CrossFit
 

TheActiveTimes.com

The official list of fitness trends for 2016 released by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has something for every type of gym enthusiast. The new winner is also a trend that hasn't been around for long -- wearable technology.

"A trend is a movement that's really working," says Jill Brown, personal trainer, fitness instructor and a wellness coach, says. "It's not a fad that comes and goes." The real trends show how exercising has changed for the better. The wearable technology market, which includes fitness trackers, smart watches, heart-rate monitors and GPS tracking devices, will approach $5.4 billion by 2016, according to ACSM.

So you don't have to even go to the gym to be part of the hot trend. Working on body strength has gradually become more and more popular slowly catching up the goal of losing weight and devices can help by monitoring your individual lifestyle. But what about actually exercising? People focus more on exercises that will help them perform everyday tasks easier and pain-free, Zachary Davis, personal trainer and fitness instructor at Body Exchange Fitness in Texas, says. "People are more concerned with long-term health and fitness."

Many go to boutique studios because they get obsessed with one kind of workout, Brown adds. A regular gym may offer a variety of classes -- spinning, yoga, Zumba, etc. -- but are only interested in one. So you join a studio. There are more of those than ever before, she adds. If one part of the body has to be pointed out as the universal area that is focus on, that will be the abs, Davis says. They are the most important part to have strong core, which includes the abs, obliques, and lower back. Strong abs means proper posture and no lower back pain.

The following trending workouts include those listed in the ACSM survey as well as several others that professional fitness instructors say are here to stay:

Trending Workouts To Try In 2016

 

Functional Fitness

"This is the biggest thing I see changing," Davis says. "People start to use more of their own bodyweight." The term may sound confusing but it really means doing exercises that improve the overall balance and coordination of your body. TRX programs are a good example of functional training. It focuses on strength exercises that increase endurance and flexibility so your body has a wide range of motion. All of this helps you perform everyday activities easier.

 

High-Intensity Interval Training

HIIT training has been around for a few years but it's peaking now because there is more research showing how effective it is when done properly, Brown says. Only 20 minutes of intense training can bring the same result as an hour or more at the gym. Who has so much time to spare anyway these days ... Davis has a preferred circuit training: 10 movements in 10 minutes; each exercise is done for 40 seconds with a 20-second break in between.

 

CrossFit

People get bored easily and want their classes to be altered every time. That's why they choose CrossFit. It combines bodyweight exercises, strength, high-intensity interval training together in many different ways. CrossFit in itself is HIIT and it's helping your burn fat like few other workouts out there. You’re lying on the floor catching your breath and feeling exhausted. However, CrossFit is as its peak, Davis says. "I don't see it lasting another 10 years because of the high injury rate."

 

Mixed Martial Arts

MMA training is really popular and it's a fantastic workout, Brown says. There is a slightly higher rate of injury than CrossFit, but if you can avoid slipping and falling hard you should try it. MMA has grown in reputation and admiration because people see fights on TV all the time and want to do it. MMA training is an effective metabolic workout that improves balance and coordination, as well as strength. Bonus: These workouts can actually teach you how to defend yourself.

 

Personal Training

"Private training is never out of style," Brown says. "More and more people hire them." This trend also has to do with the end of the recession. People have more money to spend and prefer to pay for educated advice as opposed to embarking on an unrealistic journey towards getting healthy and fit. ACSM finds an exponential growth of educational programs at community colleges and colleges and universities that have become accredited.

 

Strength training

This trend has been around for years but it dropped to No. 4 in 2015 from No. 2. The ACSM study says that many young people train exclusively using weights to improve and maintain strength. Weight lifting is now incorporated in workouts for kids and patients with chronic illnesses as well. No one really gets away with not building muscle. Strength training increases your metabolism, balance, and bone density, which is crucial as we get older.

 

Barre classes

"Barre classes are a big trend," Brown says. Pilates has had its peak and people have moved on to bar classes because they use more isometric contractions (when there is no change in the length of the contracting muscle). "Isometric training has been overlooked because it’s harder," Brown adds. The main benefit is more strength. Isometric training easily allows you to target a single group of muscles by increasing the amount of time you hold a particular pose.

 

Cardio Exercises

"People have started to realize that you don't need to run 45 minutes on a treadmill to get good results," Davis says. You'll burn more fat by running fewer minutes but more intense. Alternative Motion machines are a huge hit among people who prefer to exercise at home. They have suspended pedals that imitate running and/or climbing but have less impact on your feet and legs than a treadmill or an elliptical.

 

Yoga

Yoga has been around for thousands of years and, even though it's not growing as fast as it used to, it's still make the Top 10 of fitness trends. It is No. 10 in 2016 down from No. 7 last year but up from No. 14 three years ago. Yoga has many forms, each of each seems to reinvent every year, which is what keep yoga attractive.

 

Back and shoulders exercises

This is evident mostly among women. They still care about losing weight and having the perfect bikini body but they want the standards have changed: Muscle must be toned, abs should be strong and legs should be sculpted. Many women exercise their back and shoulders to build muscle so they waist looks smaller.

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For the complete list of the 13 Trending Workouts To Try In 2016, go to TheActiveTimes.com.

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