We almost forgot: the worldwide survey on fitness trends. What are the expected fitness trends for 2017? For the second year in a row, wearables top the list.
WORLD WIDE SURVEY OF FITNESS TRENDS 2017
Once again this year, editors of the American Health & Fitness Journal have sent out a survey worldwide to thousands of professionals to identify trends in the fitness industry.
We have made it a tradition to share the results here. Last year, we saw that bodyweight training (calisthenics) and High Intensity Interval Training (which also includes CrossFit in the survey) had to give up their spots in the top to ‘wearables’. That top 3 remains unchanged for 2017.
Here I will discuss notable developments since last year (of which I have also added the results for comparison).
Call It What It Is
What strikes me is that people insist on inconsistently labeling the types of training. This only creates confusion. Zumba (no longer in the top 20) and Yoga, for example, are simply called by their names. They are not referred to as “Latin aerobic dance” and “Indian stretching”. However, CrossFit is categorized every year under the title “High-intensity interval training” (HIIT). However, not every form of CrossFit is HIIT, and not every form of HIIT is CrossFit. The persistent refusal to mention the term CrossFit even once continues to surprise me.
Calisthenics is essentially another name for bodyweight training. However, in practice, nowadays people mostly associate calisthenics with individuals performing acrobatic feats on playgrounds and bars, rather than someone doing 20 push-ups every morning after waking up.
In my opinion, this pollutes the data. For example, when we talk about HIIT, does it refer to 100% CrossFit, or only 50%? It seems much more practical and clear to call it what it is.
Fitness trends 2017
1. Wearable technology.
Wearables are again in the first place. Including smart watches, smart glasses, intelligent and interactive clothing.
In 2017, billions will again be spent on handy equipment to get more out of training.
It would not surprise me if this eventually becomes a separate category with its own ranking. There is so much difference in the various wearables that, as a professional, you don’t immediately know how to respond to their popularity.
2 & 3 Calisthenics and CrossFit stable
Last year, “the fall of CrossFit” was mentioned as one of the survey’s outcomes. Wishful thinking, as it turns out. CrossFit/HIIT was still in first place in 2014. In 2015, calisthenics/bodyweight training took over that first place, and in 2016, both were displaced by wearables, causing CrossFit to drop from 1st place in 2014 to 3rd place in 2016.
This year, however, CrossFit is back in place. So, anyone expecting a free fall was mistaken.
6. Group training.
“Group training” means more than 5 people in this case, otherwise, it falls under “group personal training” (no. 14).
The 6th place this year is striking. Although “small group personal training” has been in the top 20 for a few years, it is the first time for larger groups this year. The people who filled out the survey could not provide an explanation for this.
7. Exercise is Medicine®.
Also new on the list is the global initiative called ‘Exercise is Medicine’. The goal of this initiative is to bring fitness professionals and medical professionals closer together to make fitness play a larger role in healthcare. Physical activity as (preventive) medicine.
In the Netherlands, this initiative is still in development, but we will keep you informed.
Bye Bye Bootcamp
Bootcamp entered the top 20 in 2010 at 16th place and rose to 8th place a year later. However, its popularity began to decline rapidly. In 2012, it fell to 13th place and a year later to 16th place. In 2014, Bootcamp still clung desperately to 20th place, only to fall out of the top 20 in 2015. In 2017, Bootcamp also seems to no longer belong to the most popular activities. Perhaps it will come back into fashion in 20 years. After all, teenagers are now wearing jeans with holes again.
Missed a Trend?
Great to have a global trend, but nationally it may be different. Have we missed any trends, specifically in the Netherlands? We’d love to hear about it.
