The Top 20 list of fitness trends for 2012 has been released — and you may be surprised to see a few of the hot exercise options for the new year.
Looking for the next big thing in fitness in 2012? You may not find it on the list of fitness trends for 2012.
The survey, which was conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), includes favorites such as Zumba, yoga and spinning in the Top 20, but it’s tried-and-true options like strength training, core workouts and personal training that seem to have staying power.
Oldies-but-goodies remain top trends
More and more people will be looking to certified fitness professionals who are credentialed through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), for example. In fact, that made the top fitness trend expected in the upcoming year. Strength training came in second, while fitness programs for older adults was third.
You’d think exercise and weight loss would be a given, but it earned the No. 4 spot on the list. The childhood obesity epidemic will still cause programs to emerge for kids, as it was No. 5. There were 37 possible trends to choose from.
Zumba, yoga, spinning make top 20 List
Zumba was the only fitness program that made it into the Top 10. The dance workout first debuted in 2010, but this was the first year it made it into the Top 20. Other programs likely offered at your local gym or recreation center that made the list include yoga, spinning, group fitness training and boot camps. Pilates, which was ranked No. 9 in 2010, didn’t even make it into the Top 10 for 2011 or 2012. The stability ball is also seen as a fad, as it fell from the Top 10 in 2008 and 2009, dropped to No. 18 in 2010, and is not in the Top 20 for 2012.
What other fitness trends are growing? Wellness programs offered by corporations. Worksite health programs jumped from the No. 20 spot in 2010 to No. 12 for 2011 (and stayed there in the 2012 list). Worker incentive programs came in at No. 18, and could be a result of rising health care costs and/or the recently passed health care reform.
Top 20 Fitness trends for 2012
Here’s the complete list:
- Educated, certified, and experienced fitness professionals
- Strength training
- Fitness programs for older adults
- Exercise and weight loss
- Children and obesity
- Personal training
- Core training
- Group personal training
- Zumba and other dance workouts
- Functional fitness
- Yoga
- Comprehensive health promotion programming at the worksite
- Outdoor activities
- Boot camp
- Reaching new markets
- Spinning (Indoor cycling)
- Sport-specific training
- Worker incentive programs
- Wellness coaching
- Physician referrals
More fitness trends
5 Fitness trends for 2011
Fitness trends for 2011
Full-body fitness trends for the New Year
More Stories from Health & Wellness
Leave a Comment