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WORLDWIDE SURVEYOF FITNESS TRENDSFOR 2016

10th Anniversary Editionby Walter R Thompson PhD FACSM

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

From this article the reader should understand the following

concepts

bull the difference between a fad and a trend

bull worldwide trends in the commercial corporate clinical

(including medical fitness) and community health fitness industry

bull expert opinions about identified fitness trends for 2016

Key wordsCommercial Clinical Corporate Community Expert OpinionsFuture Programs

INTRODUCTION

This annual survey of worldwide fitnesstrends is now in its 10th year and thistime with some very surprising results

In 2014 high-intensity interval training tookover the no 1 spot previously long-held byeducated certified and experienced fitnessprofessionals which was in that position since2008 and now appears at no 5 Body weighttraining took over the no 1 spot for 2015 butfell to no 2 in 2016 behind newcomer wearabletechnology The 2016 ACSM Worldwide Sur-vey of Fitness Trends continues to supportprevious trends with two additional trendsappearing in the top 20 flexibility and mobilityrollers and smart phone exercise apps Some ofthe survey respondents still argue that apersistent sluggish economy has influencedthe results of this survey and that training

programs requiring expensive equipment ortechnical instruction are not supported becauseof the increased cost Others believe that theeconomy has rebounded and new technologieshave been introduced that provide instanta-neous monitoring Still others argue that previ-ously popular ZumbaA indoor cycling Pilatesand now boot camp have run their useful courseand can no longer be called a trend A hugedisappointment to those who believe that thefitness industry should take the lead in thebattle against childhood obesity is the loss ofinterest in specialized exercise programs forthese children (this year trend no 24) Never-theless the results of this annual survey mayhelp the health and fitness industry make somevery important investment decisions for futuregrowth and development Important businessdecisions should be based on emerging trendsembraced by health fitness professionals andnot the latest exercise innovation marketedduring late-night infomercials on television orthe next hottest celebrity endorsing a product

During the last 10 years the editors ofACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA havedisseminated this electronic survey to thou-sands of professionals worldwide to determinehealth and fitness trends The results in thisissue of the Journal will help guide healthfitness programming efforts for 2016 The firstsurvey (1) conducted in 2006 (for predictionsin 2007) developed a systematic way to predicthealth and fitness trends and surveys have beenconducted annually ever since (2Y9) using thesame methodology Because this was a surveyof trends respondents were asked to first makethe very important distinction between a lsquolsquofadrsquorsquoand a lsquolsquotrendrsquorsquo

VOL 19 NO 6 ACSMrsquos HEALTH amp FITNESS JOURNALA 9

Copyright copy 2015 American College of Sports Medicine Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited

These annual surveys of health fitness trends in thecommercial (usually for-profit companies) clinical (includingmedical fitness programs) community (not-for-profit) andcorporate divisions of the industry continue to confirmpreviously identified trends Some of the trends first identifiedfor 2007 have stayed at the top of the list since the first surveywas published whereas other new trends appear to be emergingfor 2016 and still others have dropped out of the top 20 Futuresurveys will confirm these as new trends or they will fall shortof making an enduring impact on the health fitness industry anddrop out of the survey as a trend Dropping out of the surveymay indicate that what was once perceived to be a trend wasactually a fad (note that Zumba stability ball indoor cyclingand Pilates have yet to reemerge as a trend) Wearabletechnology emerged as a developing trend for 2016

The ACSM survey makes no attempt to evaluate gymequipment or other exercise machines that may appear in clubsor recreation centers or show up during late-night televisioninfomercials often seen during the winter holidays or the weekprior to and a few weeks into the New Year The survey hasbeen designed to confirm or to introduce new trends (not fads)that have a perceived impact on the industry according to theinternational respondents By using this survey construct someof the trends identified in earlier surveys would quite naturallyappear for several years Likewise fads may appear but willpredictably drop off the list in subsequent years The potentialmarket impact of new equipment exercise device or program isnot evaluated by this annual survey Information provided inthis survey is left entirely up to the readers to determine if it fitsinto their own business models and how to best use theinformation for possible market expansion It is equally asimportant for the health and fitness industry to pay closeattention to not only those trends appearing for the first time butalso those that do not appear (eg boot camp Zumba and otherdance workouts indoor cycling worker incentive programsand Pilates)

The potential benefits to commercial health clubs (those thatare for-profit) is the establishment (or maybe the justification)of new markets which could result in a potential for increasedand more sustainable revenue Community-based programs(typically not-for-profit) can use the results to continue tojustify an investment in their own markets by providingexpanded programs serving families and children Corporate

wellness programs and medical fitness centers may find theseresults useful through an increased service to their members andto their patients The health and fitness industry should applythis information to its own unique settings

THE SURVEYThere were 40 possible trends in the 2016 survey The top 25trends from previous years were included in the survey as weresome potentially emerging trends identified by the staff andeditors of ACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA To establishequity the editors represent all four sectors of the health fitnessindustry (corporate clinical community commercial) as wellas academia In the survey potential trends were first identifiedThen a short explanation was written to offer the respondent afew details without inconveniencing them with too muchreading analysis or interpretation The survey was designedto be completed in 15 minutes or less As an incentive tocomplete the survey ACSM made available nine bookspublished by Wolters KluwerLippincott Williams amp Wilkins orHuman Kinetics and a $100 MasterCard gift card Theseincentives helped increase participation in the survey

