Though you shouldn’t follow every fitness trend, it’s helpful to be aware of what’s happening in the fitness world if you’re a fit and active person trying to stay healthy. The fitness world is constantly changing but some things never change like the importance of consistency. Keep that in mind! But let’s look at what will be popular in fitness in 2022.
Fitness Training Will Become More Solitary
The pandemic brought many people home from the gym. The pandemic shut down some traditional gyms, forcing people to look elsewhere for their workout needs. Plus, as people tried to social distance themselves as much as possible, they sought out activities they could do in their own homes. Home workouts are taking off and should continue to grow, even as the pandemic dies down.
No wonder! No one wants to be stuck without a way to exercise when it’s not safe or practical to go to a gym or health club. Small group training, rather than large exercise classes, is also trending, even for people who like engaging with others. This allows more one-on-one time, too. The days of everyone crammed into a room for a workout may be numbered. Small and even solitary exercise is the name of the game.
Outdoor Exercise Will Trend Upward
After being cooped up during a pandemic, people want to step outside their four walls and still get fit. Outdoor workouts are a way to do that. Whether you run or walk briskly outdoors, hike, or participate in an outdoor fitness class, expect to see more exercise in the open air. It’s hard to deny the health and wellness benefits of being in nature, too. Nature has a calming effect on the mind and body, something you need during a pandemic. Plus, exposing your eyes to natural light helps set your internal biological clock in a manner that promotes better sleep and wellness.
Exercise for Mental Health
The pandemic also has increased interest in exercise to relieve stress and improve mental health. So, you can expect more interest in mind-body exercises such as yoga and Tai Chi. Not that high-intensity interval training will disappear but expect to see more balance. Rather than doing high-intensity exercise four days per week, you might substitute a yoga session or a stretching for two of those workouts. Staying healthy and fit is all about balance. When you weight train, you might lighten up on the weights during some sessions and do higher repetitions to give your muscles a break.
Making Exercise Fun
The easiest way to get a workout is to make fitness fun. Expect to see more people opt for workouts that combine sweating and entertainment. How about jumping on a trampoline, rope jumping, or hula hooping? Hiking is another activity that combines some of the biggest trends of 2022 – relaxation, fun, outdoors, and exercise.
However, there are some basics that aren’t trendy and that’s the importance of working your muscles against resistance to preserve lean muscle mass. Do some workouts for fun but don’t neglect the importance of staying strong through consistent strength training.
According to Millennium Magazine, playground workouts such as push-ups and dips on park benches, jogging through a park, and instructor-led classes at parks will become more popular. And why not? Adults can also enjoy playgrounds. It’s another example of how fitness is trending outdoors.
Bodyweight Exercises
The military uses push-ups. If push-ups are good enough for the military, they can help you stay in shape too. The beauty of bodyweight exercise is you don’t need special equipment and can do them almost anywhere. They go along with the trend of exercising at home since who wants to fill their home with exercise equipment? You don’t need to.
Two of the best upper-body exercises are the push-up and the dip. You can do both using only your own body weight. For the lower body, the squat and the wall sit are two exercises that will work your hamstrings, glutes, and quads with no equipment. For your core, you can’t go wrong with planks and plank variations. Planks are even easier on your back than abdominal crunches, and they deliver results.
As you advance though, you’ll need to add more resistance to ensure you’re using progressive overload. You can do that with dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, or kettlebells.
Low-Impact Exercise
Low-impact exercise is easier on the joints but still delivers health and fitness benefits. If your joints ache after running or jumping, balance out your high-impact workouts with low-impact ones that still raise your heart rate. Cycling, rowing, step classes, swimming and power yoga are easy on your joints, but still give you a non-jarring, stamina-building workout. And if you’ve been hibernating during the pandemic and need to ease back into high-impact exercise, these are a gentler way to do it.
Listening to Your Body
Before the pandemic, it was go, go, and then go some more. There is now a growing awareness that listening to your body promotes better physical and mental health. Some days a gentler workout might best fit your needs. How about a slower-paced yoga workout when your body is tired and stressed after a long day? Your body is always talking to you – telling you, but most of the time the noise around you is so loud you can’t hear it, much less interpret what it’s saying. 2022 is the year to start listening.
The Bottom Line
Now that you know what the upcoming fitness trends are in 2022, don’t forget the basics. There’s nothing trendy about staying fit and healthy. Move your body, works your muscles against resistance, but listen to it. On some days, a lower intensity workout might be in order. It’s all about balance.
References:
- com. “What Are The Fitness Trends For 2022?”
- “Fitness Trends That Will Take Over in 2022 – NewBeauty.” 08 Dec. 2021, .newbeauty.com/fitness-trends-2022/.
- “TeamUp’s Top 10 Emerging Fitness Trends for 2022 ….” 07 Dec. 2021, athletechnews.com/teamup-fitness-trends-2022/.