2017 has come and gone, and hopefully you were able to achieve the goals that you set out to achieve so that in 2018 you can continue to break down barriers, bust down doors, and get in the best shape possible.
In 2018, we are seeing an emergence of fitness becoming even more connected to technology and as science around how we track, monitor and understand our own fitness grows the possibilities do seem endless.
So what’s new in 2018?
Wearable devices
Not so new, but the technology is definitely getting better and that’s why we’ve added it to our list…
Wearable devices have been extremely popular for about two years now, with mostly everyone who works out adopting one in some shape or form. Whether you have an actual device attached to your wrist or abdomen, or monitor your progress on your phone, you’re still making use of a technology that is only sharpening its teeth.
And in 2018, there is an expectation that as the market grows, so too will the availability of fitness trackers for everyone that can monitor everything from steps to your daily sleep cycle, and from your heart rate to your muscle growth.
Sport-specific training
Everyone is looking for new ways to train so that they can get in the best physical condition possible. And one way of doing this is to play sports, alongside your normal training.
Sport-specific training is a rising trend that is going to be moving out of sports and into the lives of normal people. The training aims to adapt people physically to more effective modes of fitness such as reaction time and agility. In sport, you can only train so hard but it’s a different monster when you’re on the field, and the same goes for life in general where you may need to react in different ways than just being able to lift heavy objects or plank for an extended period of time.
Educated, certified fitness professionals
The growth of personal training means that there is even more of a requirement to gain expertise that sets you apart from everyone else. People are fine with being trained, but will probably want to engage with trainers who are highly qualified and educated around understanding how different people react to certain types of training.
There is going to be a major push for personal trainers, and all fitness professionals in general, to be certified and having a wide scope of knowledge concerning their field so that their clients feel appreciated and have peace of mind, rather than having to suss out what their trainer is about while they start their training.
Older adults training
Older people can, and do, train, and this trend is only going to rise. Occasionally you may find that older people are deterred from training because to them, training means lifting heavy weights or doing intense workouts.
In 2018, we’re going to be viewing all of this in a different way with training programmes specifically targeting older people and their needs being the order of the day. There are so many different ways to stay fit, and all of them should be taken advantage of.
Group personal training
It’s a fact, most people train better in groups that not only build a sense of community, but motivate them to train harder than they would if they were training alone. It’s just human nature.
We are expecting to see more people being motivated to join group training where you train to your own individual needs, but have those people behind you who really motivate you to make the change that you want to see in your life.
Recovery importance
We already see this with a whole host of people including foam rollers into their arsenal, and incorporating yoga and Pilates into their regime, but the importance of recovery is still going to kick up a notch in 2018.
Expect to be warming up and down and employing sometimes strange techniques into your workout to ensure that your body is lithe and limber every single day, reducing injury and the likelihood of you taking off days that should be gym days.
Yoga with a gimmick
Let’s face it, there are many different ways to yoga. So many, that we don’t even know all of them, even though we’re sort of meant to. There’s yoga in intense heat and yoga done upside down, and it’s not going to stop.
Truth is that adding a gimmick actually seems to motivate more people from different niches to do that certain type of yoga because while you’re still getting fit, you’re having fun. Think yoga in the dark, blindfolded, and even drinking beer…
That’s 2018 for you.
Emergence of VR
Virtual reality is really only in its infancy. We’ve seen a few spin classes designed where the background teleports you into a rollercoaster ride where you are so enveloped in the magnificence of the scenery that you don’t even realise that you’re burning calories, but VR is soon going to take over a whole lot more.
Virtual reality means that you can take your training to the next level by actually being coached by a VR trainer, immersing yourself in different environments while you train, and engaging all of your senses the entire time. The technology is there and the opportunity is waiting, and before too long, as we step even further into our brave new world, we’ll see VR taking many shapes and forms in the fitness industry.
Live-streaming classes
For those of you who just hate the idea of going into a gym or having to be trained one-on-one by another person, but still wanting to stay fit; the internet has the solution for you. You can find a whole host of videos on the net that allow you to hone your skills, but another added factor is that of live streaming.
Now, all you need to do is tune in when a class starts, get the relevant equipment, and be trained from the comfort of your own home by someone who could be anywhere in the world. An added factor is that you can connect with other people who are also watching the same class, from all over as well, and in doing so you can build a virtual support base of likeminded individuals.
DNA testing
The fitness industry is changing at a rapid rate, and one of the most important advances over the last few years is the introduction of DNA testing into fitness, and nutrition. DNA testing allows people to train according to their genes, bypassing the trial and error associated with simply going headfirst into training without knowing your body’s inherent predispositions.
Now, you can do exercises that really work and see results that may have taken you much longer to achieve, simply because of a mouth swab and your genetic code. In 2018, the science is ever-growing and ready to take you further into the future.