The 40 potential items on the survey were constructed usinga Likert-type scale ranging from a low score of 1 (least likely tobe a trend) to a high score of 10 (most likely to be a trend)After each scoring opportunity space was allowed for therespondent to add comments At the conclusion of the surveyadditional space was left for the respondent to includecomments or potential fitness trends left off the list to beconsidered for future surveys The next step was to sendthe survey electronically to a defined list of health andfitness professionals (n = 26933) using Survey Monkey(surveymonkeycom) This list included current ACSM-certified professionals ACSM Alliance members nonmemberACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA subscribers ACSMrsquos

Health amp Fitness JournalA Associate Editors and ACSMrsquos

Health amp Fitness JournalA Editorial Board members Inaddition a link was posted on the journalrsquos Web site ACSMJournals Facebook page and on the ACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness

JournalA Twitter pageAfter 3 weeks and two additional notices 2833 responses

were received which represent an excellent return rate of 11one that is very similar to the return rates from prior yearsResponses were received from just about every continent andincluded the countries of Australia Canada China FranceGermany Japan India Italy Russia Singapore TaiwanUnited Kingdom and United States Demographics of thesurvey respondents included 66 females across a widevariability in ages (Figure 1) with nearly half (46) havingmore than 10 years of experience in the industry (Figure 2) and23 with more than 20 years of experience Almost 32 of thesurvey respondents earned an annual salary of more than$50000 which included 5 who earned more than $100000 a

Trend lsquolsquoa general development or change in a situation orin the way that people are behavingrsquorsquo (httpdictionarycambridgeorgus)

Fad lsquolsquoa fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm fora brief periodrsquorsquo (httpdictionaryreferencecom)

10 ACSMrsquos HEALTH amp FITNESS JOURNALA | wwwacsm-healthfitnessorg VOL 19 NO 6

Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2016


year (Figure 3) Respondents were asked to identify theiroccupations (Table 1) with 24 indicating that they were full-time or part-time personal trainers When asked if they workedfull time or part time 62 indicated full time and 31 parttime The remaining respondents either worked between 20 and40 hours a week or were full-time students who worked whenthey could however inconsistently Nearly 40 of the re-spondents said that this was their first job whereas 35 said itwas their second job after a career change The remaining 28said that they had worked more than two jobs before theircurrent job Figure 4 indicates where respondents work

SURVEY RESULTSThe first step in the analysis was to collate the responses andthen to rank order them from highest (most popular trend) tolowest (least popular trend) Only the top 20 for 2016 aredescribed in this report After rank ordering the responses fourinternationally recognized experts representing all sectors in thehealth and fitness industry commented on the findings Theiranalysis and commentary are included at the end of this reportFor a comparison of the top 10 trends from the past 9 yearsrsquosurveys (1Y9) please see the comprehensive comparison tableonline (available at httplinkslwwcomFITA27)

The same top trends identified in 2008 to 2012 appeared astop trends for 2013 just in a different order with educatedcertified and experienced fitness professionals maintaining theno 1 spot fitness programs for older adults dropping to no 6and strength training remaining at no 2 Introduced in 2013 for

the first time was body weight training which landed at no 2 inthis yearrsquos survey The 2016 survey results (Table 2) seem toreinforce the findings of previous years which was expectedwhen tracking trends and not fads Remaining out of the top 20trends for 2016 were Zumba Pilates and indoor cycling Newto the top 20 trends for 2016 are wearable technology (no 1)flexibility and mobility rollers (no 16) and smart phoneexercise apps (no 17)

1 Wearable technology Introduced just a few years agowearable technology includes fitness trackers smartwatches heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devicesExamples include fitness and activity trackers like thosefrom Misfit Garmin Jawbone and Fitbit The newlyreleased Apple WatchA is another example Somebusiness analysts have predicted that the Apple WatchA

will sell more than 485 million devices by the year 2018(httpswwwabiresearchcom) and that the wearabletechnology market will approach $6 billion dollars by2016 (httpstechnologyihscom) Trending in this part

Figure 1 Age (in years) of survey respondents

Figure 2 Years of experience reported by the survey respondents

Figure 3 Annual salary of survey respondents

TABLE 1 Respondentsrsquo OccupationPersonal Trainer (part time) 1412

Personal Trainer (full time) 1030

Health Fitness Specialist (or equivalent) 771

HealthFitness Director 653

Medical Professional (MDDO RNPhysical Therapist Occupational Therapist)

637

Clinical Exercise Physiologist 633

Professor 625

Graduate Student 492

HealthWellness Coach 429

Program Manager 417

Undergraduate Student 378

OwnerOperator 322

Clinical Exercise Specialist (or equivalent) 271

Group Exercise Leader 236

Teacher 201

Other 1494



of the industry today include smart glasses with a predicted$15 billion in sales (httpwwwjuniperresearchcomhome) and smart fabrics and interactive textiles reachingsales approaching $26 billion by 2017 (httpwwwstrategyrcom) It seems as though the lsquolsquoback to basicsrsquorsquophilosophy of the industry that was driven by the weakeconomy might be fading

