to stick with their workout programmes, and for longer, thus reaping the benefits more quickly.
This style involves movements that more accurately mimic what you do in everyday life, giving you far better all-round strength. Functional training uses items such as weighted sleds and battle ropes, so you’ll have more variance in your workout than just the simple sets-and-reps of the gym floor. 2024 will see the rise of functional training.
Another ascendant trend in health and fitness today, especially among the younger generations, is hyper-environmental awareness and sustainability, from organic workout clothes to vegan diets and animal-free supplements. At the same time, gyms are expanding their scope to include more options in the areas of nutrition coaching and recovery tools such as cryotherapy.