With a new year just beginning, now is the time for a lot of people to start their fitness journey. For some this will mean improving on their current level, setting new goals or targets, for other this will mean starting from scratch. Whichever stage you are at, there will always be a new way to shake up your routine, with some fitness fads disappearing before you can say “shake weight” we have looked into what is hot and what to look out for in 2015.
Bodyweight Training
Bodyweight training has taken over in popularity for the first time ever, perhaps due to an increase in budget-conscious consumers wanting to workout at home or perhaps due to a shift of a focus to more functional training in fitness plans. Bodyweight training can be performed anywhere, in gyms, parks, or in the comfort of your own home and relies on moving the weight you are already blessed with throughout your own body (as the name suggests) resulting in a more efficient body and ease when it comes to day-to-day movements and activities.
Read Our Top Strength Workouts To Do At Home
High Intensity Training
High Intensity Interval Training is essentially performing shorts bursts of exercise working at a near-maximal level followed by short rest periods. The idea is to get maximum benefits in minimal amounts of time by pushing your energy systems beyond what they are used to. Any exercise you perform for a set amount of time followed by resting for half of that amount of time can fall under this category. Working at a high intensity is hard work so always ensure you have performed a thorough warm-up beforehand and chosen a good selection of exercises for your training to ensure safety.
To get a feel the HIIT, try this quick and simple workout after a warm-up;
- 20 seconds pushups
- 10 seconds rest
- 20 seconds bodyweight squats
- 10 seconds rest
- Repeat x 4
Find out more about HIIT with Tabata intervals.
Treadmill Training
Everybody has heard of spin, but treadmill classes? Quite possibly coming to a gym near you are group training sessions based around treadmill workouts for those looking to get something extra out of their cardio.
In the meantime if you are a regular treadmill runner, try this Fartlek workout to shake things up a bit.
- 5-10 minute walking/jogging at a comfortable pace
- 60 seconds at 7mph
- 60 seconds at 5mph
- 45 seconds at 8mph
- 60 seconds at 4mph
- 30 seconds at 9mph
- 60 seconds at 3mph
- 30 seconds at 9mph
- 90 seconds at 3mph
- And repeat!
Strength Training
Strength training and lifting weights has often been neglected by those either intimidated by the thoughts of being surrounded by huge men or worried about being the one lifting the small pink dumbbells while the rest of the gym are lifting cars above their heads. Luckily the stigma is fading with more and more studies showing the benefits of adding in strength training for muscular balance and endurance progression.
Read our Top Myths About Strength Training
Yoga
Yoga is constantly growing in popularity list, moving up in Google’s ‘most searched’ results year after year. The reason is quite simple, it’s perfect for injury prevention and recovery, for performance benefits, and for the chance to relax and unwind from work or a hectic lifestyle. Through balancing the body and mind many athletes reap the benefits.