2 Body weight training Appearing for the first time in thetrends survey in 2013 (at no 3) was body weight trainingand it had taken over the top spot from last yearrsquosfirst-time entry high-intensity interval training Bodyweight training did not appear as an option before 2013because it only became popular (as a defined trend)in gyms around the world during the last couple of yearsThis is not to say that body weight training had not beenused previously in fact people have been using theirown body weight for centuries as a form of resistancetraining But new packaging particularly by commercialclubs has now made it popular in all kinds of gymsTypical body weight training programs use minimalequipment which makes it a very inexpensive way toexercise effectively Most people think of body weighttraining as being limited to push-ups and pull-ups butit can be much more than that As the no 1 position inthe survey suggested last year body weight training is atrend to watch for the future

3 High-intensity interval training Falling from the topspot in the 2015 survey high-intensity interval trainingtypically involves short bursts of high-intensity exercisefollowed by a short period of rest or recovery andtypically takes less than 30 minutes to perform (although

Figure 4 Where do you work

TABLE 2 Top 20 Worldwide Fitness Trendsfor 2016

2016

1 Wearable technology

2 Body weight training

3 High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

4 Strength training

5 Educated certified and experienced fitness professionals

6 Personal training

7 Functional fitness

8 Fitness programs for older adults

9 Exercise and weight loss

10 Yoga

11 Group personal training

12 Worksite health promotion

13 Wellness coaching

14 Outdoor activities

15 Sport-specific training

16 Flexibility and mobility rollers

17 Smart phone exercise apps

18 Circuit training

19 Core training

20 Outcome measurements




it is not uncommon for these programs to be much longerin duration) While being offered as a possible trend inprevious surveys but not making the top 20 high-intensity interval training was no 1 in the survey for2014 despite the warnings of many survey respondentsabout potential dangers Many of the comments claimedthat clients liked this kind of program for a short timethen were looking for something else whereas otherswarned that it was very popular but were concerned witha potentially high injury rate Others working withclinical populations said that they would like to try itwith their patients but would substitute high intensitywith moderate intensity Despite the warnings by somehealth and fitness professionals of potentially increasedinjury rates using high-intensity interval trainingthis form of exercise remains popular in gyms all overthe world

4 Strength training Strength training remains popular inall sectors of the health and fitness industry and for manydifferent kinds of clients Strength training dropped tono 4 in last yearrsquos survey and maintains that positionfor 2016 after being at the no 2 position for 2 yearsbut has been a strong trend since the first year ofthis survey Many younger clients of both community-based programs and commercial clubs train exclusivelyusing weights Today however there are manyother individuals (men and women young and oldchildren and patients with a stable chronic disease)whose main focus is on using weight training to improveor maintain strength Many contemporary healthand fitness professionals incorporate some form ofstrength training into a comprehensive exercise routinefor their clients and patients It is not uncommon at allfor cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation ormetabolic disease management programs to includeweight training in the exercise programs for their patients


Falling to no 3 last year and to no 5 this year this is atrend that continues now that there are accreditationsoffered by national third-party accrediting organizationsfor health and fitness and clinical exercise programprofessionals There continues to be exponential growth ofeducational programs at community colleges and collegesand universities that have become accredited by theCommission on Accreditation of Allied Health EducationPrograms (CAAHEP wwwcaaheporg) through theCommittee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences(wwwcoaesorg) and more certification programsindependently accredited by the National Commission forCertifying Agencies (NCCA wwwcredentialingexcellenceorgNCCA) The US Department of Labor Bureau of LaborStatistics predicts lsquolsquoIemployment of fitness trainers andinstructors is expected to grow by 13 from 2012 to 2022rsquorsquo(httpwwwblsgovoohpersonal-care-and-servicefitness-trainers-and-instructorshtm cited July 29 2015) As theeconomy continues to grow and as the market for fitnessprofessionals becomes even more crowded and morecompetitive interest in some degree of regulation eitherfrom within the industry or from external sources (iegovernment) seems to be expanding CAAHEP and NCCAare both third-party accrediting agencies CAAHEP foracademic programs and NCCA for certification programsIn 2007 CAAHEP added a Personal Fitness Traineraccreditation for certificate (1 year) and associate (2 years)degree programs The accreditation for the academictraining of the Personal Fitness Trainer joined academicprogram accreditation for Exercise Science (baccalaureate)and Exercise Physiology (graduate programs in eitherapplied exercise physiology or clinical exercise physiology)Recently the not-for-profit Coalition for the Registrationof Exercise Professionals (CREP) was created byorganizations that offer NCCA-accredited exercisecertifications CREP maintains the US Registry ofExercise Professionals which is recognized internationallyFor more information contact infousrepsorg

6 Personal training As more professional personal trainersare educated and become certified (see trend no 5)they are increasingly more accessible in all sectors of thehealth and fitness industry Personal training has beenin the top 10 of this survey for the past 9 years Attentionrecently has been paid to the education (throughthird-party accreditation of CAAHEP) and certification(through third-party accreditation by NCCA) of personaltrainers Legislation has been introduced to licensepersonal trainers in a number of states and the Districtof Columbia (California New Jersey MassachusettsGeorgia and several others) While there have been someminor variations of personal training (eg small groups



as opposed to one-on-one) respondents to this surveybelieve that personal trainers will continue to be animportant part of the professional staff of healthand fitness centers Personal trainers are employed bycommunity-based programs in commercial settingsin corporate wellness programs and in medical fitnessprograms or are self-employed and work independently

