The hottest fitness trends to get you in shape in 2018
Thinking about shaking up your workout routine in the New Year? Here’s six ideas to get you started.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
The go-to exercise mode for fitness geeks the past few years, HIIT’s popularity is set to continue after it was ranked the top fitness trend for 2018 by the American College of Sports Medicine in a survey of more than 4000 exercise professionals.
Involving quick bursts of all-out exertion blended with recovery periods, HIIT is popular for efficiently churning through kilojoules and building strength with minimal time commitment.
Low Intensity Steady State (LISS)
Switching gears from short, energetic HIIT sessions to a gentler approach, Low Intensity Steady State is great for weight loss and places less strain on muscles and joints.
LISS involves light activity – such as walking, swimming, or cycling – performed at 50-60 per cent of maximum heart rate, for about 45-60 minutes. Lower intensity activity allows the body to access more oxygen, which helps to break down fat.
Wearable Technology
Fitness fiends are becoming increasingly connected to their technology.
Whether it’s an activity tracker, heart rate monitor, GPS tracking device, or fitness app logging the workout and sharing it with a like-minded community, technology that records health data is becoming an essential fitness accessory. They can record pace, distance, elevation and exertion – everything you need to keep fitness goals on track.
Yoga and Yogalates
Though far from new, the ancient practice of physical, mental and spiritual movement embodied in the various forms of yoga is still feted as a means for achieving health, happiness and self-awareness. Popular yoga formats include traditional Iyengar, Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini and Vinyasa.
The practice of power yoga, yogalates and Bikram yoga have also revitalised the age-old techniques with a modern spin.
Functional Fitness
Spend all day on your feet? Always lifting children in and out of a car? Maybe you want to support another fitness activity such as running or swimming, or do what you need to without aches and pain.
Functional fitness – activity that supports and strengthens everyday movements – is gaining popularity. Aimed at improving balance, coordination, force, power and endurance, a functional fitness program is customised to individual needs.
F45 Training
It’s the fast-paced, high-tech workout loved by celebrities such as Hugh Jackman and Nicole Richie, where high-fives are de rigour and everybody knows your name. The Aussie-created F45 gym-based fitness craze is a 45-minute high-intensity, interval training (HIIT) regimen with each session divided into intense 30-60 second workout periods with rest sessions in between.
Bust those fitness myths this year with The Fit Pharmacist, Holly Louise:
- This is the key to changing your body in the gym
- Is muscle soreness after training good or bad?
- The five most common training myths busted
Written by Claire Burke
