• On Dec, 08, 2012
•  Jayne Hembruff
•  General

Your body is the only equipment you need for one of the hottest fitness trends: body-weight workouts writes Jennifer Warner.

A new survey of fitness trends shows body-weight training, including back-to-basics exercises like push-ups, planks, and pull-ups, is expected to be one of the top 10 fitness trends of 2013. Yoga strength is a wonderful strength training. My clients have been enjoying the beloved yoga plank series which includes the half and quarter yoga plank, reverse plank and side planks to strengthen the upper body and core, For those unchallenged then we add the additional element of tree pose while in plank. For the triceps, nothing helps tonne and strengthen this target area quite like the grasshopper and dolphin series.

Researchers say people have been using their own body weight as a form of resistance training. But this is the first time it has made it into the trend survey.

?Body-weight exercises are a proven way to get and stay fit,? says researcher Walt Thompson, PhD, of Georgia State University. ?In a time when many people are concerned with cutting expenses, body-weight exercises are a great way to feel great and look toned without a big financial investment.?

Top Fitness Trends Predicted for 2013

According to the survey, completed by 3,346 health and fitness professionals worldwide and appears in the American College of Sports Medicine?s?Health & Fitness Journal.

the top 10 fitness trends predicted for 2013 are:

1. Educated, certified, and experienced fitness professionals — Jobs for fitness workers are expected to rise much faster than the average for all other occupations, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Taking the top spot in the fitness trend survey for the sixth year in a row are fitness professionals.

Education and certification programs for health and fitness professionals are experiencing exponential growth. The number of employed fitness trainers is projected to rise by 29% from 251,400 in 2010 to 311,800 in 2020. Registered yoga teachers are required to complete 40 hours of yoga training per year, plus maintain their CPR and 1st aid training. Buyer beware of the certified yoga instructor as some places offer a one day yoga certificate (only 6 hours), however, I strongly recommend you seek a teacher who has completed at least the 200 hours of training, plus has a personal practice of at least five years.

2.?Strength training?– In the No. 2 spot for the second year in a row, strength training continues to be a strong trend. No longer restricted to body building, most people now incorporate some form of weight training to improve or maintain muscle strength.

3. Body-weight training — Body-weight exercises use minimal equipment and include push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and squats. In yoga, we enjoy the yoga half and quarter planks as upper body strengtheners, and milking the cow and goddess pose for quad strengtheners.

4. Children and?obesity?– Exercise programs aimed at the problem of childhood obesity are also a major fitness trend. Schools are increasingly partnering with commercial and community-based physical activity programs to prevent and treat rising childhood obesity rates. Yoga School programs assist children to begin being active, while improving strength, flexibility, balance, respiratory capacity and self esteem and confidence.

5. Exercise and?weight loss?– Consistently in the top 20 fitness trends, researchers say most popular diet plans incorporate exercise to encourage weight loss. If people choose to, they can adopt the yogic lifestyle. Many people report that they become more conscious about their lifestyle choices. Ahimsa?(Sanskrit:???????) is a term meaning to do no harm (literally: the avoidance of violence ??himsa). The word is derived from the Sanskrit root?hims?? to strike;?himsa?is injury or harm,?a-himsa?is the opposite of this, i.e.?non harming?or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of yoga. Ahimsa means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including one self, animals plants and the planet. Includes the avoidance of verbal and physical violence is also a part of this principle, although ahimsa recognizes?self-defense?when necessary, as a sign of a strong spirit. It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence?entail?negative?karmic?consequences.

The result, making healthier choices to not harm oneself by making healthier food and beverage choices, and choosing to be active.

6. Fitness programs for older adults — Fitness industry is capitalizing on an aging baby boomer generation with age-appropriate exercise programs. Yoga is a suitable for all ages and abilities. In fact, yoga can even be done in a chair for those who cannot make it to the floor easily.

7. Personal training — As more personal trainers are becoming certified, they are becoming more accessible in a variety of settings, such as corporate wellness, community-based, and medical fitness programs.

8. Functional fitness — Researchers define functional fitness as using strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power, and endurance to perform activities of daily living. Functional fitness programs are designed to reflect actual activities done as a function of daily living and are often used in fitness programs for older adults.

9. Core training ? stresses strength and conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the mid-section. Researchers say exercising the core muscles in the hips, lower back, and abdomen?improves overall stability for daily activities and sports performance.? Forget all the fancy equipment, just try the various core strengthening moves yoga has to offer. Want the personal training feeling, try getting a private group for you and your significant other or a group of friends to cut the costs while getting the individualized training you are seeking.