7 Functional fitness Replicating actual physical activitiessomeone might do as a function of his or her dailyroutine functional fitness is defined as using strengthtraining to improve balance coordination force powerand endurance to enhance someonersquos ability to performactivities of daily living Functional fitness first appearedon the survey in the no 4 position in 2007 but fell tono 8 in 2008 and no 11 in 2009 It reappeared in thetop 10 for 2010 at no 7 and in 2011 as no 9 In 2012functional fitness was no 10 and in 2013 and 2014it was no 8 Last year this trend was no 9 Some of thesurvey respondents said that they typically pair functionalfitness with fitness programs for older adults (see trendno 8) depending on the needs of the client Functionalfitness also is used in clinical programs to replicateactivities done around the home

8 Fitness programs for older adults Health and fitnessprofessionals should take advantage of this exponentiallygrowing market by providing age-appropriate andsafe exercise programs for the aging sector of the populationThe highly active older adult (the athletic old) canbe targeted by commercial and community-basedorganizations to participate in more rigorous exerciseprograms including strength training and team sportsEven the frail elderly can improve their balance and abilityto perform activities of daily living when providedappropriate functional fitness activities It is assumedthat people who are retired not only have greater sums ofdiscretionary money but also have a tendency to spend itmore wisely and may have more time to engage inan exercise program Health and fitness professionalsshould consider developing fitness programs for people ofretirement age and use the time during the day whenmost gyms are underutilized (typically between 9 and11 am and 2 and 4 pm) The concern for the healthof aging adults has been consistently at the top of thissurvey and this year is no different The lsquolsquobaby boomgenerationrsquorsquo is now aging into retirement and becausethey may have more discretionary money than theiryounger counterparts fitness clubs should capitalize onthis exponentially growing market Fitness programsfor older adults will remain a strong trend for 2016

9 Exercise and weight loss The combination of exerciseand weight loss is a trend toward incorporating weight

loss programs that emphasize caloric restriction with asensible exercise program Exercise in weight lossprograms has been a trend since the survey began In2009 lsquolsquoexercise and weight lossrsquorsquo was ranked no 18moving to no 12 in 2010 no 7 in 2011 and no 4 in2012 and in 2013 the no 5 spot In 2014 this trendwas ranked no 6 and remained at no 6 for 2015Organizations particularly those that are for-profit andare in the business of providing weight loss programswill continue to incorporate regular exercise as well ascaloric restriction for weight control according to the2016 survey The combination of exercise and diet isessential for weight loss maintenance and can improvecompliance to caloric restriction diets and in particularweight loss programs Most of the well-publicized dietplans integrate exercise in addition to the daily routineof providing prepared meals to their clients

10 Yoga Moving slightly down the list for 2016 is yogaafter occupying the no 7 spot last year Yoga appearedin the top 10 in this survey in 2008 fell out of the top 20in 2009 but seemed to make a comeback in the 2010(no 14) and 2011 surveys (no 11) In 2012 yoga wasno 11 on the list falling to no 14 in 2013 and up tono 7 in 2015 Yoga comes in a variety of formsincluding Power Yoga Yogalates and Bikram Yoga(the one done in hot and humid environments) Otherforms of yoga include Iyengar Yoga Ashtanga VinyasaYoga Kripalu Yoga Anuara Yoga Kundalini Yogaand Sivananda Yoga Instructional tapes and books areabundant as are the growing numbers of certificationsfor the many yoga formats Yoga seems to reinventand refresh itself every year making it a more attractiveform of exercise




11 Group personal training Group personal trainingwill continue to be a popular trend in 2016 The personaltrainer will continue to provide the personal serviceclients expect from one-to-one training but now in asmall group typically of two to four This approachoffers potentially deep discounts to each member ofthe group and creates an incentive for clients to putsmall groups together In 2007 group personal trainingwas no 19 on the list In 2008 it rose slightly to no 15but dropped again in 2009 to no 19 and improved tono 10 in 2010 In 2011 group personal training wasno 14 on the survey no 8 in 2012 no 10 in 2013 no 9 in2014 and no 10 in 2015 In these challenging economictimes personal trainers are being more creative in theway that they package personal training sessions andhow they market themselves Training two or threepeople at the same time in a small group seems tomake good economic sense for both the trainer andthe client

12 Worksite health promotion Designed to improvethe health and well-being of employees this is a trendfor a range of programs and services that evaluatehealth health care costs and worker productivity Oncea need is determined worksite health promotionprofessionals build programs based on greatest needMany of these programs are physically housed withinthe company or corporation campus whereas otherprograms contract with independent commercial orcommunity-based programs Within the context ofhealth care reform in the United States and rising healthcare costs worksite health promotion programs maytake on additional importance in the future

13 Wellness coaching Wellness coaching was listed at no17 in 2014 no 13 in 2015 and remains at no 13 for2016 It has been in the top 20 since 2010 Wellnesscoaching integrates behavioral change science intohealth promotion disease prevention and rehabilitationprograms Wellness coaching often uses a one-on-oneapproach similar to a personal trainer with the coachproviding support guidance and encouragement Thewellness coach focuses on the clientrsquos values needsvision and goals According to the 2016 trends survey(and results from past surveys) it appears as thoughsome personal trainers and other health and fitnessprofessionals are now adopting wellness coaching andits principled techniques of behavior change

