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It's already 2024.. A fresh start brings new developments in the world of fitness. Curious about what will remain popular, what will fade, and what new trends will emerge in 2024? In this blog, you'll discover what to try (or avoid) in your gym in 2024. Here are the fitness trends for 2024!
Last year, we saw trends like 'wearable technology', 'mental health', 'home gyms', 'boutique fitness studios', 'virtual reality', and 'HIIT'. Some of these will continue to be prominent this year. Want to know which ones and how to adapt as a gym owner? Read on!
Fitness Trends for 2024
Personalized Fitness Experiences
The concept of a personalized fitness plan isn't new, but the way these plans are created and customized is rapidly evolving. In 2023, we saw a significant shift towards using technology to craft personalized fitness plans. This trend is set to continue in 2024.
AI-driven health and fitness apps, along with fitness wearables, are leading this development. They utilize biometric data to tailor workouts to individual needs. This data includes daily activity levels and heart rate variability, ensuring workouts align with the user's skill level, daily energy expenditure, and sleep patterns.
Once a personalized fitness regime is established, these wearables also enable users to easily adjust the intensity of their workouts as their fitness improves. This creates a dynamic and responsive training experience.
As a (personal) trainer, you play a crucial role in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the fitness world. Here's how you can benefit from AI-driven health and fitness apps and wearables in 2024:
- Personal Fitness Plans with AI: With AI's rise in the fitness industry, you can really meet your clients' unique needs.
- Use of Biometric Data: Fitness wearables gather essential biometric data like daily activity levels and heart rate variability (HRV). Use this data to tailor workouts perfectly to your clients' individual levels, energy use, and sleep patterns.
- Dynamic Workout Adjustments: Adjust workout difficulty as your client's fitness improves, ensuring continual challenges and progression.
- Technology Integration in Training:
- Recommending Wearables: Recommend the right wearables based on your clients' goals and needs.
- Assisting with Setup: Help clients set up their devices and understand the data collected. - Data Analysis: Interpret data from wearables to develop personalized training programs. Tailor training precisely to your clients' physical states.
- Targeted Training and Planning: Set realistic goals and detailed training plans based on wearable data.
- Integrating Mental and Physical Health:
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Exercises: Incorporate mindfulness and relaxation exercises in your training programs to improve not just physical but also mental health. - Motivation and Accountability: Use data from wearables to motivate clients and track their progress, keeping them focused on their goals.
By following these approaches, you as a (personal) trainer can maximize the benefits of AI and technology, offering your clients a personalized and more effective training experience. This not only aids in achieving fitness goals but also raises awareness of the benefits of advanced fitness technologies.
Holistic Fitness
The recognition of the close connection between physical and mental health is gaining rapid traction. Research shows that 46% of people with mental health issues also experience physical conditions. Furthermore, 89% of people report significant mental health benefits from exercise. These findings underscore that a healthy mind and body go hand in hand.
In 2024, we take a significant step forward by approaching physical and mental health as one holistic entity. The focus shifts from purely physical fitness to an integrated approach that also includes mental well-being. This means extra opportunities for trainers and fitness centers to adapt their offerings to meet these holistic needs. People are looking for a fitness experience that goes beyond just physical health; they crave a more comprehensive approach that keeps them mentally active, engaged, and satisfied.
As a personal trainer or gym owner, it's important to recognize that your clients' health is both physical and mental. Here are some steps you can take to tap into this holistic health trend:
- Offer Holistic Services:
- Diversification: Introduce holistic services such as yoga, mindfulness sessions, nutritional advice, and meditation classes alongside traditional fitness programs.
- Specialized Instructors: Ensure your team includes trainers specialized in different aspects of holistic health, like yoga and mindfulness.
- Personal Guidance: Develop personalized wellness plans that include tailored exercise routines, nutritional advice, and mindfulness practices. - Build a Supportive Community:
- Community-Building: Create a supportive environment in your gym where members can motivate each other for both physical and mental well-being.
