What’s Trending in Fitness in 2021

By Camille Panaro MS.ESc., MS.Ed. 

How will you start the new year? Like so many others, you may decide that you want to make significant improvements for your health. If your goal is to live a healthier lifestyle in 2021, you’re not alone! Each year, millions of people resolve to exercise more and improve their overall health. This is often easier said than done considering only about 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions. 

Don’t give up! You can hit the ground running with the latest trends in fitness. 

Each year, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) releases a comprehensive, global survey of fitness trends in the ACSM Health and Fitness Journal®. Health and Fitness professionals pay close attention to this publication to make critical business decisions, while fitness goers use it to stay on trend.

In this year’s worldwide survey, it is no surprise to find out the #1 leading trend in fitness for 2021.

#1 Online Training 

Once ranked #26 on the fitness trends list, online training (live streaming or pre-recorded) beat out HIIT workouts, wearable technology, and even outdoor activities! 

Due to the COVID -19 pandemic, people were forced to fitness differently in 2020.  Businesses adapted by offering online training programs, renting out equipment, and utilizing virtual training platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet.

Not only did online training increase, many of you opted to beef up your home gym equipment in an effort to train virtually! This was evident by the lack of home gym equipment available in retail stores worldwide. 

Will the online fitness trend continue? In my opinion, yes. I think people have discovered that they can get an intense workout from the comforts of their own homes. I’ve heard from numerous people who were once gym goers say that they look forward to the savings in gym membership costs and others who like working out without having to leave the house. 

This is not to say that online training is for everyone, but I think that the COVID-19 pandemic will certainly influence this trend for a bit longer. 

#2 Wearable Technology

As expected, and not surprising is the #2 fitness trend. Wearable technology tops the chart again as it has for the past 4 years. This includes fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and gps tracking devices. The desire to gain health insights and keep track of them is a $100 billion dollar industry in the US. 

Some examples of wearable technology include Fitbit®, Garmin®, and Apple® products aimed at tracking heart rate, sleep, daily steps, food/water intake, and overall health. 

The question is which wearable technology is right for you? 

#3 Body Weight Training 

Functional bodyweight training isn’t new, but this trend has gained more attention in recent years. 

Body weight training is both practical and appealing because of the crossover benefits. This type of programming fits into strength and conditioning workouts, HIIT workouts, and CrossFit programming.

The reality is, most of our daily movements involve body weight and range of motion. It makes sense to incorporate movements that mimic our daily movements or sport-related functions. 

Making a strong appearance as a fitness trend in 2013, body weight training has remained a popular choice for the past decade. Minimal equipment is needed and exercises can be performed anywhere at any time. 

#4 Outdoor Activities

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have discovered what outdoor lovers have known for a long time. Being outdoors is beautiful, fulfilling, and fun! Health and fitness professionals have offered outdoor activities for the past decade, however, the recent COVID-19 pandemic made it the only option for some. 

Whether it’s outdoor classes that interest you or discovering new hikes and trails in your community, see for yourself why outdoor activities rank so high on the list. 

#5 HIIT High Intensity Interval Training 

What is it about HIIT that makes it so trend worthy year after year?

HIIT workouts are fast paced, involve high energy compound exercises, performed consecutively with minimal rest. At one point, calorie torching HIIT workouts were designed to improve performance for athletes, particularly strength/power competitors. 

Health clubs around the world eventually incorporated interval training into their group and personal training workouts. This was in part, due to the increased metabolic demand from the body and overall strength and conditioning benefits. After all, if this training model improves athletic performance, improves oxygen capacity, increases post-oxygen consumption for hours after – why wouldn’t the general exercising population buy in?

For a complete list of American College of Sports Medicine Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, click here.