THE American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published in the Health & Fitness Journal , the fitness trends for 2023.
Activities with free weights, activities using body weight and functional training appear among the top 10 fitness trends for 2023. This raises a red flag for gyms that focus their services on bodybuilding and shows a window of opportunity for Personal Trainers who work in parks and homes.
Outdoor activities are also among the top 10 trends. For gym managers, this could be an opportunity to organize outdoor activities in their own area, or even in the form of special day-long activities and excursions.
There are two audiences that appear in these trends: those who want to lose weight and the elderly.
Check out the top 10 fitness trends for 2023 by ACSM.
Top 10 Fitness Trends 2023
1. Wearable Technology
Equipment, such as watches and smartbands, that monitor heart rate, calories, sitting time, sleep and the practice of various activities.
2. Strength Training with Free Weights.
With a focus on proper movement and lifting technique, this activity incorporates the use of barbells, dumbbells, and/or kettlebells to improve or maintain muscular fitness by manipulating repetitions, sets, tempo, load, and exercise selection to achieve specific muscular fitness goals.
3. Bodyweight Training.
The name says it all. It does not require the use of equipment and uses techniques that use only body weight as the overload for the exercise. A combination of multi-plane body weight and neuromotor movements with body weight as the primary resistance defines this trend. Bodyweight training uses minimal equipment and space, making it an inexpensive and functional way to exercise.
4. Fitness Programs for Seniors.
This is a trend that emphasizes and meets the fitness needs of baby boomers and older generations. People are living longer, working longer, and wanting to stay healthy and physically active throughout their lives. I have been calling attention to exercise with this audience in mind for years, and today it appears in the 2023 fitness trends, very well placed.
5. Functional Physical Training
Training programs that aim to improve physical capacities (strength, resistance, flexibility, stability, mobility) used in everyday life.
6. Outdoor activities.
This trend allows health and fitness professionals to offer more outdoor activities such as group hikes, horseback riding or organized walks. Activities can be short events, full-day events or planned multi-day excursions, along with ECO challenges such as stand-up paddleboards, kayaking, mountain biking and backcountry hiking.
7. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
These exercise programs typically involve repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise (>80% of maximum heart rate) combined with periods of rest. High-intensity interval training can be applied to a variety of physical activities.
8. Exercise for weight loss.
This trend incorporates weight loss programs with an exercise program. Combining physical activity and fitness training with diets and cooking classes can provide additional benefits.
9. Certified Fitness Professionals.
Hiring certified fitness professionals. In Brazil, with the requirement for a higher education degree in Physical Education and registration with CREF, we can see this as the need to specialize and seek certifications in specific areas.
10. Personal Training.
This is Personal Training. A program with goals, assessment and individual monitoring. Personal trainers provide technical exercise instructions, monitor improvement and progress exercises with each client meeting and based on the client's progress.
