Guess what came in first when the American College of Sports Medicine asked 2,620 health and fitness professionals to name the top 20 fitness trends of 2012? “Educated and experience fitness professionals.” Curiously, “Shameless fitness professionals” didn’t make the list. Here, for what it’s worth, are the top ten:
2. Strength training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders.
3. Fitness programs for older adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.
4. Exercise and weight loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.
5. Children and obesity. With childhood obesity growing at an alarming rate, health and fitness professionals see the epidemic as an opportunity to create programs tailored to overweight and obese children. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will have an impact on the health care industry today and for years to come.
6. Personal training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that students are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.
7. Core training. Distinct from strength training, core training specifically emphasizes conditioning of the middle-body muscles, including the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen – all of which provide needed support for the spine.
8. Group personal training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering group training options. Training two or three people at once makes economic sense for both the trainer and the clients.
9. Zumba and other dance workouts. A workout that requires energy and enthusiasm, Zumba combines Latin rhythms with interval-type exercise and resistance training.
10. Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.
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This was pretty helpful. I kind of still can’t believe how big Zumba has become. I like that childhood obesity is being taken a little more seriously although I think it has to be taken a lot more seriously. As a former PE Teacher I have seen the struggles first hand. I am not so sure how happy those students that are majoring in Kinesiolgy are going to be with their choice. It is a long hard road for anybody that wants to go into the fitness industry. Be prepared to take low paying jobs and work like crazy just to get by. I would not bother being a PE Teacher because the only thing the schools care about are Math and Science scores and PE gets cut first thing.