- Organize Events: Regularly plan events and workshops focused on holistic health to promote awareness and engagement. - Information and Education:
- Education: Provide your clients with information on the benefits of a holistic approach to health.
- Awareness: Help your clients make more informed decisions about their well-being by sharing the scientific basis behind the relationship between physical and mental health.
By implementing these strategies, you as a personal trainer or gym/box owner can tap into the holistic health trend. This will not only improve the satisfaction and success of your clients but also increase the overall effectiveness and appeal of your fitness business.
Virtual Workouts
Virtual workouts peaked during the pandemic when 45% of people tried to stay active from home. In 2024, even more people will use technology to complete workouts from the comfort of their own homes.
Online gym classes will retain their popularity in 2024 thanks to benefits like increased personalization, improved accessibility, and measurable fitness goals. Virtual reality gyms are also becoming popular for many of the same benefits. Using VR three-dimensional imaging, these gyms enable individuals with VR headsets to access a range of immersive workout experiences.
As a gym owner, you can tap into the trend of virtual workouts by considering these strategies:
- Online Fitness Platforms:
- Offer online fitness subscriptions with access to live and on-demand training sessions.
- Provide a wide range of training options, such as cardio, strength training, and yoga, to cater to diverse fitness levels and interests. - Virtual Reality Gyms:
- Invest in VR technology and create a virtual gym environment.
- Offer workouts where clients can train with VR headsets for an immersive and interactive experience. - Community-Building:
- Create online communities where clients share their fitness journey and support each other.
- Organize virtual group training and challenges to increase engagement. - App Integration:
- Develop a mobile app for access to workouts, training plans, and virtual gym sessions.
- Ensure the app is easy to navigate and tracks user progress. - Feedback:
- Implement systems for personal feedback and virtual coaching during workouts. This can include monitoring proper technique and adjusting intensity.
By following these approaches, you transform your gym into a modern and technologically advanced facility. This not only retains your current clientele but also attracts new customers looking for innovative home fitness options.
Sustainable Fitness
As someone interested in the fitness industry, it's good to know that about 75% of millennials consider themselves environmentally conscious. This has a major impact on how gyms operate, especially when it comes to sustainability. In 2024, you'll notice that many gyms continue to follow these sustainability trends:
- Eco-Friendly Equipment and Facilities:
- Consider investing in sustainable fitness equipment, such as devices that generate energy during use and equipment that last for years.
- Use environmentally friendly products for the design and maintenance of your gym/box. - Sustainable Building Management:
- Apply energy-efficient lighting and heating systems to reduce energy consumption.
- Implement water-saving measures to reduce the ecological footprint. - Reuse and Recycling:
- Implement recycling programs for things like water bottles, towels, and fitness clothing.
- Offer second-hand or recycled sports equipment. - Sustainable Fitness Classes:
- Offer classes focused on outdoor activities or use less energy-intensive equipment to lower the environmental impact.
High Intensity Training and Strength Training
As you read above, yoga certainly has its place in 2024. But make no mistake, the next year is not just about low-impact workouts. There are also strong indications of an increase in high-intensity training again.
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, has become increasingly popular in recent years and this growth continues. Add to this the growing popularity of virtual classes: HIIT workouts that do not require complicated equipment will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience.
But HIIT is not the only type of training that will grow in the coming year. Strength training is also becoming more popular, for several reasons. Strength training offers a wide range of benefits, ranging from improved bone density to cardiovascular health, and even mental well-being.
As a gym owner, you can respond to this growing popularity of both HIIT and strength training by considering various strategies:
- Diverse Training Options:
- Ensure that your gym offers various options, including HIIT workouts and guided strength training sessions.
- The variety helps clients achieve their fitness goals and vary their workouts, increasing their engagement. - Group Training:
- Offer group training focused on HIIT and strength training.
- These sessions create a community feel and encourage participants to give it their all during workouts. - Personal Training Sessions:
- Offer personalized training plans tailored to individual client goals and needs.