14 Outdoor activities Outdoor activities often includehiking canoeing kayaking and games or sportsOutdoor activities also can include high-adventureprograms such as overnight camping trips and mountainclimbing This more recent trend for health and fitness

professionals to offer outdoor activities for their clientsbegan in 2010 In that year lsquolsquooutdoor activitiesrsquorsquo wasno 25 in the annual survey and in 2011 it rankedno 27 In 2012 lsquolsquooutdoor activitiesrsquorsquo was no 14 and in2013 lsquolsquooutdoor activitiesrsquorsquo was ranked no 13 in 2014it was no 14 and in 2015 it was no 12 Outdooractivities can be done with family and friends with agroup or by yourself Some personal trainers use outdooractivities as a form of small-group personal training

15 Sport-specific training Falling from a top 10 spot(no 8) in 2010 sport-specific training dropped to no 16for 2011 and no 17 for 2012 dropped out of the top 20in 2013 and reappeared as no 18 in 2014 and no 16for 2015 For 2016 sport-specific training is rankedat no 15 This trend incorporates sport-specific trainingfor sports such as baseball and tennis designedespecially for young athletes For example a highschool athlete might join a commercial or community-based fitness organization to help develop skills duringthe off-season and to increase strength and endurancespecific to that sport something like functional fitnessfor sport performance This is an interesting trend for thehealth and fitness industry to watch during the next fewyears because of the fall to no 17 for 2012 from itsrelative popularity in 2010 and then rebounding a bit in2014 2015 and again for 2016 Sport-specific trainingcould possibly attract a new market or underservedmarket to commercial and community clubs as well asoffer a different kind of service that could lead toincreased revenues

16 Flexibility and mobility rollers Designed to massagerelieve muscle tightness and muscle spasms increasecirculation ease muscular discomfort and assist in thereturn to normal activity these devices include the deeptissue roller myofascial release and trigger point reliefRollers have been designed for the low back hips andfor larger muscle groups such as the hamstrings and thegluteals Some rollers are made of foam while othersare hard rubber depending on the desired effect It wasinteresting to observe these kinds of programs trendingpositively for 2016 Although the research is notabundant there seems to be a growing market for thesespecialized devices Fad or trend only time will tell

17 Smart Phone Exercise Apps Available for the iPhoneAiPadA and Android smart phone exercise apps such asthe Nike Training Club (free app) includes audio andvisual prompts to begin and end exercise and includescues Other apps are the Endomondo Pro ($399 iPhoneA

and Android) and Yoga With Janet Stone ($499 iPhoneA

and iPadA) among numerous others Some of these appscan track progress across time and can provide real-time



feedback These apps have been questioned about howaccurate they are but they have become increasinglypopular with younger gym members or people whoexercise regularly outdoors or wish to track theirphysical activity while doing activities of daily livingAs the accuracy improves these apps specific tosmart phones may be the future of monitoringexercise progress

18 Circuit training Circuit training appeared in 2013(no 18) for the first time in the top 20 trends and in2015 occupied the no 14 position up from no 15 in2014 Some respondents pointed out that circuit trainingis similar to high-intensity interval training but at amuch lower intensity Circuit training is a group of6 to 10 exercises that are completed one after anotherand in a predetermined sequence Each exercise isperformed for a specified number of repetitions or for a setperiod before having a quick rest and moving on to thenext exercise Circuit weight training has been around for along time and it seems to continue to be popular

19 Core training Core training stresses strength andconditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the abdomenthorax and back It typically includes exercises of thehips lower back and abdomen all of which providesupport for the spine and thorax Exercising the coremuscles improves overall stability of the trunk andtransfers that to the extremities enabling the individual tomeet the demands of activities of daily living and forthe performance of various sports that require strengthspeed and agility Core training often uses stabilizingdevices such as exercise balls BOSU balls wobble boardsand foam rollers From 2007 to 2010 core training wasin the top 5 of the fitness trends Since 2010 it has beendropping to now occupy the 19th spot in 2016

20 Outcome measurements Outcome measurements as atrend had not appeared in the top 20 for several yearsbut reappeared in 2013 at no 17 no 16 in 2014 no 18in 2015 and now no 20 A trend that addressesaccountability outcome measurements are efforts todefine and track measureable results to prove that aselected program actually works Measurements arenecessary to determine the benefits of health and fitnessprograms in disease management and to documentsuccess in changing negative lifestyle habits Theproliferation of new technology (particularly smartphones smart watches and wearable technology) hasaided in data collection to support these effortsAccountability to owners and operators of health andfitness facilities provides important metrics to determineif new programs are cost-effective and if old programsare actually working

WHATrsquoS OUT FOR 2016Dropping out of the top 20 for 2016 were children and exercise forthe treatmentprevention of obesity worker incentive programsand boot camp Demonstrating the biggest decrease in last yearrsquossurvey dropping from the top 5 in every survey between 2007 and2013 and appearing at no 11 in 2014 and no 17 for 2015 areexercise programs specifically aimed at children and weight lossChildhood and adolescent obesity continues to be a major healthissue in most developed and developing nations and is importantbecause of its association with other medical issues such asdiabetes and hypertension Programs for children are a potentialnew market for commercial and community-based organizationsbut do not seem to have been trending well in the industry

