Worldwide Trends in Fitness!

What is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’? So far this question has figured mostly with respect to fashion! However, the fitness industry is no exception! While Jane Fonda based aerobics was a craze few decades ago, we now have the REEBOK style aerobics or the spiced-up versions including our favorite Bollywood jhatkas and moves to keep the motivation up and going!
In the last decade itself, we have seen many different trends – some coming and going, while some staying on!
Some of the few trends so far, that came and also stayed are –

Circuit Training –
A highly pre-designed and planned workout, done in a normal gym setting or exclusively designed setting, Circuit training, basically consists of doing a round of around 8 – 12 exercises, focusing on all body muscles, one after the other, with no rest in between. The individual is allowed to rest, after one round (or circuit) is done, and the circuits are repeated few more times. An excellent workout to tone the muscles and also target fat, this is quite popular among ladies!

Boot-camp Workouts –
Military-style, high energy and challenging, are the words that describe this, the best. Usually a high impact, and high energy workout which involves doing a series of muscle strengthening, cardio and agility training exercises, a bootcamp session claims to burn much more calories as compared to any other group activities.
It needs a high energy instructor as well to keep the motivation up and going, as well as accompanied by some peppy music.

Pilates –
An advanced form of functional training, Pilates’s has been popularized by its sheer effectiveness in developing the core muscles which also form most of the postural muscles and thus define the quality of life. Basically, an integrated form of exercise with specific focus on the mind-body-breath connection and the art of controlling it, Pilates’ is quite a challenging workout.


Spinning
Usually, a high-energy class, accompanied by fast-music, spinning has become very popular as a Cardio workout, with most health clubs in India too. A spinning cycle is a stationary cycle, although with a weighted wheel, unlike the normal cycle, which offers resistance and increases the challenge. Spinning usually requires technique and expert instructions regarding the tempo, positions, challenge levels, motivation etc. and hence there are specially certified instructors that usually conduct the class.

Outdoor training
Some health-clubs have artificial mountain-climbing walls, and other artificial set-ups that mimic outdoor activities like mountain climbing etc. Some others, also regularly take their members actually outdoors on activities like treks, mountain climbing, nature walks, jogging mornings etc. which give the members a breath of fresh air, variety and a fun alternative to working indoors all days of the week.

Theraband™ Training
Theraband™ are latex bands, of varying resistances in the lower range, ideal as a portable option to keeping fit, especially for people who travel often or prefer to work out at home. Some very important advantages are the ability to isolate and exercise some deep muscles which cannot be targeted with usual workouts, sports-specific training, re-habilitation exercises which demand low resistances, and of course the portability.

Functional Core Training
Un-stable surfaces in the form of Stability Balls, Coreboard™, Wobble boards, BOSUs and many more equipment-based workouts which target the postural muscles and core muscles, providing a functional fitness option focusing on Activities of Daily Living.

Un-Stable can be good!

Un-Stability can be good, sometimes. Of course not when seen from the ‘mind’ point of view! But un-stable surfaces while performing exercises can be very useful in improving the effectiveness of your workout!

And un-stable surfaces have been popular since long and easily available in the markets in the form of REEBOK Coreboards, Wobble Boards and BOSUs and many more. There are many trends in the Fitness industry as well, which tend to fade away after the initial craze, but core-training and core-stability are some of the few concepts that are here to stay. This is also because, efficiency of the core muscles is an important factor for Activities of Daily Living – small and big, and hence core-training is very functional in nature.

The Coreboard from REEBOK is highly interesting, in that it works in three dimensions. It can tilt sideways and front and back, it can rock along the same planes, and it can also twist around the pivot, thereby giving it mobility in the third dimension as well. This is very useful in training the reflexes, balance and the side abdomen muscles and is also used in athletic training.
The Wobble boards are like a flat circular surface, placed on a half solid sphere below at the centre, and thus wobble onto either side. It is a great equipment to train for balance and co-ordination and strengthen all the core muscles.
BOSUs (Both Sides Up) look like the opposite of the Wobble boards, and resemble half cut solid spheres with the spherical portion on top. This spherical surface is used to stand on and train the muscles.

All un-stable surfaces basically recruit the neuro-muscular system and thus are very effective in reflex training, balance and co-ordination training.
Incase none of these equipments are easily accessible to you, a simple trick would be to stack the gym foam mats three or four over each other and then perform the standing exercises on them!! You will easily begin to feel your whole body working together in a co-ordinated manner to maintain stability!