Shake up your workouts with these three fitness trends.
1. Smart Home Gyms to Complement In-Club Exercise
Home gyms became a hot commodity during the pandemic and their popularity is standing strong as
people invest in quality equipment to support their at-home exercise efforts. However, while many got
into the swing of convenient home workouts during Covid-19, many people realised that nothing compares to the motivation and energy that comes from working out with others. Now, with the resurgence of live workout experiences, exercisers can enjoy the best of both worlds. The majority of consumers now favour a 60:40 blend between live and digital workouts, with McKinsey research finding the number with hybrid fitness routines grew 41 per cent between 2020 and 2022. The study also found these consumers experienced significantly better results from their hybrid training.
With omni-fitness trending, more people are investing in home gym setups to replicate their favourite in-
gym activities at home, and MindBody’s 2022 Fitness Report (USA) found that 35 per cent of Americans
started going to an in-person fitness class that they first discovered through digital fitness. These savvy exercisers are also adding special one-off exercise experiences to their calendar. At the LES MILLS LIVE London event in October 2022, over 5,000 consumers came together for a thrilling weekend of fitness, and similarly (on a smaller scale) at LES MILLS LIVE Melbourne. The event comprised 40 per cent group fitness Instructors, 20 per cent gym members and 40 per cent LES MILLS+ members who were attending their first live fitness event. Pre-pandemic this type of event was attended predominately by fitness professionals.
2. Gamification at the Gym (or at Home)
Tech-based workouts have been on the scene for some time, but innovation in this space is accelerating, with a raft of gamified training options and technologically-inspired exercise on the horizon. Gaming authorities report that two out of three Americans are now playing video games at least once a week – doing so to unwind, relieve stress and have fun. These psychological and physical benefits can peak when the gaming is fused with physical activity.
No longer is it just tech companies dabbling in the fitness space, now highly effective science-backed training programs are leveraging virtual reality and being adopted by the masses. Researchers have identified the ability to score exercise points, leader boards, unlockable content, levels, badges, and challenges and quests as the most popular ways bolster workout motivation, so we can expect more of this in the future. Combine this with connected trackers, and thriving online fitness communities, and you’ll have increasing opportunities to enjoy the motivation of a group while you get your fitness fix at home.
Group exercise studios are starting to serve up a new generation of immersive workouts where music, visuals, wearables, and Instructors combine in an exhilarating fitness experience. Down the track, virtual reality machines could soon become more prevalent on gym floors and clubs could offer high-tech cycles and treadmills that push your limits with racing games.
“The cultural convergence between fitness and gaming is sparking exciting collaborations and
Rachael Newsham, Les Mills Program Director.
innovative products …You can now be transported into the middle of the most popular martial arts workout on the planet.”
Meta named Les Mills BODYCOMBAT VR as the Best App of 2022! Get your hands on a virtual
reality headset and then dive into the exciting new world of BODYCOMBAT VR without leaving your
own home! Learn more: LES MILLS BODYCOMBAT on Oculus Quest | Oculus
3. Exercise Snacking
If you think snacking sounds unhealthy, think again! (AFT Ed. We’re of course talking about fitness here and not nutrition). Small bite-sized snippets of activity are known as one of the healthiest ways to integrate fitness into your life. By peppering your day with short moments of movement it can change your mindset around exercise. No longer an onerous task that you need to schedule, instead you start to enjoy the benefits of exercise – most notably the endorphin rush – multiple times a day, whenever you get a spare minute.
Another reason this trend is taking off is the increasing evidence that breaking your exercise into smaller snack-sized training sessions could be just as good (if not better) than doing lengthier more sporadic training sessions. Research shows that frequency, not volume, drives strength gains. When exercisers choose frequency over volume, it typically leads to improved quality of movement.
Technique is more likely to be superior and exercises are executed with more integrity, so you can expect benefits across the board to be amplified.
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