The five biggest fitness trends for 2021

07 Jan The five biggest fitness trends for 2021

One of the few benefits of living through Coronavirus was a lot of people finally understood the importance of exercise. However with all gyms closed during a few months of 2020 and a lot of people nervous about training in a fitness studio, people had to switch to alternative ways to exercise to maintain their health and fitness.

Some of these changes I see continuing throughout this year as more and more people realise the importance of exercise for both your physical and mental health. So here are my top 5 fitness trends for 2021.

1 Outdoor training

Outdoor fitness isn’t new and a lot of people venture into the great outdoors to get their exercise in. But with strict lockdowns and restrictions throughout last year, the local park or green space has been the go-to spot for many people.

Outdoor training has some huge benefits compared to training indoors. Social distancing is never an issue, your chance of contracting Coronavirus is pretty much zero and you get some much needed Vitamin D. Plus it is just invigorating and inspiring training in the great outdoors.

2. Personal Training

If you are just starting to exercise again, have a few injuries or are not confident with going to a gym or doing any group training, then a personal trainer is ideal for you.

A qualified and experienced personal trainer can make a huge difference – they can personalise the exercises for you, they can really focus on your form and technique, and will keep you motivated to help you reach your goals.

3. Technology

We love our technology in so many aspects of our life and health and fitness is no exception. There is a gadget out there which can measure, motivate or track every detail of your nutrition, health and training.

Technology will continue to influence the fitness industry into 2021. Some big players to watch for include Apple’s highly polished Fitness+; Mirror, the virtual personal trainer snapped up by Lululemon in June for US$500 million; and at-home spin class Peloton, which has a cult following in the US.

Steve Pettit, CEO of the Australian Institute of Fitness, predicts that wearables such as Garmin, Fitbit and Apple Watch , will only get bigger as technology improves. He also has his eye on “earables”, devices that plug into your ear to monitor your activity and instruct you using artificial intelligence. These developments will transform fitness tech from nice-to-have to need-to-have – “from the peripheral to the central,” in Pettit’s words. “We’re only scratching the surface with respect to how technology will influence our movement behaviours.”

4. Online training

With fitness centres closing down for a few months in 2020, many people decided to train at home which is still popular after the gyms opened again. Online training has the advantage of exercising in the comfort of your own home at a time that suits you – plus you don’t have to worry about the weather or irritating gym members, broken machines or sweaty equipment.

Though, in my opinion, online training can never replace going to the gym or group training, it can work well for many people and can even be a good complement for those who enjoy training with other people.

5. HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been around for decades now and though it has been a big fitness trend for the past few years, there are no signs it is slowing down.

HIIT basically is short bursts of intense work following by recoveries. It can involve body weight, cardio moves or free weights. The great benefit of HIIT training is it gets you results fast and is perfect for people who are busy and don’t have a lot of free time (and that is pretty much everyone right)?