- This provides a tailor-made fitness experience that meets your clients' wishes. - Flexible Training Hours:
- Offer flexible training hours to accommodate clients with busy schedules.
- Ensure that both HIIT sessions and guided strength training sessions are available at different times. - Educational Workshops and Seminars:
- Organize workshops and seminars on the benefits of HIIT and strength training, and techniques for safe and effective training.
- This increases client awareness and engagement with these training methods. - Progress Tracking:
- Encourage clients to track their progress, both in terms of strength gains and cardiovascular improvements.
- This can be motivating and give a sense of achievement, essential for long-term engagement.
By implementing these approaches, you effectively respond to the trend of increasing popularity of HIIT and strength training, creating an attractive and effective fitness environment for clients seeking intensive and result-oriented workouts.
Outdoor training
It's been over two years since the last lockdown ended, yet our longing for outdoor time continues. Moreover, people who discovered outdoor sports during the lockdown still enjoy them immensely, except maybe when it's pouring rain. ;)
Outdoor training remains a fitness trend for 2024, with a group of people preferring open-air activities over traditional indoor fitness (or seeking a combination of both). As a gym/box owner, there are various ways you can tap into this trend:
- Outdoor Classes:
- Organize a variety of outdoor activities such as yoga, Pilates, boot camps, and HIIT workouts.
- Hold these classes in locations like parks, beaches, or on the premises of the gym, if possible.
- Our Crossmaxx® Outdoor collection is perfect for these activities. Contact us to discuss the possibilities. - Flexible Fitness Equipment:
- Offer easily movable fitness equipment, such as kettlebells, balls, and dumbbells.
- Allow members the option to train both indoors and outdoors with this equipment - Collaboration with Local Parks:
- Collaborate with local governments or community organizations for access to public spaces for outdoor classes. - Events and Challenges:
- Organize outdoor fitness events such as running groups, walking clubs, or obstacle course races.
- Create a sense of community and attract new members with these activities. - Outdoor Personal Training:
- Offer personal training sessions outdoors, ideal for members who want a personalized and natural training environment. Digital Support:
- Provide online classes or apps that support outdoor training.
- Help members stay engaged, even when they're not in the gym.
Implementing these initiatives caters to the preferences of members who favor outdoor activities, while maintaining a connection with the gym. This not only enhances the attractiveness of the gym but also supports a healthier and more active lifestyle.
Fitness for Everyone: Inclusivity is Key
One of the fitness trends for 2024 seems to focus strongly on inclusivity, which means making fitness more accessible and appealing to a wide range of people, regardless of their age, gender, physical abilities, or background. This trend reflects a growing awareness of the importance of physical activity for everyone and the pursuit of a more inclusive society. Here are some ways trainers can tap into this trend:
- Diversity in Fitness Classes:
- Gyms can offer a diverse range of fitness classes and activities suitable for different age groups, skill levels, and interests. This can range from yoga and Pilates to more challenging strength and cardio workouts. - Accessible Facilities:
- Designing accessible facilities that accommodate people with physical limitations is crucial. This includes wheelchair accessibility, adapted fitness equipment, and clear signage. - Specialized Training and Workshops:
- Offer specialized training sessions or workshops targeted at specific communities, such as seniors, pregnant women, or people with chronic health conditions. - Supportive Community:
- Create a supportive and non-judgmental community within the gym to foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere. - Flexible Membership Options:
- Offer flexible membership options, such as short-term memberships or pay-as-you-go options, to increase accessibility for financially limited individuals.
By implementing these strategies, gyms can not only create a more inclusive environment but also expand their customer base and make a positive contribution to the community.
Those were the fitness trends for 2024. Whether you are the owner of a sports facility or an avid fitness enthusiast, embracing these trends will surely contribute positively to your fitness experience!
Interested in purchasing equipment that fit your personal goals or the goals of your gym for 2024? Check out our extensive range on our website, or contact us for more information. You can also download our catalogue to have a look at our full range.
