Top trends for fitness in the year ahead + win fantastic personal training sessions

Long gone are the days when exercising meant going for a jog around Port Meadow or heading to the local aerobics class.

These things still exist of course, but not quite in the same way: aerobics now means a long list of pump-it/dance-it/blast-it/shake-it-to-the-beat variations, there are all sorts of fancy gizmos and disciplines for strengthening up and, while jogging might still essentially be the same, look at how many people are now training for an event, monitoring progress on smartphones and investing in the latest gravity-defying trainers.

Certainly, we’re spoilt for choice these days when it comes to how we exercise. 2014 saw high-intensity interval training [HIIT] become mainstream, personal bests are something everybody, not just pro athletes, think about, and getting-my-sweat-on overtook pouting-on-a-night-out as the social media selfie of choice.

According to the trend forecasters, there’s more to come in 2015. Here’s a snapshot of the fitness vibe predicted for the year ahead...

TIME AND CONVENIENCE TOP THE LIST

With people working longer hours than ever finding time to work out can be increasingly difficult.

So as time is at a premium, the industry is catering to our needs by increasing short yet effective workouts.

HIIT isn’t brand-new but it’s certainly a trend that’s continuing to grow. “HIIT is a method that I use with most of my clients, involving short springs separated by rest periods,” says Oxford personal trainer Chris Hall, 29, pictured.

The appeal is the fast and furious approach, which delivers results quickly.

ANY TIME, ANY PLACE

Fancy pumping iron at 2am? Hitting that treadmill at midnight? Oxford has still to embrace the idea of open all hours gyms but working out around the clock is a growing trend. Virtual workouts, where classes or training is played on screens, eliminate the need to turn up at a prescribed time and can be accessed any time.

“I’ve seen a surge in the demand for online personal training, with many of our international students returning home, but continuing on with their programmes through virtual coaching,” says Hall.

“Virtual coaching is ideal for people who struggle to get to the gym, or are looking at a budget efficient way to train.”

LET’S GET FUNCTIONAL

In 2014, you might well have found yourself scuttling across the floor like a lobster or leaping around like an ape doing primal movement-based exercise.

In 2015, the trend is set to develop further, with functional training putting a big emphasis on widening our range of movement and offsetting the damage of sedentary lifestyles.

“These small, circuit-based training sessions get the body moving in the way our ancestors did. They use unconventional kit to move the body in a multi-directional way. David Lloyd and LA Fitness have set up functional training classes, with LA Fitness launching their Primal Series: small group, circuit classes aimed at getting your body moving,” says Hall.

STRONGER THAN YESTERDAY

More women than ever have started including weight training into their fitness regime; could our “I’ll look like a bodybuilder” fears finally be gone for good? A beautifully honed bicep and sculpted quads are now the most envied curves in town, it seems, and industry insiders certainly think more and more of us will be muscling in on this trend in 2015, with old-school equipment like gymnast rings, for pull-ups and dips, and monkey bars a key feature for Fitness First. They’re also predicting their Freestyle Strength Training class and FGT (freestyle group training) HIIT class to be popular.

2015 TREND TITBITS

What else is on the fitness horizon for 2015?

* Variety: forget sticking to one or two forms of exercise. The choice of classes and facilities has never been so vast and people are cottoning on; mixing it up keeps things interesting and means a more over-arching workout.

* Doing it for the kids: more focus will be put on catering for youngsters and families.

* Outdoor training: getting outdoors to exercise means vitamin D top-ups, fresh air in your lungs and an extra sharp endorphin rush if it’s cool, plus best of all, if you simply don a pair of trainers, it’s free.

* Make a splash: swimming’s the UK’s most popular sport, in terms of participation, with around 2.9 million of us taking a dip at least once a week. It’s a fantastic, low-impact, whole-body workout and even more of us are expected to take the plunge in Oxford’s pools this year.

* Tech me as I am: apps, gizmos and gadgets galore now play a key role in our fitness habits, and it looks likely that tech will continue to help us monitor progress and smash those goals. “I think 2015 will be the year when technology takes fitness and exercise to the next level. The use of apps allows us to track our food, exercise and health on the go,” says Hall.

* Regeneration is a growing buzzword. That token 60-second warm-down won't cut it in 2015; anybody worth their moisture-wicking threads knows that helping those muscles heal is just as vital as how many reps you managed.

So there you have it – there’s a huge choice of where, when and how you can get fitter.

As Hall says: “Whether you pop the running shoes on and perform HIIT in the idyllic surroundings of Oxford, or stay at home to do virtual training, 2015 will be the perfect year to get fit.”

If you can just get off that sofa...

WIN A FITNESS PACKAGE WORTH NEARLY £900!

Want a new you for the new year? If you have resolved that 2015 is the year you get fitter, slimmer, or even gain a few pounds, we can help.

The Oxford Mail has teamed up with personal trainer Chris Hall, founder of Hall Training Systems, to offer one deserving reader a fantastic fitness package worth nearly £900.

They will receive two one-hour personal training sessions per week along with free membership to LA Fitness in Oxford city centre across 10 weeks.

The package will include a full in-depth health assessment which will include body fat measurements, in gym assessment and food diary analysis. “We’ll look at both the training aspect as well as diet setting out training programs and dietary advice and guidance,” says Chris.

To be in with a chance of being selected for this great opportunity let us know your name, age, gender, address, occupation, availability for training, current exercise level/history, height, weight and what losing weight/getting fitter mean to you.

Email your answers with a daytime telephone number to jaine.blackman@nqo.com or by post to Jaine Blackman, Oxford Mail, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EJ by Friday January 23, 2015. Usual rules apply. The Editor’s decision is final.

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