I always enjoy reading “list” style article from other writers, so I am making a conscious effort to put out more list style articles. I have to be careful on how I word the titles however. My major beef with article that are constructed in the list format are when they appear like the following:
“3 Best Foods to Eat for Fat Loss”
“10 Best Resistance Band Exercises”
“5 Best Butt Shaping Moves”
What is the common trend that you see there?
The word “best”.
I have trouble with the word “best” these days. I used to be the kind of guy that would give out information about what I thought was the best, but I have since realized that just about everything works. That being said, there are definitely exercises that I would select over others for most people. But I still don’t feel comfortable saying that there is any one “best” of anything. It’s a human malfunction, not an exercise malfunction.
I am guilty of it myself.
So I am careful on how I am going to word these “list” articles.
Moving on…
Physical culture has evolved tremendously over the last few years. Products and methods have continuously improved our industry. Naturally, the information being dispensed to the public has also become much more applicable.
Below are what I feel are 5 red hot trends in the fitness world…
1) Metabolic training.
I can’t really use any more description than that. We have officially entered the age of Cardio-Strength, Met-Con (metabolic conditioning) and work capacity based training for getting lean and regaining control of our bodies. It’s a trendy method, and rightfully so. I myself have trained using incomplete rest periods and high volumes of work in short amounts of time for years. The results are undeniable. I don’t like to generalize statements, but the kind of aesthetic look that metabolic style training produces seems to be highly desirable by the public. People want the lean and athletic look. As with any trendy method, metabolic conditioning is also heading toward the dangerous realms. There are always individuals who will take ideas to the extreme, and we are seeing this currently with metabolic conditioning. Over-training and injuries have never been so prevalent, yet people seem to think it is part of the gig. It doesn’t have to be.
2) Suspension Training.
Yes, TRX first hit the mainstream a long time ago. Close to 6-7 years actually before finally hitting it big time. Jon Hinds at LifeLine Fitness has been promoting his Jungle Gym suspension trainer for years prior to that. What is amazing is the evolution of how we are using the suspension trainer. It’s become a go to tool for rehab, developing and regaining mobility and stability and also yoga like movements. It’s arguably the most versatile piece of training equipment in fitness right now. Every home should have one.
3) Paleo.
Paleo is the hottest trend in eating, and I have to say that I have been eating ridiculously close to Paleo for quite some time. Paleo is clean eating. Whole food, lean meats and plenty of plants. Although I feel that some professionals have really enjoyed the marketing appeal of a term like “Paleo”, I cannot argue with the eating recommendations. If you want to strip fat and get yourself out of the “sick, overweight and heading for preventable disease category”, Paleo is a fantastic option.
Here is a link to Robb Wolf, a trusted name in the Paleo world: Robb Wolf
4) Animal Movements.
This is something that I am HIGHLY interested in at that the present time. I will be reporting back on this in future posts. I would like to call it ground based mobility training, but that doesn’t even do it justice. After watching a few video clips from the folks over at Primal Move, I was hooked. I see so much value in it. Strength and Conditioning coaches have been gravitating to Gray Cook and his Functional Movement Screen for assessing athletes and general population clients alike. I can see this building on the findings of Gray’s FMS. Moving joints in a range of motion like the video below would be a tremendous addition for so many people…
5) Self-massage.
It’s never been more simple to perform self-maintenance on your body. Tools like foam rollers and lacrosse balls have around for ages, but the information on how to use them was really lacking. Sure, guys like Mike Boyle and others were promoting foam rolling sessions as a pre-workout method for eliminating trigger points and changing the density of muscle before changing length. Some will argue against the effectiveness of stretching statically, and I am not even sure where I stand on static stretching at the present time, but no one should argue against the effectiveness of relieving oneself of restrictions (aka: knots and sticky tissue). Trigger Point Performance, a company out of Texas, has really taken the concept of self-massage to the next level. There educational seminars and products are fantastic.
Where is physical culture heading next? Who knows, and that is the beauty of it. We read, learn and apply daily. The landscape of the fitness industry is constantly changing, and I really like that.
Cheers to being trendy (in a good way)…
KG
M(eaux)tion Fitness 