Appearing for the first time in the surveyrsquos top 20 in 2011worker incentive programs remained in the top 20 for 2012 2013and 2014 was no 19 in the 2015 survey and now not in the top 20This is a trend that creates incentive programs to stimulate positivehealthy behavior change as part of employer-based healthpromotion programming and health care benefits Worker incentiveprograms are associated with the trend to provide worksite healthpromotion programs in an attempt to reduce health care costs

After first appearing in the 2008 survey at no 26 boot campwas no 23 in 2009 no 16 in 2010 and no 8 in 2011 but fell tono 13 in 2012 and no 16 in 2013 In 2014 boot camp was no 20and remained in that spot for 2015 Boot camp is typically a high-intensity structured activity patterned after military-style trainingBoot camp includes cardiovascular strength endurance andflexibility drills and usually involves both indoor and outdoorexercises typically led by an enthusiastic instructor Boot campsalso can combine sports-type drills and calisthenics Perhaps nowthat the worldwide economy has gotten better these lsquolsquoback tobasicsrsquorsquo exercise programs may be a thing of the past

SUMMARYConsistent with the previous nine ACSM worldwide surveyssome new trends from last year were embraced (eg body weighttraining and high-intensity interval training) others were onceagain supported (eg educated and certified health fitnessprofessionals) and still others failed to make the top 20 trends(postrehabilitation classes worker incentive programs exerciseprograms specifically for overweight and obese children balancetraining boot camp indoor cycling Pilates running clubs waterworkouts Groupon stability ball and Zumba) Trends havebeen defined as a general development that takes some time andthen stays for a period (usually described as a behavior change)whereas a fad comes and goes In the top 20 fitness trends for 201617 have been on the list in previous years Taking over the top spotfrom body weight training and high-intensity interval training iswearable technology It will be very interesting to watchwearable technology during the next year to see if it is truly atrend or a fad Pilates indoor cycling balance training and useof the stability ball continue to exist in the health and fitness




industry but with not as much popularity according to the ACSMtrends survey

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS COMMENT ON 2016 TRENDS

Stella Lucia Volpe PhD RD LDN

FACSM is professor and chair of the

Department of Nutrition Science at Drexel

University Philadelphia PA Dr Volpe is

an associate editor of ACSMrsquos Health amp

Fitness JournalA Dr Walt Thompson wrotean excellent article on the 2016 Fitness Trendswhich happens to be celebrating its 10th

anniversary He first comments on the difference between trendsand fads which are important to distinguish in the exercise field Inthis yearrsquos 10th anniversary edition a number of trends emerged DrThompson discusses the top 20 trends that came from the surveywhich has been effectively used for 10 years I will comment on thetop five trends In our technology-driven era I was not surprised tosee that wearable technologywas listed as the first trend The fact thatbody weight training was second demonstrates that people are awarethat weights are not necessarily required for effective resistancetraining As Dr Thompson stated lsquolsquoMost people think of bodyweight training as being limited to push-ups and pull-ups but it canbe much more than thatrsquorsquo High-intensity interval training came inthird place this year after being in second place last year Althoughstrength training was in second place for 2 years it has now remainedin fourth place for 2 years and likely will remain high on the listStrength training seems to be common among all sectors of trainingchildren older adults individuals with chronic diseases andcompetitive athletes Having educated certified and experiencedfitness professionals finish up the top 5 for 2016 is encouraging Asan ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist I value theimportance of having properly credentialed fitness professionals andI am glad to see those who took the survey also value this

Bridget A Peters PhD SEACSM student

representative (2014Y2016) medical stu-

dent Edward Via College of Osteopathic

Medicine Spartanburg SC The benefits ofregular exercise are well documented How-ever nearly 160 million Americans are eitherobese or at risk of obesity This indicates theongoing need for new and innovative ways to

engage the population in regular exercise activities In its 10th yearof publication ACSMrsquos Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trendscontinues to serve as the leading authority on health and fitnesstrends and a primary mechanism for the fitness industry to betterserve its consumers in the coming year It is not surprising that this

yearrsquos survey results indicate wearable technology as the no 1trend This supports the increased marketing and sales of gadgetsengineered to make daily activity easier In conjunction with thewidespread incorporation of technology into daily fitness activi-ties the use of wearable technology aligns with the multifacetedinitiative of ACSMrsquos Exercise is MedicineA (EIM) initiativewhich encourages primary physicians and other health andfitness providers to design treatments that are individualizedOne major push for technology within the EIM initiative isphysical activity and digital health which incorporates technol-ogy as a tool to both engage the population and trackparticipation as well as outcomes of interventions Additionaltrends such as body weight training (no 2) and outdoor activities(no 14) seem to align with the push for cost-effective methodsof exercise whereas personal training (no 6) and wellnesscoaching (no 13) align with our desire to personalize exerciseregimens Lastly I believe that the survey results accuratelydepict the larger-scale ways the overall population is becomingconscientious with regard to personal health

