Every year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) polls hundreds of health and fitness professionals to get a sense of what exercise trends are dominating gyms across the country. For 2017, it looks like you’ll be wearing your devotion to wellness on your sleeve.
In their 11th annual survey, the ACSM found that wearable tracking devices like the Fitbit will be the most pervasive trend in exercise. The devices also topped their 2015-16 rankings.
Roughly 1800 survey respondents were given a total of 42 trends to rank, which the ASCM calculated to create a power list of the biggest fitness movements happening nationally. While expected entries like yoga and high-intensity interval training are near the top, the survey also found that the idea of “exercise as medicine”—defined as a push for wellness on the part of health care providers—will likely see a sharp increase in popularity, as well as health efforts originating in the workplace.
Also included in the top 20: group training, personal training, wellness coaching, and the use of flexibility rollers.
There was one bit of discouraging news to come out of the data gathering: The ACSM reports that exercise programs targeted for obese or overweight children has been decreasing for several years, currently occupying the 28th slot. Among the lowest on the list? Zumba at 39 and indoor rowing at 41.
November 10, 2016 – 1:15pm