ACSM reveals the top fitness trend for 2021 is…

…Online Training!  It shouldn’t really come as much of a shock, as millions of adults were affected by COVID-19-related fitness facility closures this year and forced to find innovative ways to be active at home. More than 4,000 health and fitness pros surveyed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) identified online training as the new top trend in fitness for 2021.  What might be surprising, however, is that online training leaped up a whopping 25 spots from its number 26 ranking at the start of 2020.

ACSM explains: “the big changes within the health fitness industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the temporary closure of clubs around the world forcing innovative delivery of classes. The challenges of engaging clients at a distance resulted in the use of some very strategic delivery systems. Online training was developed for the at-home exercise experience. This trend uses digital streaming technology to deliver group, individual, or instructional exercise programs online. Online training is available 24/7 and can be a live class (live streaming workouts) or prerecorded.”

Online training is followed by Wearable Technology, such as the Fitbit, which previously held the number one spot ever since it’s debut in 2016. Third in the ranking is Body Weight Training, followed by Outdoor Activities, which likely had surge thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.  HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, is still popular at the fifth spot, and Virtual Training got a big pandemic boost to put it at number six.

But now that we are seeing a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, the question is, will these trends stick?

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