James W Stinear PhD academic director

Clinical Exercise Physiology Programs Uni-

versity of Auckland New Zealand For this10th anniversary survey it seems somehowfitting that wearable technology is ranked no 1This somewhat unsurprising result raises anumber of important questions Is wearabletechnology part of the apparently insatiable trend

to own the latest lsquolsquohigh-techrsquorsquo gadget Are these devices attractivebecause they provide users with instant data (ie part of thelsquolsquoinstant gratificationrsquorsquo syndrome) Are their data accuratemeasures of exercise outcomes Will wearable technology makeclients less dependent on their personal trainers and clinicalexercise physiologists Will wearable technology address themajor concern facing public health authorities in the developedworld That is will it help us find a way to motivate everyone toexercise-for-life and eliminate physical inactivity from thecommunity Regardless of the most effective system forimproving onersquos body shape or reducing the risk of metaboliccardiac or degenerative disease what matters most to society isslowing the alarming increase in rates of morbidity and mortalitylinked to physical inactivity To achieve this people need to bemotivated to exercise If wearable technology is the answer tothe problem or even part of the answer (and I think it is) weshould find an upward trend in the use of wearable technology infuture surveys that can be linked to a slowing of morbidity andmortality rates related to noncommunicable diseasesWewill have towait and see Meanwhile we need to do everything we can toincrease the number of trainers and allied health professionals whouse exercise to enhance the communityrsquos fitness and reduce rates ofmorbidity and mortality



Eduardo E Bustamante PhD assistant

professor Department of Kinesiology

and Nutrition University of Illinois at

Chicago chair ACSMrsquos Ad Hoc Commit-

tee on Diversity Action director ACSMrsquos

Leadership ampDiversity Training Program

Reading the annual Worldwide Survey ofFitness Trends for the past decade one of the most excitingdevelopments has been its continuous growth in invited certifiedprofessionals (4000 in 2006 vs 27000() this year) respondents (500in 2006 vs ~3000 this year) and list of participating countries Thisgrowth is heartening because the fitness industry exists at theintersection of what is profitable (and thus sustainable) and whatpromotes health It is easier to make a profit selling fat drugs sugarand screen time than physical activities that are healthy but ofteninconvenient sometimes painful and carry largely distant andpreventive rewards We have done a fantastic job of educating thepublic about the need for and benefits of physical activity Yet theproportion of the population that is sufficiently active has been stuck at25 for decades The trends reported in this decennial survey includebrilliant strategies for getting people moving Its results represent thewisdom of the crowd and an empirically supported rule of thumb isthat diverse crowds always predict more accurately than the average ofthe individuals (and often better than experts) Thus it would belogical to apply one ormore of these trends to your settingHowever Iwould like to nudge you in a different direction Across sectors to theinnovator go the spoils and a leader does not askwhichway the crowdis going so heshemay follow it In this spirit I urge you to view thesetrends as ingredients for obliterating the 25 ceiling Combine themthoughtfully systematically iteratively and imaginatively and adecade from now we will have dramatically improved both thepublicrsquos health and the fitness industryrsquos profitability

AcknowledgmentsThe author thanks past Editor-in-Chief Ed Howley PhD FACSMfor considering this project important enough to include in theyear-end edition of ACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA more than10 years ago and to current Editor-in-Chief Steven J KeteyianPhD FACSM for continuing the tradition The author also thanksACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA editorial team especially thosewho contributed to the original survey in 2006 Paul CouzelisPhD John Jakicic PhD FACSM Nico Pronk PhD FACSMMike Spezzano MS Neal Pire MA FACSM Jim PetersonPhD FACSM Melinda Manore PhD RD FACSM CaryWing EdD Reed Humphrey PhD PT FACSM and SteveTharrett MS for their very important input into the construction ofthe original and subsequent surveys Finally the author is indebtedto the ACSM staff that have supported this study by assisting in theconstruction formatting and delivery of it to thousands of fitnessprofessionals around the world In particular the author recognizesDick Cotton Kela Webster Heather Drake and Katie Feltman for

their important contributions and especially Lori Tish who hastirelessly worked on this survey since it first launched in 2006

References1 Thompson WR Worldwide survey reveals fitness trends for 2007

ACSMrsquos Health Fitness J 200610(6)8Y14

2 Thompson WR Worldwide survey reveals fitness trends for 2008ACSMrsquos Health Fitness J 200711(6)7Y13






8 Thompson WR Now trending worldwide survey of fitness trends for2014 ACSMrsquos Health Fitness J 201317(6)10Y20

9 Thompson WR Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2015 whatrsquosdriving the market ACSMrsquos Health Fitness J 201418(6)8Y17

Disclosure The author declares no conflicts of interest anddoes not have any financial disclosures

Walter R Thompson PhD FACSM is

associate dean of Graduate Studies and

Research in the College of Education amp

Human Development at Georgia State Uni-

versity and a regentsrsquo professor in the

Department of Kinesiology and Health the

Department of Nutrition and the School of

Public Health He also is the executive director of After-School

All-Stars Atlanta He currently is serving on the ACSM Board

of Trustees as an elected vice president

BRIDGING THE GAP

The 2016 worldwide survey of fitness trends is now in its10th consecutive year It helps the health and fitness industrymake critical programming and business decisions Theresults are applicable to all four sectors of the health andfitness industry (commercial for-profit clubs clinical ormedical fitness programs corporate wellness programsand community-based not-for-profit fitness programs) Al-though no one can accurately predict the future of anyindustry this survey helps track trends in the field that canassist owners operators program directors and personaltrainers with making important business decisions




