Do you find yourself doing the same exercises day in day out and are you beginning to get bored of your current training routine? Here are some current fitness trends (yes, just like fashion and beauty, fitness has trends too!) that could help get you out of your workout rut, even if you just give them a go.
Barre classes
Want the hot bod of a dancer without the confusing moves? Barre classes usually combine repeated smaller/broken down dance movements (often ballet influenced) with pilates and yoga to help work out the smaller muscle groups to help tighten and tone every inch of your body; including the bits that often get left out of bootcamp-style classes. Some dance studios host barre classes and an increasing number of gyms and fitness class studios are beginning to have them on their timetables.
Small group training
If you like the thought of personal training but don’t have the budget, or want to do group fitness classes with a bit more attention on yourself, then small group training could be great for you. This usually involves a personal trainer getting together a group of around three to six people with similar goals, exercise preferences and ability levels to train on a regular basis. As there aren’t that many of you, the PT will still be able to help you focus on your personal goals, you’ll have someone to go to for poersonalised nutrition and exercise advice, while working with others will help add a bit of comraderie into the mix which can keep you motivated when times get tough. Contact local PTs and ask if they do small group training.
Crossfit/spartan style training
Here, the focus is no longer on the scales; it’s about being fit, healthy and strong. Not for the faint-hearted, your ability will be tested to it’s max and you will always be striving towards a new ‘personal best’ goal by pushing, pulling, climbing, jumping, lifting and every other kind of movement you can think of. The great thing about this, is that you’ll train hard with others, work on functional fitness you can use in everyday life, get great results and feel like you’re really accomplishing something for yourself. There are Crossfit training centres and Spartan style gyms such as Ludus Magnus popping up around the country.
Body weight training
Weights are thrown out the window (not literally!) and you simply use your own body weight to train. Think squats, push ups, lunges, pull ups, tricep dips… There are some great pieces of equipment out now that even get you to use your own bodyweight against gravity to make things more difficult and challenge your core – check out TRX Training! Look for a personal trainer who specialises in body weight training as it doesn’t need to be about the boring basic moves every single session.
Image / Flickr – CrossFit Fever