The top fitness trends

One of the top fitness trends to look for in 2010 is strength training according to a survey administered by the American Council of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Released in the November/December issue of ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal® the survey, now in its fourth year, was distributed to ACSM certified health and fitness professionals worldwide and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments.

Strength training jumps to number two among trends from #4 last year, as it was previously viewed as a training method only for male body builders. Recent studies have revealed the many benefits of strength training and as a result more average exercisers and women are realizing its importance for healthy bones, muscles and aging.

Check out a strength training class at your gym to get familiar with proper form and start building lean muscle mass.

The top trend to look out for however belongs to educated and experienced fitness professionals. This comes as the number of specialty certifications and educational programs has skyrocketed in recent years. If you are looking to hire a personal trainer at your gym, do your research before hand and see what some of the requirements are. The best certifications among industry insiders are ACSM and NASM. Although many others are very good, they offer little to no actual training experience so make sure your trainer has some years under their belt working with clients.

Jillian Michaels, for example, does not have either of these certs. Obviously she is a trainer who knows how to get results but ask a fitness professional about Jillian and they will probably roll their eyes.

Also, gyms like Bally's and Boston Sports Club do hire trainers with little experience. Some of the industry's best trainers have to start somewhere so if you are a relatively healthy individual don't worry so much. If you are over the age of 45, have any pre existing metabolic conditions like Diabetes or are recovering from an injury, make sure your trainer knows their stuff.

Lead author of the survey, Walter Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM,, says the 2010 predicted trends reflect consumer intelligence.

"Consumers are more conscious of their finances than ever," he said. "If they're going to work with a fitness professional to improve their health, they're going to do their homework and find someone who's educated, experienced and certified by a reputable organization such as ACSM."

An interesting trend that is missing from the top 10 for the second year in a row is yoga, even after studies this past year revealed it had weight loss and stress reducing effects. For 2010, it is listed as number 14. Other losers include balance training and the stability ball.

Other trends in the top ten for children and obesity, special fitness programs for older adults, personal training, core training, functional fitness, Pilates, Sport-specific training and group-personal training.

Get a full list of trends 2010 fitness trends here.

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