These annual surveys of health fitness trends in thecommercial (usually for-profit companies) clinical (includingmedical fitness programs) community (not-for-profit) andcorporate divisions of the industry continue to confirmpreviously identified trends Some of the trends first identifiedfor 2007 have stayed at the top of the list since the first surveywas published whereas other new trends appear to be emergingfor 2016 and still others have dropped out of the top 20 Futuresurveys will confirm these as new trends or they will fall shortof making an enduring impact on the health fitness industry anddrop out of the survey as a trend Dropping out of the surveymay indicate that what was once perceived to be a trend wasactually a fad (note that Zumba stability ball indoor cyclingand Pilates have yet to reemerge as a trend) Wearabletechnology emerged as a developing trend for 2016

The ACSM survey makes no attempt to evaluate gymequipment or other exercise machines that may appear in clubsor recreation centers or show up during late-night televisioninfomercials often seen during the winter holidays or the weekprior to and a few weeks into the New Year The survey hasbeen designed to confirm or to introduce new trends (not fads)that have a perceived impact on the industry according to theinternational respondents By using this survey construct someof the trends identified in earlier surveys would quite naturallyappear for several years Likewise fads may appear but willpredictably drop off the list in subsequent years The potentialmarket impact of new equipment exercise device or program isnot evaluated by this annual survey Information provided inthis survey is left entirely up to the readers to determine if it fitsinto their own business models and how to best use theinformation for possible market expansion It is equally asimportant for the health and fitness industry to pay closeattention to not only those trends appearing for the first time butalso those that do not appear (eg boot camp Zumba and otherdance workouts indoor cycling worker incentive programsand Pilates)

The potential benefits to commercial health clubs (those thatare for-profit) is the establishment (or maybe the justification)of new markets which could result in a potential for increasedand more sustainable revenue Community-based programs(typically not-for-profit) can use the results to continue tojustify an investment in their own markets by providingexpanded programs serving families and children Corporate

wellness programs and medical fitness centers may find theseresults useful through an increased service to their members andto their patients The health and fitness industry should applythis information to its own unique settings

THE SURVEYThere were 40 possible trends in the 2016 survey The top 25trends from previous years were included in the survey as weresome potentially emerging trends identified by the staff andeditors of ACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA To establishequity the editors represent all four sectors of the health fitnessindustry (corporate clinical community commercial) as wellas academia In the survey potential trends were first identifiedThen a short explanation was written to offer the respondent afew details without inconveniencing them with too muchreading analysis or interpretation The survey was designedto be completed in 15 minutes or less As an incentive tocomplete the survey ACSM made available nine bookspublished by Wolters KluwerLippincott Williams amp Wilkins orHuman Kinetics and a $100 MasterCard gift card Theseincentives helped increase participation in the survey

The 40 potential items on the survey were constructed usinga Likert-type scale ranging from a low score of 1 (least likely tobe a trend) to a high score of 10 (most likely to be a trend)After each scoring opportunity space was allowed for therespondent to add comments At the conclusion of the surveyadditional space was left for the respondent to includecomments or potential fitness trends left off the list to beconsidered for future surveys The next step was to sendthe survey electronically to a defined list of health andfitness professionals (n = 26933) using Survey Monkey(surveymonkeycom) This list included current ACSM-certified professionals ACSM Alliance members nonmemberACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness JournalA subscribers ACSMrsquos

Health amp Fitness JournalA Associate Editors and ACSMrsquos

Health amp Fitness JournalA Editorial Board members Inaddition a link was posted on the journalrsquos Web site ACSMJournals Facebook page and on the ACSMrsquos Health amp Fitness

JournalA Twitter pageAfter 3 weeks and two additional notices 2833 responses

were received which represent an excellent return rate of 11one that is very similar to the return rates from prior yearsResponses were received from just about every continent andincluded the countries of Australia Canada China FranceGermany Japan India Italy Russia Singapore TaiwanUnited Kingdom and United States Demographics of thesurvey respondents included 66 females across a widevariability in ages (Figure 1) with nearly half (46) havingmore than 10 years of experience in the industry (Figure 2) and23 with more than 20 years of experience Almost 32 of thesurvey respondents earned an annual salary of more than$50000 which included 5 who earned more than $100000 a

Trend lsquolsquoa general development or change in a situation orin the way that people are behavingrsquorsquo (httpdictionarycambridgeorgus)

Fad lsquolsquoa fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm fora brief periodrsquorsquo (httpdictionaryreferencecom)


















637


Professor 625



Program Manager 417


OwnerOperator 322



Teacher 201

Other 1494








2016




4 Strength training


6 Personal training




10 Yoga








18 Circuit training

19 Core training































































































BRIDGING THE GAP



















637


Professor 625



Program Manager 417


OwnerOperator 322



Teacher 201

Other 1494








2016




4 Strength training


6 Personal training




10 Yoga








18 Circuit training

19 Core training































































































BRIDGING THE GAP










2016




4 Strength training


6 Personal training




10 Yoga








18 Circuit training

19 Core training































































































BRIDGING THE GAP































































































BRIDGING THE GAP





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